 Reading slumps. We’ve all had them. We all hate them. We all wish there were a magical solution to pull ourselves out of them. Unfortunately, they are here to stay. It is natural for our interest in our hobbies to come and go over the months and years, but when you find yourself in a reading slump it’s hard not to feel frustrated. For me, the best way to get out of a reading slump is to pick up something short and fast-paced. The satisfaction of finishing a book is the perfect way to get motivated to start reading regularly again. Here are our top five books to get you out of your reading slump:
 This beautifully written historical novel is based on the true story of Lale Sokolov, a prisoner in Auschwitz given the task of tattooing incoming prisoners with a number. During his time at the camp, he meets Gita, with whom he falls in love. This book is heart-breaking and very tense at times, but Lale’s resilience and charming personality will make you unable to put it down.
 Beth and Jennifer know that their emails are monitored at work, but they don’t take this seriously and continue to send personal (often hilarious) emails. Lincoln hates his job monitoring emails, but when he stumbles across Beth and Jennifer’s conversations, he finds himself falling in love. This book brings an entertaining twist to your regular romcom. It’s easy to read, and the email format adds another level of interest to this novel.
 If you’re more of a non-fiction reader, Adam Kay is the ultimate author for breaking a reading slump. Written in the form of a diary, this book is filled with short, snappy, and ridiculously funny anecdotes from the ex-junior doctor. The short chapters and writing that will literally make you laugh out loud make this book the perfect read for when you’re lacking motivation to get reading.
 Crime fiction is always a great way to beat a reading slump. The classic “whodunit” genre is nearly always impossible to put down. Lucy Foley takes this one step further in The Hunting Party as she keeps both the murderer and the victim’s identities secret for most of the novel. I couldn’t stop reading this from the moment I picked it up. Foley expertly introduces the character’s backstories, weaving an intricate web of connections, resentments, and secrets between her group of protagonists.
 If you’re the kind of reader who prefers realistic contemporary fiction, this is the book for you. In this excellent debut novel, Emira Tucker, a 25-year-old black woman, is wrongly accused of kidnapping a white child, Briar Chamberlain, who she is babysitting while at a supermarket. The story follows the relationship between Emira and Mrs Chamberlain after this event. It’s a fast-paced read full of complex characters and challenging issues such as performative anti-racism. You will speed through this book and put your reading slump behind you before you know it.
All of these books tell captivating stories, skilfully written in a way that will be sure to keep you reading till the very last page. However, the most important thing to remember when choosing the right book to get you out of your reading slump is to choose a book that truly excites you. Don’t read something that you think you should read, or the book that has been sitting on your shelf unread so long you can’t bear to look at it. Read something that will remind you why it is you love reading.
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 We’ve all heard of, and potentially even set for ourselves, the classic goal of reading 52 books in year, aka book a week. This might seem impossible for some or barely scratch the surface of a year’s reading for others. The team at Rowanvale Books are here to remind you that both of those options are completely okay! It’s 2021 – everyone has too much going on to worry about arbitrary metrics like how many books they read. That being said, we of course still believe in the power of books and what reading can do for you. Be it a quick escape from the world around us, a chance to learn about something new, or a social activity, time spent reading is always time well spent. Here at Rowanvale, we understand how overwhelming it can be to set yourself a goal for how many books you want to read in a year. The scramble towards the end to find as short a book as possible to up your count may leave you reading books you’re not actually that interested in. Reading in your free time should never feel like homework, which is why we’ve put together a list of alternative goals and challenges for the new year to keep you excited and, most importantly, to keep you reading! Here’s our list for 2021:
We also want to highlight the importance of diversifying the books and authors you’re reading in terms of race, class, sexuality, gender and disability. Developing a better understanding of people from backgrounds different to our own is one of the most effective ways of building a better, more empathetic world in 2021. We felt that this deserved a separate post with links and resources to help you, which can be found here.
We really hope these ideas will help to spark some inspiration over the next year and help you avoid and overcome any reading slumps! At the end of the day, Rowanvale Books firmly believe that reading is for everyone and there’s no right or wrong way to do it, whatever books you choose to read, and wherever you choose to read them.  Want to pick up a book and start reading, but don't have time? If this is the case, then Audible might be for you.
Audiobooks have grown enormously in popularity over the last few years, and with thousands of titles to pick from you'll be spoilt for choice. But before you jump into a subscription, it’s worth considering whether it is the right format for you. The first thing you need to know is that an Audible subscription is different from Spotify because you don't have unlimited access to audiobooks. Instead, you receive credits that you can redeem for any book on their platform. For a monthly fee of $14.95 (price as of December 2021), you are awarded a credit that you can redeem to buy an audiobook from Audible's library. Pros Unlike most streaming services, if you cancel your subscription you can keep the books you have purchased using Audible’s credits. When you sign up, you also get a 30-day free trial that lets you download two free audiobooks that you can keep forever (even if you decide not to continue with the subscription!). Lastly, an Audible membership allows you to benefit from a 30% discount on any book you want to buy after you have exceeded the monthly credit available. Cons This may sound obvious but bear in mind that when your membership expires or if you decide to terminate it, you will automatically lose any credits you still have to spend, so if you’re considering cancelling, it’s best to use all of them in one go. Books on Audible are known to be more expensive than their paper or eBook versions. Take for example Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The Kindle version is $8.16, the hardcover is $13.49, and the audiobook is $31.19. The high price of audiobooks is due to production costs. In addition to hiring a narrator, there are recording engineers, audiobook editors and other figures working on the book that drive up costs. Lastly, it’s not possible to refund or exchange a book once you’ve purchased it. Be sure you’re happy with your choice before paying for it as you won’t be able to exchange it for another one. Verdict If you don't have a lot of time to read books or eBooks, but you would like to read more, then a subscription to Audible might be for you. In addition, you can benefit from the many offers available on the platform to get the most out of it. If, on the other hand, you don't listen to at least one audiobook a month, then Audible is probably not the right thing for you. Still unsure? It’s worth utilising their 30-day free trial and seeing how many books you get through. If it’s less than one a month, you might want to stick a more traditional reading platform, like a paperback or an eBook.  When it comes to choosing a category which fits your book, it can seem difficult to navigate the huge variety offered by Amazon. With over 16,000 categories to choose from, and the task of catering to the various trends of the current book market, this small step of your publishing journey appears to be anything but simple. Thankfully, our team at Rowanvale are here to help. By taking heed of these three common Amazon category mishaps made by most authors, your use of categories should stand out and hopefully secure as many sales as possible.
If this seems a little overwhelming to you, try some of our top tips for keeping on top of popular categories:
However, a common mistake is when authors are blinded by the possibility of receiving bestseller status, which leads them to lose track of their goal of high sales. You must resist the temptation to place your book in a non-competitive category in the chance that it gains best-seller status. This is not a profitable method of marketing your book, and a random accolade from Amazon will not be evidenced in your wallet. Instead, ignoring the motivation to become bestseller and remembering the two key factors to success will help drive up your profits and sales. Overall, it’s clear to see that categories can make a huge difference to the sales of your book on Amazon. If you avoid these key mistakes and focus on Rowanvale’s top tips, you’ll be maximising your profits in no time! For further help with marketing your book on Amazon, check out our Amazon Analysis service.  Today we’re going to be looking at digital downloadable books (also known as eBooks) and why authors should invest in them. Before diving in, if you’d like to get a better understanding of eBooks and what exactly they are, then be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to eBooks for more information. After reading through our beginner’s guide you will have hopefully gotten a better understanding of eBooks. You’ve likely noticed from reading through the guide that there’s been an increase in sales for digital downloadable books. “Why?”, you ask, well, to get that answer we need to rewind to 2020. A lot happened during 2020: the world and the way people worked was completely flipped upside down by the onset of the coronavirus. As schools and other institutions began to close down and switch to remote learning there’s been a spike in the download of digital books. Despite the unfortunate circumstances that caused this spike, a revival has taken place. In fact, the digital book industry is one of many industries that has thrived during this period. With such a large increase in digital downloadable book sales, it’s worth considering how authors can make the most out of this upturn. As an author, one of the most strenuous parts of the book publishing process is the costs that come from publishing and distribution. One of the key benefits of investing in eBooks is that it reduces these costs. Since eBooks are digital files, they won’t run out of stock. Similarly, they can be purchased an unlimited number of times by people all over the world. As such, eBooks are financially more efficient for authors. If you or anyone else that you know has been wondering how to publish an eBook, or where to even begin, then it is worth considering our eBook publishing package. Note that amateur eBook publishing can be difficult and problematic, as errors can often arise in the coding that may cause the files to be rejected by retailers. At Rowanvale we use eBook publishing specialists to convert our files and guarantee the quality of the eBooks we produce. All eBooks supplied via our distributor to the online retailers are DRM protected, which restricts non-permitted sharing, copying and printing--so you're in safe hands! Another benefit to eBooks is that they provide an opportunity to expand your mailing list. Purchasing an eBook often requires customers to give details such as email address in exchange for the text, so use this to your advantage! Studies show that email marketing is an essential tool for attracting and retaining customers and boasts a 22.86% engagement rate compared to social media’s 0.58%. These figures show that mailing lists are a far more productive avenue for engaging your audience and should be used more frequently by authors.  To increase audience engagement, eBooks provide an opportunity to embed live links into your work. These links can be included within your book itself and lead readers to other resources containing information about you and your portfolio. These links can include your website, your blog and your social media accounts. These allow for your audience to get to know about you and your work in a more personal way, and can be effective for building an larger following.
Well, there you have it, folks! We hope that this article was helpful and clarified any questions you may have about eBook publishing. For any remaining questions feel free to contact us here where we will gladly answer your questions.  If you need a little inspiration for new books to try, who better to turn to for help than your favourite celebrities? Whether you’re a keen film fan, a music lover or a politics buff, our team at Rowanvale have collated some recommendations from a variety of different celebrities and genres to try. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a new favourite? Books Recommended by Actors Chris Hemsworth – The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy Described as one of his ‘favourite reads’ in an Instagram post, Chris Hemsworth’s recommendation of The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is a popular graphic novel exploring themes of friendship, kindness and compassion. Despite many readers branding it as a children’s book on its Goodreads page, the Marvel star insists that the book is suitable for everyone, ‘whether you’re eight or eighty’. If you’d like an uplifting read with beautiful illustrations, Hemsworth’s recommendation could be the book for you!  One of the most highly commended parts of this novel is its beautiful illustrations, which bring the characters to life and create a work of art as well as a compelling read. If you’d like to craft the same effect in your own children’s book, our team at Rowanvale can help you with the process! We offer illustration services for children’s books as well as a publishing package dedicated to the genre. Emma Watson – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery  Named as one of her favourites in an interview with TIME magazine, Emma Watson says that she likes books that ‘aren’t just lovely but that have memories in themselves’. A timeless book for all ages, The Little Prince follows the tale of a pilot who finds himself stranded in the desert, encountering the ‘Little Prince’ and exploring thoughts about adulthood, friendship and more with him. Similar to the previous book, The Little Prince is a perfect read if you enjoy musings on some of life’s most important values. Books Recommended by Singers Adele – Untamed by Glennon Doyle In an Instagram post concerning the book, Adele implores that you must read it with ‘a highlighter on hand to make notes’. Untamed is a non-fiction novel where Doyle explores how she found herself as a woman, learning to love all aspects of her life from her body to her new blended family. If what you’re looking for is motivation, life lessons and a heartfelt account of how to be at peace with yourself, then this book is perfect for you.  Mariah Carey – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett When sharing her 2020 reading list online, we noticed Mariah said she loves The Vanishing Half. This book follows the lives of twin sisters who left their homes at sixteen, exploring the differences in their identities as a result of the environments they are in. Touching on issues of race and family, this book provides an interesting insight into the influence of the past on someone’s future whilst telling an emotional family story. This book could be perfect for you if you’d like a touching read which draws on important themes.  Books Recommended by Politicians Michelle Obama – Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Revealing in an interview that she is ‘pulled in’ to this book every time she picks it up, Michelle Obama believes that Song of Solomon is a book which had one of the greatest influences on her adult life. Following the story of an African-American man growing up and returning to his family’s roots, this classic story could be perfect for you if you love a coming-of-age novel.  Hillary Clinton – The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky A philosophical Russian novel and a favourite of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, The Brothers Karamazov portrays historic Russian life through a series of love affairs involving Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons Dmitri, Ivan and Alyosha. Also exploring issues of God, free will and morality, give this book a try if you’re a fan of philosophy or history.  Excluding The Little Prince, every single one of these titles are also available as an audiobook on Audible. If you’re unsure about whether Audible and its features are worth the price, stay tuned! We’ll be covering this here on our Rowanvale blog very soon. If these celebrity recommendations aren’t quite the right fit for you, why not check out the latest releases from our Rowanvale authors? We’re sure something there will catch your eye! If you want to hear about the authors behind the story, check out the ‘Meet Our Authors’ page, where you’ll find interviews from authors at all stages in their lives.  Inspired by YouTuber booksandquills, this post will walk you through how to make your own spring reading list to help you get excited for the warmer months, whilst also ensuring you hit all your reading goals this season. We’ve even added some helpful tips on how to add your own creative flair to your list, making this the perfect boredom-busting activity for these cold winter months.
If you’d like some reading recommendations perfect for this time of year, here are some of Rowanvale’s favourite books which follow a springtime theme:
 2. Get Creative!
Now that you’ve chosen some spring reads to add to your list, the only thing left to do is use your creative flair to make the list more interesting. Booksandquills used lino prints of autumnal objects on her own list, but any arts and crafts you have access to will work just as well! Details from small drawings to pressed spring flowers will help your list look seasonal and appealing. By making your list look worthy of the books it contains, you will be more motivated to stick to it, and your reading goals for this spring will definitely be met. To gain some inspiration for your reading list, why not explore some titles recently released by our Rowanvale authors?  Every child deserves to read imaginative and diverse books which will nourish them intellectually and emotionally--and yet unfortunately, in 2021, we are still falling short of that mark. The Reflecting Realities Survey found in 2017 that just 4% of children’s books featured an ethnic minority character. Since then, this figure has nearly quadrupled--and whilst the word ‘quadrupled’ may bring to mind the idea of a significant leap, that still makes up just 15% of children’s books. Similarly, a 2019 study showed that just 3.4% of children’s books featured a disabled main character. And in fact, portraying LGBT individuals or families in children’s books was illegal from 1988 to the early 2000s. These statistics show that a large proportion of our children are being excluded from crucially important media in their formative years. So, why is it important to feature more diversity in children’s books, and what can we all do to help?
First and foremost: Representation Our education system, like most UK sociocultural institutions, are Eurocentric, meaning that they are geared towards white children. And yet, 33.9% of primary school children in the UK are from ethnic minority backgrounds. This figure is disproportionate to the amount of literature generated about ethnic minorities, who rarely get to see themselves represented on the pages of the books they love the most. Much the same can be said in terms of disability, neurodivergence and LGBT issues. Children who are not able-bodied, who perhaps have two mums or dads or who have been diagnosed with a neurodivergent ailment, are simply not seeing themselves reflected in media in a significant or meaningful way. When they are, they tend to be relegated to ‘token extra’ characters who are typically not explored at all and have little depth. But what can representation do, and why is it important? Representation in children’s books, and media in general, allows individuals to situate themselves within their country and their society--to feel at home and as if they have a valid and secure place in the world. Growing up reading only books about white, able-bodied children with nuclear families who are saving the world or learning to accept themselves, will inevitably lead minority children to believe they are not the norm, and not capable of the fantastic feats which children’s books are so good at imbuing our youth with. As readers and authors, we must offer children the opportunity to have heroes who look just like them, and who can prove that they can achieve just about anything. That is, after all, what children’s books are all about! But it’s not just for them… Children who don’t fall into these categories deserve, and need, to read these kinds of books too. Children are by nature very curious, and it is important that we allow them to read and learn about everyone in society. It helps them develop empathy and inclusivity--traits which will carry them well throughout life and help raise kind, open-minded individuals who contribute to their community and stand with the struggles of their minority group friends, family and colleagues. Reading and learning is where these seminal qualities begin, and it is so important we start this education young so that the next generation is raised to be better than ever before! A great example of a children’s book that teaches kindness and inclusivity is Simone Randall’s Sparkle The Fly, published with us here at Rowanvale! How can we all help? Firstly, if you are a parent--minority or not--next time you buy your child books, try taking the time to source the, albeit small, section of representational and inclusive children’s books out there. The National Centre for Children’s Books has amassed a list of 50 of its favourites here, which is an invaluable resource that showcases a vast array of beautifully designed and written books about different minority groups. BookTrust has also spearheaded an amazing campaign called BookTrust Represents to educate about representation in children’s books. If the demand for inclusivity is there, then the publishing industries will rise to meet this demand, resulting in an influx of more amazing books being published. We are already on a better path, but it is our collective responsibility to keep the wheels turning! If you are yourself a writer who has written an inclusive, diverse children’s book, and want to see it published, then you can head here to have a look at our fantastic Children’s Book Publishing Package. At Rowanvale, we are always looking for inclusive and diverse work to publish, and we would love to hear from you.  One of the most important parts of publishing a new book is selling it to an audience. Self-publishing has made it easier for more authors to publish their work each month, which can leave you feeling as if your work has been lost in a sea of thousands of other print books and eBooks.
Often, a lack of preparation can result in a lack of sales. Therefore, preparation is key to selling your work, and is almost as important as the actual writing of the book itself. Before you decide to publish your work online, its essential that you prepare using these 7 points.
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