Blog

Five Thrillers to Read this Halloween 2021

Halloween is a spooky time of year, and the perfect time to read a page-turning thriller. At Avon, we publish psychological thrillers, domestic thrillers and crime thrillers galore. Here are five newly released or upcoming thrillers to read over Halloween 2021. Trick or… Read More

Four Staycation Reads to Enjoy This Summer

With the summer upon us, now is the time to enjoy some heartwarming, escapist reads. If you’re not able to travel abroad to enjoy a beach read – we’ve got just the thing for you! Feel the sunshine on your face at a nearby park, or simply from the comfort… Read More

Best Beach Reads for 2021

Whether you’re a thriller fan or a lover of romance, having a good book to read on the beach is a requirement for a good holiday or summer outing. Beach reads are a summer staple in all formats. Whatever you’re looking for in a book, we have you covered. Read More

Writing tips from a debut author

Being called a debut author is a funny old thing. It’s delightful, thrilling, and just a wee bit daunting. In 2019, I won the Big Issue x Avon Books Crime Writing Competition, for which the prize was a two-book publishing deal. To say I was excited would be a gross… Read More

Exclusive extract of The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Chapter One London, July 1972 Eve opened her eyes a fraction and saw an old man sitting a couple of feet away. He had silver hair that receded on either side of his brow, leaving a widow’s peak in the center. She shut her eyes again and watched… Read More

The History behind Wartime with the Cornish Girls

CARELESS TALK COSTS LIVES I’ve lived and worked in Cornwall for well over a decade now. It’s a peaceful, largely rural area, so you can imagine my astonishment on discovering that the underwater transatlantic cables that keep Britain’s internet running come ashore on a beach near where I live. When… Read More

Hannah Sunderland’s Bookshelf Tour

  Hannah Sunderland’s Bookshelf Tour My bookshelves have always been a sacred space and I’m pretty sure that I spend more time reorganising them to look pretty than I do actually reading the books on there. I do struggle to read when I’m writing, as my own stories tend to… Read More

Exclusive Extract of The Lake by Louise Sharland

1 The small patch of sand and scrubland that borders the lake is nearly empty; just a woman and her young son skipping stones. A few metres out, a paddleboarder has paused his journey to take in the view. I try my best to appreciate the beauty, but everything about… Read More

Submit to us via #PitMad

We’re taking part in #PitMad on Twitter today! #PitMad is a Twitter-focused pitch day for writers, particularly diverse voices, to pitch their novels and ideas to a large group of editors actively looking for new writing. How to take part To take part, simply write a short… Read More

Exclusive Extract from Love in Lockdown

Read an exclusive extract from Love in Lockdown by Chloe James ‘I’ve had an idea.’ This sounds ominous. ‘Mmm,’ I say noncommittally. Jess is fab and I adore her, but I can tell this is her I’m-about-to-start-trying-to-manage-your-life tone. ‘I happened to come across this app the other day that could… Read More

An interview with Louise Sharland

An interview with the Avon x Big Issue competition winner, Louise Sharland: How did you find out about the Avon x Big Issue writing competition? One of my previous roles was working for the homelessness charity Crisis UK as a Work and Learning Coach, so I have a deep connection… Read More

The Lucky Escape | Celebrating our Partners

Now more than ever, we feel it’s important to promote small businesses – and so we’ve teamed up with two independent, online shops to create a bespoke mailer filled with gorgeous items in celebration of Laura Jane Williams’s new book The Lucky Escape. Please join us… Read More

Extract Share: The Shadow Man by Helen Fields

Chapter One A sleeping woman watched over by the stranger who had hidden for hours in the shadowed bay of her bedroom curtains. That’s all there was to the scene. He was a spider, patient and unmoving, poised to drop and stun his prey. There was no malice to it. Read More

5 Books to Lift Your Spirits by Hayley Doyle

2021 has started with a bang. And not the bang we were all hoping for. Rather than the pop of a champagne cork or a splattering of fancy fireworks, sure, it’s exploded, but you don’t need me to harp on about how. You already know. Well! Thank goodness for books!… Read More

20 Highlights of 2020

It’s that time of the year when we look back over everything we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. This year has been very strange (to say the least!) and it’s had many ups and downs, but at Avon we’re always looking for the positives, so here are… Read More

How to Write a Pitch

What is a book pitch? A pitch is a short, enticing description of your work that focuses on its USP (unique selling point) or the key thing that makes your book so special – this is what publishers will often refer to as the ‘hook’. Why does it matter? As… Read More