Leopold Borstinski's Blog, page 37
September 17, 2017
Read a Romance Novel – You Know You Want To!
I know I’ve mentioned a specific book before but this is one in the romance genre. It is available to purchase from Amazon and is called Forbidden Fruit by Annalise Wells.
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September 13, 2017
The Heist is available in more ebook stores
I am pleased to announce The Heist is now available at Amazon, the Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Nobles Nook store, SmashWords and other fab places to purchase ebooks. No matter which store you prefer, you can reach it via this website or via books2read.com/theheist for those who want to go straight there now.
Just as a point of information, as an independent author, I make receive the highest royalties if you buy direct from SmashWords but it can be a bit more hassle for you to sideload the book into your e-reader. Just saying, is all.
Finally, if you prefer your books more paper based then The Heist paperback is now available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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September 10, 2017
White people in publishing shock non-shock
The Guardian is reporting on the numbers of people in the UK involved in the publishing industry and of Caucasian background. Ninety per cent if the statistics are to be believed. And I believe them.
The thrust of the article is that diversity hasn’t exactly spread like wild fire across the book trade. This is reinforced with another stat that just under 85% of the respondents to the survey were female.
What I find interesting is that the newspaper headline foregrounds how white the industry is and not how female it is instead or in addition. There is almost an implicit acceptance that certain jobs belong to women: publishing, teaching, nursing and we shouldn’t therefore be surprised when we see so many women in those industries. But is it healthy for our cultural heritage for white women to rule the roost here? I only ask because if the genders were reversed I believe there would be uproar at the cultural hegemony rather than mild disinterest.
As a white middle-class middle-aged male, I know I am in no position to complain about any of this stuff, so I shall remain silent. Pot. Kettle. Black.
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More free books on the Internet
If you’re favourite genres are murder, mystery, suspense, crime or thriller then happy days. There’s still a chance to get your heads on some fab free reads.
Fill your boots.
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September 9, 2017
Libraries are cultural conduits
A lovely article from The Guardian (where else?) which has been dredged out of the archives from 1910. There was a meeting of representatives from over 500 libraries mainly from the UK but from the US too.
With the advent of new legislation enabling public libraries to exist, statistics had been compiled showing that 24% of books taken from UK libraries were fiction and of classics comprising content with high merit. On that basis, the librarians agreed that their books were not agents of knowledge transfer but also were passing on high culture down to the masses.
I mention it for two reasons: in the UK, libraries are suffering from tremendous funding cuts as the world of austerity digs deep into these cultural conduits. Secondly, I’d be very surprised if three quarters of withdrawals were for non-fiction now that any fool can read a page on the web and treat it as having the same credibility as a well-researched piece of journalism or academic research.
The times they have well and truly changed.
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Another chance to fill your boots
The Prolific Reader remains a great resource for those of you who don’t want to spend any money on your novels. The Heist is in there as well as many other books.
Fill. Your. Boots!
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September 3, 2017
The Bowery Slugger first draft: done
The headline says it all really. I just thought I’d announce something I’m pleased about: I finished the first draft of the first book in a new series. The book is called The Bowery Slugger and it will form part of the Alex Cohen series.
My current plan – subject to change like all my passing whims – is to release at least 3 books in the Lagotti Family series this year and into 2018. Then publish The Case, potentially as a serialization given its structure. Then second half of 2018 and into 2019, I’ll release the Alex Cohen series.
After that? Well, I’ve got a financial crime series planned. The first of those is The Death and Life of Penny Pitstop (written and going through the editing process) although it will take the second in the series (currently untitled) before it connects up into a normal series of books.
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September 1, 2017
Brand New Second Hand Lie
This isn’t something I do every day, but I’d like to give a special shout out to Pamela Crane and her novel, A Second Hand Lie. You can grab yourself a copy at InstaFreebie which means there’s zero cost to you.
Fill your boots.
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August 31, 2017
The Heist eBook is available to buy NOW!
Today is a special day: The Heist is out on Amazon today.
This is my first novel in the crime noir genre and I’m very excited about it. There are a host of different characters to follow on the seedy side of the 1967 Baltimore tracks. As ever with noir, the number of essentially good people can be counted without the use of any hands or fingers. And that’s what I love about them.
Also I should point out the story follows a gang in the run-up to the heist so it’s the journey not the end-point that matters – at least to me.
Based on pre-release feedback, the second in the series, called The Getaway, should be hitting websites before the end of this year. All I’ll confirm is that at least some of the protagonists from The Heist survive long enough to appear in the second book.
Frank has only just left prison and already he’s thinking about stealing money from a bank and heading west. Five men, two women and a bank vault stand between him and his dream of California living.
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August 29, 2017
FREE Books from Many Genres
This is a fine selection of free eBooks across all sorts of genres including crime and thrillers. You’ll find The Heist buried in there too. Fill your boots, support indy authors and carry on reading!
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