The Hobcast Book Show

Episode 52: Doctor in the house - writing as a second career - with Mairi Chong

You've trained for years to achieve your ambition to become a doctor, but what happens when a mental health crisis forces you to leave the profession? That's exactly what happened to our guest Mairi Chong, who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in the weeks after giving birth to her son. The effects were so severe she had to leave the job she loved as a GP, and rebuild her life again, coming to terms with the impact of the condition. That's when she turned to writing, and this week Mairi is celebrating the release of her first novel for Bloodhound Books - Death by Appointment featuring sleuthing medic Cathy Moreland. It's a fascinating and uplifting interview that doesn't flinch from discussing the impact of mental health issues. 
Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca ask if audiobooks can really help students to break their screen addictions, and we celebrate one of the most beloved books of the past forty years, the immortal Dear Zoo.

Episode 51: How to become a bestselling author in two years - with Daniel Hurst

We've been lucky enough to speak to some spectacularly successful indie authors in the past year, like Simon McCleave and Jason Dalgleish, we can now add Daniel Hurst to that list. In just two years since he specialised in writing psychological thrillers and suspense novels, he's sold enough books to both give up his day job and employ his wife full-time to support him. As Daniel explains to Adrian and Rebecca, some of the keys to his success is hard work, writing and releasing books quickly, and writing to market. His new novel The Rivals is released on 15th January.
Also this week, we look at the predicted publishing trends for 2022, and we congratulate Ian Rankin on signing another seven-figure contract for his next two Rebus books.

Episode 50: Dreaming among the spires

It's Episode 50! Adrian and Rebecca have taken The Hobeck Book Show on the road again to see in the new year with a visit to Oxford. The city of dreaming spires was the perfect place to look back on a momentous 2021, and set new goals and dreams for 2022. In this episode we hear again from some of the wonderful guests we've hosted in the past year, and we look ahead to what's in store for Hobeck Books in the year to come. Plus, there's some rather special personal news too...

Episode 49: Bookbugs and Dragon Tales with Dan and Leanne Fridd

This week we compare notes with husband-and-wife book selling team, Dan and Leanne Fridd about the pleasures and pressures of working together in the world of books. They run the superb independent bookshop, Bookbugs and Dragon Tales in Norwich, UK, and as they tell The Hobcast Bookshow, they're determined to create a unique experience where customers of all ages can relax and discover the joy of reading and books. For ex-teacher Leanne, she wonders why she waited so long to pursue the dream, and they reveal the heart-warming impact their bookshop has had on the lives of countless children and young people of the area.
Also this week - Adrian and Rebecca reflect on The Bookseller's list of the 150 most influential people in UK publishing and ask, which publishing executive has the smuggest portrait photo expression?

Episode 48: A literary blind date - with Sarah Manvel

We have a confession to make at The Hobcast Book Show. Our plans unravelled following a medical drama, so we had to launch an appeal for a guest this week at the last minute. Kindly, the brilliant Sarah Manvel stepped in, creating a literary podcast blind date for this week's show. Sarah is a writer and critic, and author of the hilarious semi-fictional account of dates that have gone horribly wrong. As you'll hear, You Ruin It When You Talk is Sarah's first book, but she's determined that it won't be her last. It's a fascinating conversation.
Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss further shake-ups in the indie publishing world, and how supply chain issues are forcing publishers to order print runs 9 months ahead of release dates.
 

Episode 47: The power of research - gangs, knife-crime, and murder - with Jennie Ensor

Our latest Hobeck Books release, Silenced by Jennie Ensor, is potentially one of our most controversial. How controversial depends on your position on the debate about who is entitled to write about characters from a range of backgrounds and cultures. The novel tackles the impact of gang culture in North London, the horror of knife crime and the way communities live in fear of helping the police. Jennie tells us how she spent months building links with the people and communities affected by these issues, and how that research allowed her to write the book with understanding and authenticity. 
Also this week, we hear how a fellow indie-publisher is using crowdfunding to keep their business going in difficult trading conditions, and Adrian and Rebecca discuss a busy week of releases for Hobeck, including the Christmas charity anthology, The Dark Side of Christmas.

Episode 46: Independent Bookshops Special with Jules Button and Krissy Lloyd

It's been a brutal 18 months for independent bookshops. Feeling the ever tightening squeeze of a certain large online retailer, the Covid pandemic forced many to shut their doors for months, if not for ever. But is the outlook for the UK's independent bookshops so bleak? Not according to our guests on the Hobcast Bookshow this week: Jules Button owns the Woodbridge Emporium in Suffolk, whilst Krissy Lloyd manages the Medina Bookshop in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. As they tell Rebecca and Adrian, they've used all their creativity, local knowledge, and reputation to adapt and thrive in recent months, driven by a love of books. 
Also this week, the team brave a blizzard to present the programme from the Derbyshire Dales, where they discuss efforts to ease the impact of Brexit by the UK's biggest book distributor, and Adrian does his best to explain the meaning of the Collins Dictionary word of the year...

Episode 45: An A-level in murder - with Lin Le Versha

We all remember the jealousies and rivalries of our school years. The gossip swirls, rumours grow and take a life of their own - no one is immune. Add a musical genius from a sheltered background, suffocated by a protective mother's love, and you have the ingredients for Lin Le Versha's superb debut novel, Blood Notes, set in a fictional sixth form college in Suffolk. Lin tells Rebecca and Adrian how her experience of working in education helped her to create this world, into which comes Steph Grant, a former detective trying to rebuild her life following bereavement and a career-ending error of judgement. 
Also in this week's Hobcast Book Show, we reveal how the wider publishing world has reacted to the recent shake-up in the audiobook industry, and we explore how one indie bookshop in Wales has launched an appeal to keep its doors open.

Episode 44: The secrets we bury - with Linda Huber

We all have things we'd rather forget from our childhoods, but what if a whole community chooses to bury a dark secret? That's the theme of Linda Huber's brilliant and dark psychological thriller for Hobeck Books. Pact of Silence is a departure from her first bestseller for us, Daria's Daughter, and as Linda reveals in this wide-ranging interview, the scenes and themes of her new novel have haunted her. 
Also this week Adrian and Rebecca mark the passing of the legendary Wilbur Smith, and ask if some big money takeovers mark a serious shake-up to the audiobook industry. 

Episode 43: To edit is divine - with Helen Gray

As we promise in the opening of every Hobcast Book Show - we speak to the people who make Hobeck Books possible, including editors. Helen Gray has worked with two of our authors, Malcolm Hollingdrake and Harry Fisher on their crime series, and in this interview, we learn how she uses her experience and judgement to build strong working relationships with the authors she works with. Also this week, Adrian and Rebecca discuss how audiobook technology is changing, and we discover who's in the running for the most bizarre book title of the year.