Whittlewood Now Available on Kindle

After a lot of trials and tribulations, my novel Whittlewood is finally available on Kindle.  First published in paperback format in 1997, it attracted some glowing reviews at the time, and rather than let it fade into oblivion now that ignotus press has ceased to be, I decided to go for an e-book version at no extra cost.  As I'm currently working on my third novel (hopefully The Wild Horseman will also be available as an e-book shortly), I also thought it was a good idea to have the first book still 'in print'.

New Kid on the Block ... But Growing Rapidly

With just over a year since its inception, Compass Books (an imprint of John Hunt Publishing) already has a diverse collection of titles in various stages of production.  This new writers' resource also has an impressive stable of authors willing to share their experience but what makes it different to other writers' how-to book selections?  "People make the mistake of automatically thinking that how-to books are for beginners," says commissioning editor Suzanne Ruthven, "but a large number of our titles cater for more experienced writers looking for a change of direction, or experimenting with a new genre.  The majority of our authors also have a background in tutoring writing courses, workshops and writers' weekends, so they have the added advantage of bringing their teaching skills to the table.  They know the how, why, what, where and when of their particular genre."

As former contributing editor of The New Writer magazine, Ruthven knows that reader-writers like the inclusive approach and quite a few of the Compass authors are names that have frequently appeared in the magazine over the years.  "I'm familiar with their publishing history, style, the ability to work to deadlines, innovative ways of thinking, humour and, even more important, I've sat in on their workshop sessions and  listened to them in action."

This doesn't mean that unknown writers can't get a foot in the door as new-comer and life-coach Sarah-Beth Watkins has discovered.  This writer's field of speciality is what is broadly referred to as 'life-style' and her first book Telling Life's Tales was quickly followed by The Writer's Internet and The Life-Style Writer. How to Write for the Home and Family Market and Life-Coaching for Writers are currently in production. 

Titles in the Compass Books pipeline include Writing A Chilling Thriller by novelist Sally Spedding (author of Wringland, Cloven, Cold Remains, Malediction, etc); A Practical Guide to Poetry Forms by Alison Chisholm, tutor for The Writers' Bureau (and "Possibly the best poetry teacher on the planet," according to Ruthven); The Positively Productive Writer and Photography for Writers by prolific non-fiction author Simon Whaley; and How To Write a Western in 30 Days by western author Nik Morton.  Ruthven own titles also reflect her personal writing interests - Life-Writes, How To Write for the How-To Market, The Country Writer's Craft, The Pagan Writer's Guide and Horror Upon Horror: Writing The Horror Novel.

Compass Books will consider all full-length proposals for 'how to write' books and has recently added Compass Points to cater for 25,000 word titles on the techniques of writing, which are proving to be extremely popular with those more experienced writers who are looking to expand their own writing outlets.  For more information go to www.compass-books.net or www.facebook.com/JHPCompassBooks.