Judging Young Fiction By Their Covers - Yanks vs Limeys

The online magazine The Millions is judging books by their covers again.

"As readers, we are undoubtedly swayed by the little billboard that is the cover of every book we read," writes former bookseller C. Max Magee. "...I’ve always found it especially interesting that the U.K. and U.S. covers often differ from one another. This would seem to suggest that certain layouts and imagery will better appeal to readers on one side of the Atlantic rather than the other."

Reader's Block: is there a cure?

by Teri Terry

A few days ago I posted this on Facebook: 

I don't get writer's block as such - but I do get reader's block. This is much worse! Every now and then, I don't want to read anything I have (and I have a mountainous TBR) but I'm just craving....I don't know what. I want a book to grab my hands and pull me in, but not leave me feeling battered during or after. Everything I pick up I put down again. 

And I wondered: is this a common writer's complaint? Judging by the number of comments left in quick succession, it is.

The author has four faces: A writer's survival guide

By Kate Harrison
Guest Blogger

Writing is a dream job – that’s official. According to this survey, being a writer is the number three dream job, after Pilot and Charity Worker.

Yet we’ve also been told that there’s a strong link between being an author and mental health problems. So writing is a dream job and a potential nightmare rolled into one. So how can you make sure being an author is still a dream come true?