Hookline 2011 final

We were hoping to announce the winner today, but... one reading group is still to return their ratings. The competition is close, with a fraction of a percentage point separating rating totals.

We hope to deliver a verdict tomorrow - promise!

Digital publishing is not a sausage machine

Independent book shops are in a panic as they fight against the dominance of Amazon. They know they should have taken the company more seriously when it emerged from the digital test tube 15 years ago. As Amazon now moves now into book publishing, traditional publishers need to rethink how they do business?

Much of the UK book industry operates on centuries old practices that include large print runs and warehousing of books. But predicting print runs is a gamble, and unsold books stored too long in warehouses are likely to be pulped.

However new digital technology means that books can be printed as they are ordered, reducing any need for gauging sales in advance. Avoiding large print runs means that publishers can take chances on new writers who might attract only a small niche of readers.

But mention the technology of print-on-demand (POD) books to many UK publishers, and you are likely to see a sniff rise from a very traditional nose.

The US has range of innovative book publishers taking advantage of digital opportunities:

OR books specialise in fast-moving changes within politics and culture, publishing two titles a month and selling direct to customers who want in-depth analysis of the latest trends. www.orbooks.com

Dzanc books is a non-profit operation working with budding writers to improve their manuscripts. Dzanc publish the best of the polished works. Publishers Weekly in the US hailed them as the future of the industry. www.dzancbooks.org

Amazon itself is offering writers the chance to bypass publishers and use POD to sell their books as they are ordered through the retailer.

In the UK, POD tends to be limited to academic presses.

However, at Hookline Books we too are taking advantage of digital printing.

The UK has more than 50 universities offering MA programmes in writing. Graduates study the concepts of plot, dialogue, character development much as art students study visual concepts. But, as large publishing houses close their doors to submissions, few of these graduates reach publication. Realising that talent was being missed, we decided to accept submissions only from students and graduates of writing programmes. But rather than judge the submissions ourselves, we have a network of 30 book groups who read the early chapters, create a short list and decide the top fiction we should publish.

For four years now we have been bringing together new writers and serious readers in this way. As book groups sift the manuscripts, it is fascinating to watch the fiction that rises to the top. So far we have published a variety of genre from literary, historic to chick-lit.The readers love being involved in the publishing process, and the budding writers feel they are given a fair shot at publication by the people who matter – serious readers.

More than half our sales are now through e-books, but even this digital innovation is treated with disdain by some UK publishers who simply reformat existing scripts and stuff them into a digital sausage with no gamble in content or innovation in voice.

The digital world offers publishers opportunity, but while many in the UK fear the sky is falling on their old book presses, some of us are looking into the dawn of a wonderful future.

Libraries and our communities

When I was little and wanted to know how to take care of a puppy, I went to the library. If I needed information on China, dolls or hamster habits, I went to the library.

Today, we all go to Google for snippets of information. Libraries are no longer the font of knowledge.

We all love libraries and want them saved, but they do have to change. Not everyone has the internet at home, and I'm happy to see most libraries offer online browsing.

But perhaps they could go further and, in light of last week's riots, become community hubs where people can come together and share information and ideas.

A few years ago, I launched an amateur dramatic group in a village that had become a bedroom community to Cambridge. A brief in the local paper was enough to bring in telephone calls from those interested, but meeting was tough - the local church wanted £20 for one night in their very cold hall. So I squeezed everyone into my house until we grew too big, and by then fundraising meant I could do a deal with a smaller church.

Libraries are about more than books. They are about people. Librarians know this, they are on the front line when it comes to communities and the knowledge they seek.

Many of us who praise libraries, no longer use them - it seems we buy our books (a great thing, no criticism there), but we do have to ask ourselves, 'What would take us back to the library?'

I'd love to hear a debate on libraries in the internet age and how they fit into the community - comments please!

Celebrity and novels

An interesting debate occurred at the Galley Club a few weeks ago:

Should a publisher use a celebrity's name on a novel when the celebrity didn't write the work?

The publisher in question said 'Yes, it's about branding.' Readers seek to be identified by the celebrity in question.

I, and others, felt it was deceiving the reader - when I buy a novel by John Smith, I would like to know John Smith wrote it.

What do you think?

'was'

This is a demon word - it's dull, tells nothing and drags out a sentence. But we all use it, especially when feeling lazy.

It is, simply, the past tense of the verb 'to be', but there are so many other words that can be used - more specific words:

He was running - he ran...

I was hoping - I hoped...

You get the point.

So writers, before sending in your manuscripts please use the 'find' function to reconsider each use of 'was'. Readers will appreciate it.

Advice to new writers

Writers reaching stage two of the Hookline Novel Competition are busy editing their work. What follows is advice we would like to give them and other new writers:

1. It is not about you - the reader is the most important party in the relationship. You write a novel for others, it is not a personal indulgence (although celebrities who turn to writing fiction may disagree).

2. Plot and pace - writing a few chapters is easy compared to spanning the thread of a story through time and place. Ask objective friends to read it and listen to their advice.

3. It is your job to engage the reader - 30 pages is the minimum I ask of our volunteer readers. If a novel doesn't grab them by then, they can justifiably close the book. Don't say, 'They should have stayed with it - the plot improves!' The text is entirely in your hands - use it well.

4. Speling, spellang - Spelling! Nothing turns readers off more than bad spelling.

Hookline 2011 short list

The reading groups have turned in their results:

Hookline 2011 Short list is:

Shannon Slater-Dent, Bath Spa University, November

Tamara Britten, UEA, Nandi Flame

Sarah Penny, St Andrews University, The Bundu Bashers

Gayle Kennedy, UEA, Underground

Kate Mitchell, Sheffield Hallam University, Shelter

Writers have until June 26 to submit their complete novel. These will be printed, bound and sent to reading groups who will evaluate the works based on plot, writing style, character development and reader satisfaction.

The winner announced November 2011