Alison Barrow on Publishing, Book Reviewing & The Bookseller Awards

This week on Quick Book Reviews, Philippa is joined by publishing powerhouse Alison Barrow for a fascinating behind-the-scenes conversation about the world of books, publishing, publicity, BookTok, book reviewing, and what really happens inside a major publishing house.

Alison shares the emotional impact of the recent Bookseller Awards, including the extraordinary success of Nobody’s Girl and the moving tributes to legendary romantic fiction authors including Jilly Cooper, Sophie Kinsella and Joanna Trollope.

They also discuss:

• the launch of Transworld’s new horror imprint 3AM
• the rise of horror and romantasy publishing trends
• Alison’s own experience writing and editing her debut novel
• how exhausting structural edits really are
• the realities of social media for book reviewers
• whether TikTok or Instagram matters more for publishing
• why authenticity matters more than follower counts

Plus Alison recommends some brilliant reads, including:

• London Falling
• Fame Sick
• The Agatha Cure

If you’ve ever wondered how publishing really works, how books become bestsellers, or how to start reviewing books online, this episode is packed with insight, warmth and honesty.

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