THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: PRINTING PLUS – Jane Cable meets Nigel Mitchell of Biddles

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For a number of reasons I won’t go into here I have a personal dislike of Createspace paperbacks, so when I wanted a short print run of Another You, another author recommended Biddles. Not only do they print and design books, but they do all the ISBN legwork, including taking orders from wholesalers. So I delighted to introduce Nigel Mitchell who worked in book manufacturing with Biddles for 41 years and now runs the company as Biddles Books a book print management company.

WHAT IS YOUR BOOK RELATED JOB OR BUSINESS?

I left school at 16 and after spending two weeks at an accountants which I didn¹t enjoy, I found another job working at Biddles Limited in Guildford who had just started the transition from commercial printers to book printers. I worked in the office at Guildford for nine years and then transferred to the Kings Lynn factory in 1982. Biddles continued to be successful and expanded over the years and eventually employed nearly 200 people. In 2011 I was made redundant and at 54 wondered who might employ me at that age and started my own business Shore Books and Design and received design work from the company that I used to work for. In 2013 Biddles, who were then owned by the MPG Printgroup went into liquidation and myself and a colleague bought the Biddles name from the administrator.

Since October 2013 I have run Biddles Books as a book print management company using my experience gained from the book manufacturing environment to help self publishers, design consultants and professional companies who want to produce anything from 10 mono paperbacks to 4,000 colour hardbacks.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF IT?

The rewarding elements of the job are giving advice and help to customers from the inception of their idea for a book they would like to produce so that they can have a book produced for a price that they can afford. Then receiving some compliments after they have received the completed book which they can hold in their hands.

Meeting so many people from so many different ways of life including Greek Orthodox nuns, Vice-president of British Aerospace, Boycie from Only Fools and Horses, men who fought in the Korean War and pop music promoters. After meeting all these people you realise that people have so many different reasons for producing a printed book.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR MAJOR SUCCESSES?

I think it must be in becoming self employed and running your own business for over six years. When I was being made redundant, it was one of the scariest times in my life because when I was employed I wouldn¹t have thought of running my own business whatsoever. I was in the comfort of being employed and getting a reasonable wage each month. There are so many things to learn and at the end it must be a profitable business to survive. You cannot do it all on your own and you have to rely on a good team to help make the business work. Biddles Books has continued to grow each year that it has been trading and at the end of 2017 we would have helped produce over 650 different titles, a 30% increase from 2016.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS LOVED BOOKS, AND WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

I think I enjoy books more now than when I was growing up. Certainly in my formative years I read a lot of children’s books with Enid Blyton and A A Milne being favourites and in my youth I remember reading all of Tom Sharpe’s books which I found hilarious and remember on many occasions laughing out loud at some of his bizarre descriptions. These days I love reading novels as I find them so relaxing after a busy day at work. I have read quite a few of the novels that we have arranged to print and enjoyed the many different but at the moment I am reading The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly.

 

Dulwich Literary Festival 2017 programme announced

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Ali Smith, Alan Hollinghurst, Sam Leith, Henry Blofeld, Mihaela Noroc and many others to appear on the main weekend, 10-12 November. Additional events to take place throughout November, including a spooky All Saints Day special with Andrew Michael Hurley, a pop-up at West Norwood Feast and an evening in conversation with Robert Peston.

 

Dulwich Literary Festival returns this November with a striking line-up of speakers, including celebrated writer Alan Hollinghurst, Man Booker shortlisted Ali Smith, ITV Political Editor Robert Peston, renowned sports journalist Henry Blofeld, The Spectator’s Literary Editor Sam Leith and photographer and social media sensationMihaela Noroc. Presented by award-winning independent bookshop Dulwich Books, events will be hosted at various local venues including Dulwich College, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the bookshop itself. The 2017 programme includes something for everyone, with talks for children, walks for adults, ‘how-to’ workshops and thought-provoking discussions covering everything from sport and literature, to faith and global affairs.

 

Commenting on the festival programme, Susie Nicklin, owner of Dulwich Books said: “We are delighted once again to bring together some of today’s most celebrated authors, leading thinkers and local writers in Dulwich, to celebrate the best that words have to offer. In times of uncertainty we need to join together in celebrating the things that matter in our communities, whether feasting, worship, education or culture, and books and writers are the perfect way to link them. From Man Booker Prize-winning writers to a creative writing competition for all the young writers of Southwark, there are opportunities for all to participate and engage.”

 

Stand out events taking place across the main weekend include a unique evening with Ali Smith, who will celebrate the work of author and illustrator Tove Jansson at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a free exhibition of photos by Mihaela Noroc, who became a social media sensation with her images of women taken around the world, and a talk with Alan Hollinghurst, who will discuss his much anticipated new novel, The Sparsholt Affair, with the BBC’s Razia Iqbal.

 

Inspiring debate at the festival will be Political Editor Robert Peston, who will draw insights from his career in journalism to address the problems of our time and how we might put them right. Catherine Nixey will discuss the controversial findings of her new book The Darkening Age, which suggests early Christianity might be more violent, ruthless and intolerant than first thought. And, as new protest movements rock the political mainstream, Alexei Sayle, Courttia Newland and Francesca Rhydderch willlook back at dissidents who made history, discussing their contributions to a new anthology of stories re-imagining key moments of British protest.

 

As well as engaging ideas and debate, the festival will offer a number of sessions and workshops for visitors to celebrate pleasurable pastimes and new skills.  Veteran broadcaster Henry Blofeld will discuss a career in cricket with Nicholas Lezard, former National Trust chairman Simon Jenkins will lead a session on Britain’s best railway stations, Peter Fiennes will offer a guided tour of the remnants of the Great North Wood, and Anjula Devi will hold a tasting and book signing at the festival’s West Norwood Feast pop-up to explore the secrets of Indian cuisine.

 

Helping people to write clearly, correctly and persuasively, The Spectator’s Literary Editor Sam Leith will offer top tips from his latest book Write to the Point, award-winning illustration agency Scriberia will hold an interactive drawing session to encourage people to use images to think and communicate more effectively, and designerSusan Wightman will discuss the art and science of typography.

 

The festival will also cater for families, with two exciting children’s events and a short story competition for schools across Southwark. Picture book author and illustratorKate Pankhurst, a descendant of suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, will lead an interactive session on fantastic women who changed the world, including fun role-play and craft activities. Local mums Lucy Reynolds and Jenna Herman will also run a free story-time session at the festival’s West Norwood Feast pop-up, reading from their book Parrots Don’t Live in the City. Expect plenty of squawking.

 

Tickets will go on sale on the festival’s website from this weekend. For tickets and more information, visit: http://dulwichliteraryfestival.co.uk/

 

Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World’s Greatest Authors

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Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World's Greatest Authors

‘From a very early age…I knew that when I grew up I should be a writer….Between the ages of about 17 and 24 I tried to abandon this idea, but I did so with the consciousness that I was outraging my true nature and that sooner or later I should have to settle down and write books.’ George Orwell.
The above is a quote from this brilliant book. As a writer I could not put it down. I loved it. It is full of inspiration to keep you going when things are rough, and also when you are procrastinating. Divided into sections of introduction, becoming a writer, methods and means, failing, the art of writing, and a sense of an ending. This book can get you out of a jam and has great advice. It now has pride of place on my bookshelf and I will be dipping in whenever I need a dose of inspiration. An essential book for writers.

The joys and challenges of being a writer are explored in this inspiring assemblage of wit, wisdom and hard-won practical advice from some of the world’s greatest authors musing on the art of writing and how they came to define themselves as writers. From Samuel Johnson in eighteenth-century London to Lorrie Moore in twenty-first-century Wisconsin, the contributors range from the canon to contemporary, covering more than 250 years, and come from all over the world. Beautifully illustrated throughout, this stunning anthology explores and illuminates the pleasures and pitfalls of the compulsion to write, with advice about the whole messy business of writing literature and what it takes to be a writer. The perfect gift for aspiring writers, curious readers, and anyone interested in what the world’s greatest authors have to say about the art of writing.

 

by Travis Elborough (Author), Helen Gordon (Author), Joey Guidone (Illustrator)

Being a Writer: Advice, Musings, Essays and Experiences From the World’s Greatest Authors is available here. 

 

Classic Fruit Cake

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It is time if you are so inclined to start preparing for Christmas and making your Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. There are a number of great Christmas bakes from around the world such as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen or simply Stollen in Germany, the familiar dome shape of Panettone from Italy or the French Bûche de Noël or Yule log, a rich iced chocolate cake. In the United Kingdom we traditionally celebrate with a decorated spiced, fruitcake.* The cake is normally covered with a layer or marzipan then fondant or royal icing and decorated with Father Christmases, red-breasted robins, bows, bells, holly, and other Christmas symbols.

This is my goto recipe for fruitcake, rich and flavoursome enough for a christening or wedding cake or a Christmas Cake, it is sturdy enough to carry the weight of marzipan and icing and be used in tiers. It is a real family favourite and we bake at least one a month, it is a great match for a nice crumbly cheese like Wensleydale or Caerphilly, which is a proper nod to my Yorkshire ancestry. I haven’t specified the dried fruit you can use a mix of raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, apricots, cranberries, prunes or figs and you can omit the nuts if you prefer and add an extra eighty grams of flour. I use raisins, sultanas, lots of cherries and dried mixed peel.

The secret to a rich, delicious Christmas cake alongside a generous mix of seasonal spices is to feed the finished cake. In the run up to decorating your cake you can add a couple of spoonsful of whisky, sherry or brandy to the cake to really keep it moist.

*Dundee Cake is a lighter fruit cake made with currants, sultanas, mixed peel and almonds and flavoured with whisky. It was popularised by a Scottish marmalade company called Keiller’s, who first mass-produced the cake commercially in the mid-nineteenth century and claimed to have introduced the name ‘Dundee cake’. It is normally topped with rings of blanched, whole almonds.

 

Classic Fruit Cake

750 gr Mixed Dried Fruit

200 gr Self Raising Flour

250 gr soft Unsalted Butter

250 gr light Brown Sugar

100 gr Ground Almonds

75 gr Flaked Almonds

5 large free-range Eggs

1 tablespoon Black Treacle

1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

A generous pinch of Ground Cloves

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Almond extract

100 ml Brandy, Whisky or Bourbon

Zest and juice of 1 Orange

Zest and juice of 1 Lemon

 

Buttered, lined, deep twenty-centimetre cake tin

Put the dried fruit, zests and juice and alcohol into a large bowl and leave for twenty-four hours stirring occasionally. Heat oven to 150C / 300 F / Gas Mark 2. Put a damp cloth onto the work surface and place your largest mixing bowl on top. Add the softened butter, sugar, treacle and almond essence and cream together. Crack the eggs one by one into a small bowl to check they are fresh, then combine and whisk together. Sift the flour, spices and baking powder into another bowl.

Add the egg mix in batches and beat into the butter and sugar mix. Add a couple of tablespoons of flour with each batch to prevent the mix from splitting. When all of the egg is mixed in add the remaining flour and spice mix and fold together until thoroughly combined. Add the soaked fruits and flaked almonds and gently stir together. Tip the cake mix into your prepared cake tin, and tap on the work surface to knock out any pockets of air. Place in the centre of the oven bake for an hour, cover the top with two layers of baking paper and turn the oven down to 140C / 275 F / Gas Mark 1 and cook for around two and a half to three more hours or until a wooden skewer inserted in the cakes centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool. To feed your cake poke holes in it with a skewer and spoon over tablespoons of your chosen alcohol, wrap in fresh baking paper and tin foil and place in a biscuit tin or plastic tub. Feed the cake with two tablespoons of alcohol every fortnight, until you marzipan it before icing.

Juice Burst Launch Fruit & Veg Range

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Juice Burst are determined to stay at the top of their juice game and we think their revamped juices are a hit. With both fruit and veg in their newly launched flavours, Juice Burst have also made sure that the reformed flavours contain No added sugar, flavours and sweeteners.

Strawberry and Beetroot is a hit and perfect for a pre-workout drink. With beetroot containing properties which open up blood vessels and packed full of antioxidants, this is the perfect purple pick-me-up.

Apple and Cucumber is perfectly refreshing served over ice and an excellent source of fibre.


Our favourite flavour comes in the form of a perfectly autumnal shade. Orange and Carrot is just the tonic you need to get through the colder months. With a huge blast of Vitamin C, beta-carotene to boost the immune system and Vitamin A which supports cell rejuvenation, we are going to use this as our winter tonic to prevent any unwanted illnesses.

Juice Burst is available to buy in WH Smith, Superdrug and other good retailers for £1.25

Superhero Movies at a Crossroads?

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The latest Marvel movie and the third in its Norse chapter, Thor: Ragnarok, may herald a marked change in that franchise’s approach to superhero films.  The production of these films is as predictable as a car assembly line and their content as varied as the colours of a Model T but with Thor Three a new ingredient has emerged, that of humour.  In contrast I was recently at a cinema to see Blade Runner 2049 when the trailer for DC’s Justice League came on.  There was a palpable sense of ennui from the audience.  Perhaps they had already signalled their indifference to superhero fare by choosing to see Blade Runner but I sensed a shift that just might dent one of these studio giants.

Taking its cue from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Thor Three’s accent is firmly on the comedy.  Thor himself is self-deprecating and droll while supporting characters present plenty of less than super attributes.  Tessa Thompson plays a Valkyrie who, when not booting monsters all over the place, advocates heavy drinking.  The really surprising thing is that she does not experience an epiphany and hold forth against the demon drink when her character arc demands it.  And, considering that Marvel Studios is a subsidiary of Walt Disney, this is a turn-up.

Superheroes are a sexless bunch but, finally, in Thor Three we detect some lewd thoughts flickering between our beefy god of thunder and his fetching Valkyrie.  There is the faintest tickle of potential hanky-panky between these traditionally po-faced heroic archetypes.  At one point the goodies have to fly their spaceship into a black hole called the Devil’s Anus. Change is indeed afoot.

Meanwhile over at DC studios, the same old formula that brought you the excruciating Superman: Man of Steel and the tired Batman v Superman: Yawn of Justice, (sorry Dawn), is busy promoting its latest commodity.  Justice League brings together Batman, Wonder Woman and some other assorted gimps you’ve never heard of to fight someone called Steppenwolf.  It’s tiring even writing this stuff.  Judging from the trailer it’s all square jaws and CGI fisty-cuffs with little evidence of the refreshing wit found in Thor.

Will audiences tire of these cinematic facsimiles?  I sincerely hope they do.  This may sound mean-spirited but my objections to this cycle of inanity are not based merely upon personal taste.  The money poured into these productions is immense; Justice League had a budget of $250 million.  For all that, we will get some feeble musings on the nature of good and evil wrapped up in a 120 minute montage of FX enhanced martial arts.  It is truly depressing how much stock, young people especially, put into what are ultimately conservative, status quo perpetuating sagas that are brainless and backward.  Wonder Woman broke the mould with a female lead after decades of male protagonists.  Racial tokenism is rife while the presence of gay characters, despite appearing in the comics, have yet to materialise on screen.

While Thor Three did provide some cheer for the super-weary, the end of spandex-clad shenanigans is not nigh.  The Asian market continues to bolster these movies even when they perform poorly in the west.  William Goldwyn famously stated that in Hollywood, “Nobody knows anything.”  He was talking about the unknowable formula for making a hit film.  Today I fear that Hollywood executives know exactly what to do.  Until one of these films tanks at the box office the procession will persist and the cinematic landscape will be the bleaker for it.

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New Book Explores Early Language Development

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Early Language Development, babies, toddlerCommunication and speech in the early years is important and this great book gives plenty of tips and information on how to get the most from children. It has great information from recent studies and experts. Perfect for parents, teachers, or anyone else who works with young children. We highly recommend this book. 

New Pre-school Learning Alliance publication Early Language Development explores research techniques into communication development in very young babies, and even the developing foetus.

Language development represents a massive leap in learning over a relatively short period of time; from no discernible language at birth to functional verbal conversations by the age of three.

Researchers have plotted the course of children’s communication development from birth to adulthood so that we have a clear idea of what typical development looks like, however we still know little about how babies take their first steps towards language learning, and how the brain begins to adapt from what seems like a ‘blank slate’ at birth to an organ capable of processing the complexities of spoken language.

In recent times, research techniques have been developed which allow us new and sometimes surprising insights into communication development in very young babies, and even the developing foetus. This book uses these findings to provide what is perhaps a less familiar perspective on language development, and to reflect on how new research findings can inform how we support language learning.

Early Language Development considers babies’ first steps in language learning and explores the music of language, which includes the use of pitch, rhythm and intonation, on their journey to access the structure and meaning of the languages they are exposed to.

Interaction with adults and other babies is looked at as they move from adult initiated exchanges to their own attempts to begin a ‘conversation’. It will support parents to develop an understanding of some of the complexities of learning language and to use this knowledge to reflect on and identify ways in which babies’ and toddlers’ language development can best be supported within early years settings. The impact of high exposure of screen-based technology on language development is also scrutinised, with guidance on what action practitioners can take to minimise any detrimental effects.

Michael Freeston, quality improvement director, Pre-school Learning Alliance, said, ‘Communication and language is one of the most important aspects of learning; in its own right and also as a foundation for children to develop in all other areas.’

FURTHER INFORMATION

Early Language Development (Price for Alliance members: £11.55; Price for non-members: £16.50)

How to order:

W: www.pre-school.org.uk/shop

T: 0300 330 0996

E: shop@pre-school.org.uk

 

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE

  • The Pre-school Learning Alliance is the largest and most representative early years membership organisation in England. A registered educational charity, it also provides high-quality affordable childcare and education to support children and families in areas of deprivation throughout the country.
  • The Alliance represents 14,000 member settings and supports them to deliver care and learning to more than 800,000 families every year. We deliver family learning projects, offer information and advice, produce specialist publications, run acclaimed training and accreditation schemes and campaign to influence early years policy and practice.

Keep You Safe By Melissa Hill Book Review

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Keep You Safe Melissa Hill

When I first took this book out of its envelope I was not sure I wanted to read it. As a mother I was worried it would play on my fears. But you should never judge a book by its cover and I jumped in. To say that I loved the book would be an understatement. It really pulls you in and does not let go. It is not just that it is well written, it also carries the story along so well, and is so believable. The characters are well rounded and relatable, even if sometimes they do something you think is idiotic. This book takes an issue that rumbles on in society: the MMR vaccination and its link to autism, and the consequences to people not vaccinating their children, and then tells the story in a riveting way. It also has a mummy blogger in it, which makes the book even more relevant. Modern and entertaining: you will be gripped until the very last page. A stunning book.

 

A mother always knows best. Doesn’t she?

What if your choice for your child could harm someone else’s?

Every mother faces impossible choices. Vaccination is one of the hardest. For single mum Kate O’Hara, there was no decision to make. Her daughter Rosie is one of a small percentage of Irish children who can’t be vaccinated against measles. All Kate can do is hope that her little girl is safe.

For mummy blogger Madeleine Cooper, it was a leap of faith she wasn’t prepared to take when she and her husband declined controversial measles jabs for their daughter Clara. All she can do is pray that it’s the right decision.

But when classmates Clara and Rosie both become sick will Kate pay for Madeleine’s choice?

A stunning and addictive new book club read from beloved bestselling Irish author Melissa Hill that explores every mother’s worst fear