Troubador Publishing

14/01/2025

Tickets for the Bournemouth Writing Festival 2025 are now live! 🏖

At this three-day festival, a variety of free and ticketed writing events and activities will be on offer across Bournemouth town centre, inspiring writers to write with practical and hands-on events, workshops, talks, writing activities and networking opportunities. 📝

As the principal sponsor, Troubador will be hosting a talk as well as managing a stand. 📘

Dates: Friday 25th – Sunday 27th April 2025
Location: Bournemouth Town Centre

For more information about the festival, programme and prices, head to https://www.bournemouthwritingfestival.co.uk/

13/01/2025

We are excited to share that Rob Keeley’s The Teacher Who Knew Too Much has been included in The Bookbag's Top 10 Self-Published Books for 2024! A great achievement! ⭐️

Find out more here: https://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/Top_Ten_Self_Published_Books_2024

Find the book here: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/young-children/the-teacher-who-knew-too-much

13/01/2025

Aggie has reached that “certain age” - in her case, a thousand years or so, give or take a decade.

After centuries of bringing kings to their knees, running a small-town cafe isn’t how she imagined her life would pan out. Now, thanks to the machinations of the false vegan from across the road, she risks losing even that. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, along comes her old friend, Babs, ready to ruffle some feathers.

Raucous, rowdy, and heart-wrenching and heart-warming in equal measures, Babs and Aggie successfully combines women’s fiction, cosy fantasy and magical realism. 🔮

This lovely front cover features spot UV on the text and part of the illustration, which is carried over to the spine.

Find out more about Babs & Aggie: the Good, the Bad and the Vegan, by Hazel Hitchins, on the Troubador online bookshop. Release date: 28th February. 📘

11/01/2025

A Holocaust story set in Terezin, in the former Czechoslovakia, aimed at middle-grade age readers. The protagonist, Ruth, and her parents will survive the Holocaust. Real stories and events from the Holocaust mingle with magical symbolism, encouraging children to think about difficult periods of history.

The cover features gold foiling on the text to add an extra level of quality.

Find out more about Angel's Teeth by Debbie Moss on the Troubador online bookshop. Release date: 28th January.

10/01/2025

A work of historical fiction set in the English Civil War, based on the real-life of Dr Webster (1610–1682) and dealing with some of the lesser-known aspects of this fascinating time. 📘

It is 1644 and Dr Webster, after his adventures chronicled in 'A Sea of Contumely', continues his trials and tribulations during the English Civil War. Chased from his home, badly wounded, and now taking refuge from his enemies, he is again pulled into the turmoil of the war.

Ragnall's book comes as a beautiful hardback with a dust jacket covering a navy cloth-bound book. 📘

Find out more about 'Who Brydles Heavens most Cleare' on the Troubador online bookshop. Release date: 28th January.

09/01/2025

Quantum physics, prime numbers, Irish mythology, medical ethics, robotics and the rise of AI, geopolitics and alternative history: these are among the subjects that provide the basis for stories in this collection – stories distinguished by a lightness of touch and stylistic confidence. 📚

As The Docameron’s tales twist and turn, engage and enlighten, they also entertain and – above all – reward repeated reading.

This bright, beautiful cover features spot UV on the title text to add an extra level of quality. 🌈

Find out more about Barry Kelly's The Docameron on the Troubador online bookshop. Also available as an ebook. Release date: 28th January.

08/01/2025

New year, new books! ✅

Take a look at some of the bright and beautiful titles that have arrived at our HQ over the new year. 📚

To find out more about these books, you can search for them on the Troubador online bookshop:
https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop

08/01/2025

It's a hot topic in the world of self-publishing: Should authors use a publisher's ISBN or purchase their own?

If you’re a self-published author—whether you’re publishing your first book or your tenth—you’ve probably faced this question.

The answer isn’t straightforward. Choosing between using a publisher’s ISBN and your own isn’t just a technicality; it’s a strategic decision that can shape the future of your book.

From understanding the role an ISBN plays in a book’s distribution and discoverability to weighing the benefits and trade-offs of each option, authors need to be informed. By researching the choices and aligning them with your goals, you can set your project up for success.

To help you figure out what route is best for you, in our latest blog article our Operations Director, Chloe May, breaks down the pros and cons of each option, offering insights into:

📚 The impact on your book’s metadata and discoverability
📚 Ownership rights and distribution considerations
📚 The importance of ensuring your books are compliant

Deciding whether to use a publisher’s ISBN or an author-owned ISBN is an important decision that will impact your book’s distribution and visibility in the marketplace.

Read the full article here: https://troubador.co.uk/blog/publisher-vs-own-isbn

Are you an author who has faced this dilemma before? We’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences in the comments. 👇

In this blog article, I’ll discuss the pros and cons of publisher-owned and author-owned ISBNs to give you the clarity you need to make an informed decision.

29/12/2024

A coming-of-age story that revolves around one boy’s journey of discovery as an ominous mystery unfolds before him.

All pupils at Stoneyridge School have Review sessions. The students don’t enjoy them but understand they are used to improve their well-being and are simply a part of school life. Zane Sampson is one of these students who has learnt to live with Reviews; however, after discovering that the school is secretly using these sessions to mark its students either as Eligible or Ineligible, Zane begins to question whether Stoneyridge is being entirely honest with its pupils. Zane and his friends could be living in more danger than they know…

Find out more about Mark Alexander's The Cost of Perfection on the Troubador online bookstore: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/young-adult/the-cost-of-perfection
Release date: 28th January, 2025

28/12/2024

Keep the winter magic going with these cosy reads! ❄️📚 Perfect for those quiet, snow- (or rain-) filled days. 🌨 🥶

🔹Visit the Troubador bookshop here: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop

🔸Visit The Book Guild bookshop here: https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/

27/12/2024

Crows mate for life and Nyx has lost his nestmate Sapph, to a tragic accident. Sard, a roe deer, has lost her fawn. Nyx and Sard meet by chance and an unlikely friendship begins. 🌲 🌳

The Crow and the Deer is a magical allegory that celebrates the potential in our humanity. 📗

Find out more about Paul Pivcevic's The Crow and the Deer on the Troubador online bookshop: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/the-crow-and-the-deer
Release date: 28th January, 2025

24/12/2024

Elf on the Bookshelf just delivered a new chapter of Christmas Eve magic! 📖✨ Time to cozy up and read!

'Erin, Bauer and The Bright Pink Sledge' is a children’s story which focuses on the themes of friendship, trying something new, being brave and the relationship between a child and their pet. 🐾🌟

It combines a whimsical story with lovely, nostalgic illustrations and will become a family favourite that both children and adults will love coming back to every festive season. 🎄❄️

🎁 Get your paws on the heartwarming read here: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/young-children/erin-bauer-and-the-bright-pink-sledge

🖋 Adam Hughes

23/12/2024

An inside story on how an elite team of Customs Investigators was able to disrupt the drug trafficking activities of various Organised Crime Groups, including one run by Brian Brendan Wright, who was undoubtedly the most prolific supplier of co***ne in UK history. It was an investigation without parallel in UK Drugs Law Enforcement and took six years to complete. 📘

The King of UK Co***ne Smugglers gives a thrilling account of the methods used to counteract the activities of drug smugglers and bring them to justice. ⚖

Find out more about Peter Tod's The King of UK Co***ne Smugglers on the Troubador online bookshop: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/autobiography/the-king-of-uk-co***ne-smugglers
Official release date: 28th January, 2025

23/12/2024

Looks like Elf on the Bookshelf is adding to the holiday reading list! 📚🎄 Who’s ready for another festive story?

'The Worst Christmas Weather Ever' is a fun children’s story to give young readers their first introduction to climate change and inspire them to think further on this important issue. 🌧🌪

Written by a TV weatherman and trusted source on weather and climate, who also has a background in working with children and schools on weather education.

🎁 Discover the children's Christmas book here: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/young-children/the-worst-christmas-weather-ever

🖋Sean Batty

23/12/2024

Santa's come early to our HQ! 🎅

We have a beautiful selection of titles in from the printers this week. 📚

Find out more about these titles on the Troubador online bookshop.

20/12/2024

A compelling collection of true stories that aims to provide evidence of life after death. You Can't Die was inspired by the author’s personal experiences and journey of belief after the loss of her parents which adds a genuine and relatable touch to the book’s narrative. 📙

Find out more about Wendy Marston's You Can't Die on the Troubador online bookshop: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/mind-body-spirit/you-can-t-die

20/12/2024

The audiobook edition of Mem Ferda's HAPPYAGONY is now live. 🎧

It is available on Amazon, Apple, Audible, Spotify and Kobo.

Find the links to the audiobook here: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/poetry-short-stories-and-plays/happyagony-a-collection-of-poems-by-mem-ferda

20/12/2024

A compelling and gripping sci-fi novel that crosses genre boundaries but is bound together by a complex relationship between the two main characters, Elizabeth Fallon and Isaac Goldman. 📗

Dreams of Eden is a compelling and gripping story set in the near future which challenges the perception of human imagination and questions our reality. 🌍

Find out more about Jonathan Frost's Dreams of Eden on the Troubador online bookshop: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/sci-fi/dreams-of-eden
Official release date: 28th January, 2025