In this compendium of literary wisdom, celebrated authors share insights and anecdotes on the art of turning good stories into bestsellers.Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, hosts of the renowned podcast Always Take Notes, have spent years delving into the lives and minds of literary luminaries. Now they share the most illuminating and unforgettable interview moments, as writers from Irvine Welsh to Tracy Chevalier and Marlon James reveal the secrets to their su...

A TLS and a Prospect Book of the YearA revelatory, explosive new analysis of the British military today.Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, Britain has changed enormously. During this time, the British Army fought two campaigns, in Iraq and Afghanistan, at considerable financial and human cost. Yet neither war achieved its objectives. This book questions why, and provides challenging but necessary answe...

A sweeping history of ski mountaineering and the author’s quest to complete its most challenging race: the Patrouille des Glaciers in the AlpsGod of skis, protect us.Simon Akam fell in love with ski mountaineering as a teenager and was happiest above the snowline—until a brush with disaster in the Caucasus mountains sent him into a prolonged mental collapse. The only way to regain control of his anxious, spiraling mind, he decided, was to return to the moun...

'Inspiring' - Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down'Fascinating and useful' - Joe Moran, author of First You Write A SentenceBestselling and award-winning authors share the secrets to their success, and the hard lessons they have learnt along the way.Where do the best ideas come from? How do you stay motivated? What does it take to become a published author? And how do you actually make money from your wr...

English Football has over 92 fully professional clubs. Players in the Premier League teams now earn an average salary of £2.3 million per annum. Meanwhile, on the bottom rung, entire squads make less in a year than Wayne Rooney takes home in a month. An army of young players sacrifice their education and prospects outside of sport for the dream of football success, despite that fact that 85% will be released from their contracts within five years. Simon Akam's book shows what the beautiful...

'Inspiring' - Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Write It All Down'Fascinating and useful' - Joe Moran, author of First You Write A SentenceBestselling and award-winning authors share the secrets to their success, and the hard lessons they have learnt along the way.Where do the best ideas come from? How do you stay motivated? What does it take to become a published author? And how do you actually make money from your wr...

Popular science writer Philip Ball explores a range of sciences to map our answers to a huge, philosophically rich question: How do we even begin to think about minds that are not human?Sciences from zoology to astrobiology, computer science to neuroscience, are seeking to understand minds in their own distinct disciplinary realms. Taking a uniquely broad view of minds and where to find them—including in plants, aliens, and God—Philip Ball pulls the pieces together...

In a world with a surplus of ideas, what separates a good idea from a bad one? Learn how to cultivate a mindset that produces the kind of ideas people can't turn down.Most professionals cannot generate a solid idea. They either offer up tired or reused ones, or they generate lots of ideas but none that are worth pursuing.A great idea presents a well-formulated thought or plan of action that spurs growth, change, advancement, adaptation, or new insight. Worthwhile ideas move...

How deep learning–from Google Translate to driverless cars to personal cognitive assistants–is changing our lives and transforming every sector of the economy.The deep learning revolution has brought us driverless cars, the greatly improved Google Translate, fluent conversations with Siri and Alexa, and enormous profits from automated trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Deep learning networks can play poker better than professional poker players and defeat a wo...

A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day.From the cubit to the kilogram, the humble inch to the speed of light, measurement is a powerful tool that humans invented to make sense of the world. In this revelatory work of science and social history, James Vincent dives into its hidden world, taking listeners from ancient Egypt, where measuring the annual depth of the Nile was an essential task, t...

These intertwining narratives "beautifully demonstrate . . . that the people who are excluded and bullied for their offbeat passions and refusal to conform are often the ones who are embraced and lauded for those very qualities in college and beyond" (The New York Times).In a smart, entertaining, reassuring book that reads like fiction, Alexandra Robbins manages to cross Gossip Girl with Freaks and Geeks and explain the fascinating psychology and science behind popularity and outca...

A New York Times Notable BookA deeply textured dual biography and fascinating intellectual history that examines two of the greatest minds of European history—Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther—whose heated rivalry gave rise to two enduring, fundamental, and often colliding traditions of philosophical and religious thought.“A masterly work. Massing manages to juggle the complicated biographies and life work of both Erasmu...