Endeavour Press

London-based digital publisher

News about the forthcoming Bridget Jones was released recently. It struck me as quite strange that many called Helen Fielding's first diary the original chick-lit novel. I couldn't help think that those who did so had not actually read the book, for if they had they would have realised how much Bridget Jones's Diary owes a debt to Jane Austen.

Preetam Kaushik

Freelance journalist

So we're clear on this so far - robots can create formulaic novels that very well stand a chance of having a target group and they can also create hit music. Now here's the crux of the argument - do we really want to live in a world where novels are formulaic and music is only made by machines? Oh wait, it is already so.

Helen Chandler

Writer, reader, cook and mum

Reading is, and always has been, absolutely integral to my life. Both my parents were librarians, and books were everywhere at home. English was my favourite subject at school - what a doss, you just read a book and then wrote about it - and, inevitably, I ended up going on to read English at university.

Polly Courtney

Novelist and champion of the underdog

Self-publishing is about staying in control of your destiny as a writer and having a say in how your book is packaged, produced, distributed and promoted. It is about making your own decisions, in collaboration with the experts (and in some cases, fans) to ensure that your work reaches readers in the way that is right for you.

Alice Charles

Journalist and screenwriter

In the not-so-distant future we see teen video mash-up geek Trent McCauley run away from his home in Bradford for the bright lights of the Big Smoke a...