Compass Points 160

We all know novels featuring serial killers can be BIG sellers. But what do you think was the earliest factual written account of a serial killer? It happened in the isolated German town of Bideburg in the 16th century, and The Wolf Trial by Neil Mackay is a fictionalised version of this first-ever documented case. What a great idea for a book!  Historical fiction and psychological horror collide in this unforgettable tour de force; described by publishers Freight as Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose meets Brett Easton Ellis’s American Psycho. It is a super-lead title for them, coming in April. Paulus Melchior, lawyer, academic and enlightened rationalist, travels with his young assistant, Willy Lessinger, to the isolated German town of Bideburg where local landowner, Peter Stumpf, is accused of brutally murdering dozens of people. A society still trapped in a medieval mindset, the townsfolk clamour for the killer to be tried as a werewolf. If their demands are met his blameless wife and children will also be executed in the most barbaric way imaginable as agents of Satan and creatures contaminated by wolf blood. Paulus and Willy must fight superstition, the cruelty of those who fear what they don’t understand, and a zealous church determined to retain its grip on the souls of Bideburg, in this compelling, utterly unforgettable, shocking tour de force. Neil’s debut novel, All the Little Guns Went Bang, Bang, Bang, received great reviews: The Guardian said “this grim, vivid work is a fine evocation of childhood and a passionate critique of a society that has lost its soul” and The Wolf Trial is equally visceral, shocking and skilful. You can find out more about the Wolf Trial by Neil Mackay (hb, £13.99 978 1910449721) here.

Which do you think are the best serial killer novels of all time? Well, here's a great list from the Huffington Post which certainly includes some of my favourites.

And here’s  an entertaining countdown of the top ten fictional serial killer movies – actually I’m not sure “entertaining” is quite the right word, unless you happen to be one of the charming individuals featured!

Jason Vale is the best-selling author of a dozen books on health, addiction and juicing. His books have been translated into many languages and he regular appears on television, radio (he is a great favourite of Radio 2’s Steve Wright) and in the press. Jason’s 7lbs in 7days Juice Master Diet has been described as “The most successful juice diet of all time” and over three million Jason Vale books have been sold to date. Now Jason is bringing us his first ever wholefood recipe book, Super Fast Food, which I think could do really well. It is full of healthy versions of all the classics from pizza to pasta to risotto and even a healthy veggie burger and fries as well as super salads and splendid soups. Jason Vale has genuine brand awareness, and this is the perfect book for anyone who has just finished one of his ‘Juice Challenges’ and is looking for some inspiration. You won’t find any strange ingredients or items that require a trip to specialised food shops for any of these recipes and his refreshingly uncomplicated recipes, plus an appealing front cover plus lots of appetising full colour spreads should ensure this title sells well. Super Fast Food: Healthy Meals Made Easy by Jason Vale (hb, £24.99 978 0954766474) is published by Crown House publishing in April. Find out more here.

Have a look here to see the ever enthusiastic Jason showing you how to make a healthy no-dough pizza – it does look pretty delicious I must say!

Mix Dave Eggers with Italo Calvino, add a shot of Matt Haig and a dash of Charlie Brooker and you’ve got The Brilliant & Forever, by Kevin MacNeil!  The novel is set on an island where the annual Brilliant & Forever festival is a much anticipated event; its participants a story away from either glory or infamy. The glitterati descend, the festival begins: thirteen performers, each have their own story to tell. Who will be chosen by the judges? Who will be chosen by the people? This novel is a whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-loud satire on what we value in culture, and in our lives.  Kevin MacNeil’s first novel The Stornoway Way sold over 20,000 copies and has become an acclaimed cult classic and Birlinn have got a great promo going for The Brilliant & Forever on Lovereading.com – where it is garnering great reviews, e.g: “Funny, thought provoking, crazy and playful … deserves to win prizes … I  laughed my way through this unusual book … It is strange and bizarre and funny and sad and deep … I really didn't know what to make of it at first but decided to persevere …. Different and a highly addictive read”. You can also listen to a podcast of Kevin discussing The Brilliant & Forever here. There is going to be a review in the Guardian next week, and there will also be forthcoming interviews with Kevin in the Herald, the Scotsman and on Radio Scotland. The Brilliant & Forever has been named both Blackwell’s and Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Month for March, and Kevin will be promoting it at the many Scottish literary festivals during the spring and summer. The Brilliant & Forever by Kevin MacNeil (pb, £9.99, 978 1846973376) is published in March by Birlinn. You can find out more and order it here.

Rwandan Hostage (pb, 978 1910692967, £8.99) by Chris Lowery is published by Urbane in April. This is a sequel to the bestselling The Angolan Clan and continues the tale of corruption, murder and greed that began in the first book of the African Diamonds Trilogy, with heroine Jenny Bishop facing a terrifying new threat not only to her own life, but those of her closest family. Once more joining forces with private investigator Pedro Espinoza, Jenny uncovers an international conspiracy dating back to the horrific events of the Rwandan genocide in 1994and is in a race against time to find the abductors before revelations threaten to tear her family apart.  Rwandan Hostage is a gripping read – perfect for fans of Frederick Forsyth and Gerald Seymour. Angolan Clan was part of a WHS Travel Recommends promotion, so there will be plenty of readers waiting for this sequel – and those who have read proof copies have loved it – the Little Book Blog said “Great book – loved the blend of history and thriller. The author is clearly an expert in Africa's turbulent history and the quality of derail and characterisation made it a compelling read”. Order Rwandan Hostage here.

Who’s up for a spot of ‘bikepacking’ this weekend? This mix of cycling and wild camping is a fast growing international trend – and unsurprisingly, those champions of all things adventurous and fun, Wild Things Publications are right on top of it. Woodfires and Fat Tyres: Bikepacking on the Wild Trails of Britain follows author Laurence McJannet as he embarks on an off-road adventure to bike and camps his way along some of Britain’s most beautiful off-road trails and ancient trackways. This full colour paperback takes you on 30 of the finest off-road rides our island has to offer, from the Isle of Wight to the Scottish Highlands. There are loads of great tips for camping, biking, packing and exploring and as you’d expect from this inspirational publisher, there is an enticing mix of engaging travelogue and gorgeous photography. This unique new guide has mass appeal, and will be launched in May with coverage on BBC Saturday Live as well as articles in the Guardian, and the Sunday Times. There will also be joint promotional activity with the National Trust, Sustrans, the Wildlife Trusts and the Cycling Touring Club. Bikepacking (pb, 978 1910636084, £16.99) by Laurence McJannet is published by Wild Things Publishing in May. and you can see more about it here.

Always good to end with some music – and they don’t get much more musical than Randy Newman – I love him! Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong: The Life of Randy Newman by David and Caroline Stafford is a rewarding handbook for the Newman aficionado – but also the perfect introduction to his work.  It includes biographical notes along with many key background facts, phots, asides, diversions and essays. Randy Newman has written songs for Cilla Black, Alan Price, Dusty Springfield, Gene Pitney and Joe Cocker and as a film composer his soundtracks have included Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Monsters Inc, Meet The Parents and Seabiscuit. Has won three Emmys, six Grammy Awards and two Oscars. Maybe I’m Doing It Wrong: The Life of Randy Newman (hb, 978 1783055531, £20.00) is published by Omnibus Press in April and you can order it here.

And you can get yourself some Randy Newman love here! But if that’s just too saccharine for you – there here he is back in 1978 with his genius satire Short People.

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. We love this hilarious list of some of the funniest spelling mistakes ever on Twitter! And we’re also very amused to see Evelyn Waugh trending today, after TIME magazine listed him as one of their top 100 female writers….

Gwyneth Jones ‏@GwynethJones  Evelyn Waugh trends on Twitter after TIME names HIM a HER - Doh!

Jilly Gagnon ‏@jillygagnon  C'mon now, TIME mistook Evelyn Waugh for a woman? Even when he MARRIED an Evelyn they kept it straight. Him: Hevelyn. Her: Shevelyn.

Scott Pack ‏@meandmybigmouth  To be fair, it's Evelyn Waugh's fault for having a girl's name.

Scott Pack ‏@meandmybigmouth Although Evelyn Waugh was not a woman, has it been confirmed whether or not he was a big girl's blouse?

Jonny Geller ‏@JonnyGeller I loved Bridesmaids Revisited by Evelyn Waugh.

Literary Interest ‏@InterestingLit  When Evelyn Waugh’s first novel was rejected, he resolved to drown himself in the sea. He changed his mind when he was stung by a jellyfish.

Georgia Conkle ‏@HusbanWXG  Evelyn Waugh: “Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.”

Charm Siocon ‏@chammybear  “Sometimes, I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that there's no room for the present at all.” — Evelyn Waugh

Slate@Slate  Evelyn Waugh spent his whole life dealing with people's confusion about his name.

Meredith Moore ‏@writermeredith  Retweeted OBSERVER. I was so confused about why Evelyn Waugh was trending. And now I'm just laughing.

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

This blog is taken from a newsletter which is sent weekly to over 700 booksellers as well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.

Compass Points 159

It’s official; e-newsletters are now a “thing”. Apparently Girls star Lena Dunham has upped the cool factor of this form of communication with her regular e-newsletter Lenny, and this is a trend that is building rapidly. The hippest stars are abandoning Twitter and Instagram to send out regular bulletins to their fans instead. So just by receiving Compass Points weekly, you instantly become a whole lot more chic and stylish – result! 

The new Formula One season starts next month – and there are plenty of fans who will say that much as they love it, it isn’t the same as it was “in the good old days”. And when was the Grand Prix at its thrilling best? Many would say in the late 60’s and early 70’s. But this era was of course a highly dangerous one – with an appalling lack of safety running right though the sport. In 2010 the BBC made a riveting documentary in 2010 on this topic, which was described as “sober and shocking” by the Daily Telegraph, “terrific” by the Guardian and “brilliant, dramatic, unmissable” by the Daily Express: it was also longlisted for a BAFTA. Now, published to coincide with the start of the 2016 Formula 1 season comes an illustrated hardback telling this shocking and enthralling story. You can see a short trailer for the original film here . Grand Prix: The Killer Years describes in gripping detail how mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence snuffed out dozens of eager young drivers, who had become almost expendable – and this waste of life was often televised for millions to see. With boycotts of the prestigious Belgian and German Grand Prix, drivers fought to get their voices heard but it would be a long and painful time before conditions changed. Featuring many famous drivers, including three World Champions – Emerson Fittipaldi, Sir Jackie Stewart and John Surtees OBE – John L Matthews goes to the heart of these deadly years in the Grand Prix and tells the story in the words of the men who were there.  Grand Prix: The Killer Years, edited by John L Matthews, (pb, 978 1909715417, £8.99) is fully illustrated with b&w pics plus eight pages of colour plates and is published by Arena Sport in March. This story of when the sport was out of control is guaranteed to appeal to a very wide readership and you can find out more and order it here.

I don’t think any of us go into publishing and bookselling for the money – but the low pay of authors is a topic sure to be aired whenever two or three of them are gathered together – as long as they don’t include JK or Jeffrey. Have a read here of this blog from the Guardian , as one writer bewails the fact that it is increasingly difficult “to make a decent living” from writing – thought provoking stuff.

Boy bands – doncha love ‘em? But who were the very first boy band? Some claim it was none other than Scotland’s finest; the Bay City Rollers. In the 70s ‘Rollermania’ was born and the lovable lads became worldwide teen idols with hit singles including Shang-a-Lang, All of Me Loves All of You and Bye Bye Baby. However, behind the tartan trews, their story is one of worldwide pop hysteria coupled with an almost unrelenting darkness: rape, murder, suicide, deadly car crashes, organised drug-dealing, beatings, rent boys, prison sentences, sexual abuse of children, exploitation, manipulation, drug and alcohol addictions, self-hatred, missing millions, corruption, blackmail and much more.  The author of a new book has traced every band member and key associates of their notorious manager Tam Paton (who died in 2009) and has also included the opinions of the producers and other industry professionals who helped make the group a hit around the as well as family members and former lovers.  When The Screaming Stops:  The Dark History of Pop’s First Boy Band by Simon Spence is illustrated with colour and black and white (hb, £20.00, 978 1783059379) and is published by Omnibus Press in April. You can order it here.

Those of us who grew up in the 70’s are beginning to think that the entire decade appears to have been one carefully orchestrated façade. But at least in our memories we’re shaking, we’re crazy, we’re rocking to the Shang-a-Lang sound – relive those disco days here!

And now bring yourself right up to date by watching this interview with the Bay City Rollers on BBC Breakfast a couple of months ago – they are embarking on a major world tour during 2016 – so I think this new book will attract attention to say the least!

There have been some lovely reviews for Stéphane Heuet’s graphic novelisation of In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (hb, 978 1908313904, £19.99). The Observer (14/02) described it as “Sumptuous, elegant and beautifully paced, it is completely absorbing. I'll be forever glad to have spent so much time bent over it.” You can read that here – this review includes some illustrations too. The book was also discussed at length on BBC Radio 4 Open Book which you can hear here. The Independent (28/01) also gave a very positive review saying “Heuet's love of Proust shines through in his inventive drawings”; The Economist (13/02) said it “captures the essence of Proust beautifully” and there will be a review of it in the Financial Times this weekend. I urge you to order copies of this if you haven’t done so already – it really is a very attractive hardback which you can find out more about here.

The race towards the US presidential elections is gathering momentum. Don’t forget to stock the paperback of Hillary Rising by James D. Boys (978 1849549646, £14.99) which has just come out from Robson Press. This is a candid, concise and highly accessible biography of Hillary Clinton tracing her path from Republican adolescent to Presidential candidate and uncovering her core principles and her political ideology.  As the only book on Hillary’s life and career by an expert on Bill Clinton’s presidency, it draws on original interviews with close associates of both Clintons and on a wealth of recently declassified materials from the Clinton archive to reveal the continuities and differences between Hillary and Bill, and whether it is realistic to talk of a ‘Clinton dynasty’.  There was an interesting article on Hillary Rising by James D. Boys (hb, 978 1849549646) in the Times this week: entitled America sees Hillary as the Queen of Greed by Tim Montgomerie, it wonders whether the former first lady’s earnings and closeness to Wall Street will actually drag her down rather than rise her up. You can order Hillary Rising here.

Assuming she is actually selected as the Democratic candidate; Hillary’s number one rival may well be the rumbustious Donald Trump. Let’s hear his views on Hillary – but thanks to the brilliant Peter Serafinowicz – let’s imagine he actually has a refined British accent rather than his usual New York drawl… And now let’s hear him as a tough guy cockney! Loving your work Serafinowicz!

The Unusual Possession of Alastair Stubb (pb, £8.99, 978 1910692349) by David John Griffin is getting some great reader reviews – with many saying they were drawn to it initially for its gorgeous but creepy cover and fabulous fonts – so well done to those gifted designers at Urbane! This is gothic terror of the highest order, delivering a dream-like and hallucinatory reading experience that promises to reveal secrets both disturbing and astonishing: a “dark and atmospheric novel unlike anything I've ever read before” is typical of reader feedback.

It’s currently in the 3 for 2 Gothic Novels promo at Blackwell South Bridge Edinburgh – thanks guys – nice display! And look out for Infinite Rooms – a new psychological literary thriller coming from David John Griffin in June – more on this in the weeks to come!

A sensational new 10-part TV series The People vs OJ Simpson began on BBC2 this week; starring Cuba Gooding and John Travolta it has had plenty of trails and publicity! To coincide with this, Gibson Square have re-issued their controversial bestseller by OJ Simpson himself; If I Did It. This has a new afterword by OJ Simpson trial-lawyer Peter Haven, and a great new cover which references the BBC series, and the fact that this controversial bestseller was originally pulped by Rupert Murdoch in America, before his publishers could release it! OJ Simpson is one of the world’s most recognisable criminals after he was found not guilty of murder in a dramatic court case, and later was found liable for wrongful death in a civil court case. In November 2008, OJ Simpson was found guilty of a crime he committed as a result of the penury brought on him after the Goldman family took the rights to his hypothetical confession to the brutal slaying of his wife and Ron Goldman. Here is the actual text he approved, as well as pieces by the Goldman family, the lawyer explaining how they caught OJ’s dream team, OJ’s ghostwriter and the acclaimed crime writer Dominick Dunne. You can watch a trailer for the new TV series here and If I Did It (pb, £8.99, 978 1783341290) is available to order now. The series runs on BBC2 from 15 Feb right through to 18 April – so interest in this is likely to build – by all account the series is highly watchable! Find out more about the book here.

We usually finish with some music; this week of course was the Grammy awards – so instead – let’s look at the 12 best moments from that!

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Yesterday was #NationalDrinkWineDay – here are some of our favourite tweets!

I Love Manchester ‏@ILoveMCR  Today is still #NationalDrinkWineDay in Manchester. And #NationalDrinkBeerDay. Cheers!

Leanne Melanie Petro ‏@leamelpet #NationalDrinkWineDay was actually yesterday, still trending. Well they say to cure a hangover you should drink more wine #cheers

RosettaBooks ‏@Rosetta_Books_ Wine with a side of #books please?

Alexandra Brown ‏@alexandra_jia If you're not participating in #NationalDrinkWineDay just keep it to yourself. No one wants that kind of negativity.

The New York Times@nytimes It's #NationalDrinkWineDay, so grab a glass of red. It's probably better for you than grape juice.

Trudy ‏@thetrudz It's #NationalDrinkWineDay day. Or for me, Thursday.

Ryan Horn ‏@RyanMichaelHorn Basically, wine makes you live forever. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/glass-of-wine-a-day-may-help-you-age-slower-research-finds-a6748566.html …

CollegeTownLife ‏@CollegeTownLife I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.

SF SymphonyVerified account ‏@SFSymphony “One should always be drunk. With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you chose. But get drunk.” ― Baudelaire

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

This blog is taken from an e-newsletter sent weekly to over 700 booksellers as well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.

Compass Points 158

Sorry about the absence of Compass Points last week – a bit of a computer meltdown here at Compass Towers! Which gives me the perfect opportunity to mention We All Have our Moments: An Antidote to Life’s Frustrations by Liz Cowley (hb, 978 1783341009, £9.99) which is published by Gibson Square in March – the illustration on the front cover showing a woman taking to her computer with a hatchet pretty much sums up my position this time last week! No-one manages to take such delightful snapshots of everyday life quite like Liz Cowley; her wry, astute verse amuses many, she has the rare gift of making you smile – in more ways than one; her poetry collections have now sold over 10,000 copies! Her two previous humorous poetry collections about gardening Outside in My Dressing Gown and Gardening in Slippers have both done very well indeed. We all have our moments so instead of reaching for the axe, reach for Liz's new book. All those times at work, in love, friendship, family and anywhere else where life seems to be getting the upper hand are put in perspective in these delightful humorous vignettes. Order We All have our Moments here

Well, the whole book trade is buzzing over the news that a hardback edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts I & II will be released on 31 July, the day after the play has debuted on stage in London. The script from the forthcoming Harry Potter play has unsurprisingly leapt to the top of bestseller lists - following Wednesday's news, pre-orders have propelled it to number one on the Amazon and Waterstones book charts. We do love a bit of Harry Potter news – and we also love that Buzz Feed have made a whole new page for those of us that have done far too many HP quizzes – and time and time again have come out as a little bit Slytherin – AND a little bit Hufflepuff! Have a look here to find out what it means to be both naughty and nice!

Congratulations to us and also to Carcanet, for nominations in this year’s IPG Awards! Compass have been shortlisted for the Services to Independent Publishers Award (along with Graham Bell, EDItEUR, Firsty Group and Stison) while Carcanet have been shortlisted for the IPG Alison Morrison Diversity Award. This is a great endorsement for Carcanet’s continued support for diverse writers from all corners of the globe and different backgrounds, Carcanet Press won this Award last year for the huge ethnic and cultural breadth of its poetry list, and it deepened its commitment to diversity again in 2015. The judges said “Carcanet has had another great year championing a form of publishing and writers that do not get as much attention as they deserve.” IPG chief executive Bridget Shine said: “Competition for the IPG Independent Publishing Awards gets tougher every year—but the strength of this year’s nominations was remarkable. Every company and individual on these lists should feel very proud, and those who did not make the final cut from such an excellent range of entrants should not be discouraged. It is fitting that our 10th anniversary Awards should have such an exceptional range of finalists, and we are really looking forward to celebrating the outstanding achievements of the independent publishing sector on 3rd March.” You can see the full list of awards list of awards here. Fingers crossed that both Compass and Carcanet pick up a gong on 3 March!

Tons of great publicity and good reviews for Comrade Corbyn! (hb, £20, 9781849549967) In this week’s Independent, Andy McSmith springs to Rosa Prince’s defence  saying that “She has been denounced for her "spiteful analysis" and had her personal integrity called into question by the JeremyCorbyn4PM Twitter feed, so I assume she is off the Corbyn Christmas card list, but – with all due respect to Corbyn-loving acolytes – this is not a hatchet job. It is an affectionate portrait of a man she obviously thinks has landed himself in the wrong job…when the Corbyn era is over, and students looking back on how it impacted on the fortunes of the Labour Party consult this book, I doubt if its author will be accused of being "spiteful". I think the verdict will be that she was rather kind.” Yesterday’s Evening Standard, was also positive, saying that “(Prince) has described in extraordinarily close detail exactly how, methodologically, it happened that Corbyn became leader.” Pretty much all of the national media have featured this book; the Telegraph called it “explosive” – and we’re expecting more; including the Times and Sunday Times both running this weekend. You can order Comrade Corbyn here

Valentines’ Day coming upon Sunday of course – thanks to Scottish Book Trust for this great list of The 14 Worst Break Up Scenes in Literature! And if a bit of literary vulgarity is more your type of thing, then I think you will enjoy this hilarious list of Literary Valentines from those jesters over at Buzz Feed. E.g. ARE YOU A BANNED BOOK? BECAUSE BABY YOU’RE ON FIRE, Love Ray Bradbury or HOW ABOUT WE SKIP CRIME AND GET RIGHT TO PUNISHMENT, Love Fyodor Dostoevsky.  I’m sure you can’t wait to see what Herman Melville has to say…

Who’s excited for the film of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Watch a trailer here! And if literary mash ups are your thing (and they look like a very rapidly growing genre to me) then how about: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Android Karenina, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Little Women and Werewolves, Henry VIII Wolfman, Jane Slayre or The Late Gatsby - all genuine books! Meanwhile, have a look a look here for 20 Lessons that Jane Austen Has Taught Us about Love!

A great Guardian review for R.F. Langley’s Complete Poems (pb, £12.99, 978 1 784100 64 3) which has been described as “one of the secret treasures of modern poetry” The Guardian wrote: “Langley does so much to elucidate, as he put it, ‘not things/but seeing things. And with / such care, it would be like / being shown what was not there” and “he brings to wrens, moths and teasels, to English pub interiors and Venetian edifices, the same kind of scrutiny that art historians bring to real brush strokes.”. Thanks to the Writer’s Centre in Norwich for hosting a great sell-out event this week: an evening of readings by writers who admired R.F.Langley’s work, published by Carcanet of course.

More awards news – this time some it’s The Romantic Novelists' Association who has revealed the shortlists for its six awards, where Choc Lit are more than well represented – many congrats to them and all their authors.

In the Contemporary Romantic Novel category Melanie Hudson’s The Wedding Cake Tree, is shortlisted, while the Historical Romantic Novel category, includes The Secret Kiss of Darkness by Christina Courtenay.

The RNA Rose Award, which recognises the best in category or series and shorter romances; includes The Wedding Reject Table by Angela Britnell and also Cora's Christmas Kiss by Alison May. Chairman, Eileen Ramsay, said: “The announcement of the shortlist is always an occasion for celebration, when we reveal the best in romantic fiction from the last year.”

Previous years’ winners have included Joanna Trollope, Freya North, Rosie Thomas, JoJo Moyes and Rosamunde Pilcher so these awards do have pretty good form when it comes to spotting talent! Fern Britton will host this year’s award ceremony at Gladstone Library in London on 7th March and you can find the shortlist in full on the RNA website here.

Look out for The Goddess Revolution by Melissa Wells (pb, 978 1781807125, £10.99) which is coming from Hay House in June. There is lots of publicity for this glamorous soap star and her battles with eating disorders already – have a look at  this huge feature from the Express last week, which gives you more info – and credits the book. Following this piece ITV’s Lorraine have expressed serious interest in having Mel on the sofa in June just before her book is out.

She is also awaiting a date from Loose Women to go on their show as a guest in due course. Melissa Wells is also part of a massive new campaign coming from the BBC this year called Body Positive – you can see her in a promo videos for it here  – alongside the like of Rebecca Adlington. The debate about women’s shapes and sizes, and promoting healthy body images to young women is already a hot topic for 2016 – and it looks as if The Goddess Revolution by Melissa Wells is going to be perfectly placed to capitalise on this. You can find put more and order it here.

Who’s your favourite Beatle? For many, it’s gotta be George, and George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door by Graeme Thomson explores Harrison’s work both within and without the Beatles and at the same time examining in detail his private and public passions, from Eastern spiritualism to horticulture, from comedy to film-making, from fast cars to working with UNICEF and his career renaissance in the 80s with the Travelling Wilburys. The hardback edition of this book published in 2013 has achieved sales of over 10,000 copies, and great acclaim – MOJO called it "An excellent biography" and The National: "An insightful, rigorous and beautifully written atomisation of the youngest Beatle's life." Graeme Thomson is one of Britain’s leading music writers. As the author of critically acclaimed and definitive biographies of Elvis Costello (Complicated Shadows) and Kate Bush (Under The Ivy) and this new paperback, beautifully illustrated with black and white photos is certain to find many fans. George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door (pb, £16.99, 9781785582691) is published by Omnibus Press in April

Find out more and order it here.

So let’s finish with my top 5 George Harrison songs: It wouldn’t be much of list if it didn’t include Here Comes the Sun or indeed My Sweet Lord would it. And I love Got My Mind Set on You and also Handle with Care from his time with the Travelling WIburys. How evocative is All Those Years Ago – with some great old film footage – and as a final bonus track; I love him here, singing a Paul Simon song back in 1976 - Homeward Bound.

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from this week...

Richard Skinner ‏@RichardNSkinner  ·'So much more than an account of a tragedy. Astonishing and beautiful.' @stephen_kelman #BusbyBabes @urbanebooks

Sandra Foy ‏@Monkbythesea Leaves: John Simmonds - This is SUCH a good book!

Hay House ‏@HayHouseUK  Great to see  - @juliemontagu's #EatRealFood is on @voguemagazine's  Healthy Reading List!

Chaucer Doth Tweet@LeVostreGC  Bookes, Bookes,Pyles of bookes, Left arounde the hous,Toweres high of mirth and lore, Skyscrapers ye kan browse.

Guardian Books ‏@GuardianBooks  · Booky things to do this half term with kids! Ideas via @GdnChildrensBks

Biteback Publishing ‏@BitebackPub  @David_Cameron is meeting Angela Merkel in Hamburg to discuss his #EU deal #Europe #InorOut www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/europe-in-or-out

Emma Draude ‏@ed_pr  · 'It captures the essence of Proust beautifully' say @TheEconomist #Proust #GraphicNovel @gallicbooks

Cora Linn ‏@Corazzz  · Really needed my @ChocLituk Friday Treat today! So intriguing from @ClareChase_

NBN International ‏@nbnibooks Massive congrats to all nominated for @ipghq awards, esp. our good friends @carcanet and @CompassIPS

That’s all for now folks! More next week!

This blog is taken from a newsletter which is sent weekly to over 700 booksellers as well as publishers and publicists. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.