I could wax lyrical about the inner book and all that but hardly a day goes by when someone tells me how much they would like to write a book. Well, in many respects, it's never been easier to publish your own.

Churning out inspirational quotes about writing has been a favourite past time of authors and poets throughout the ages. Like many creative types, ...

I met a literary agent the other day. She told me that these days when you sell a novel to publishers, there has to be a USP. "A what?" I said. "'Unique Selling Point. You know, narrated by a hermaphrodite, or someone who has been repeatedly raped by their grandfather, that sort of thing.

I can't know if there ever was a better time for authors than today. Judging from what I've read, I guess no. In the olden days those authors and artists who did fine financially came mostly from wealthy families, whilst artists like Van Gogh or Modigliani, or authors like Edgar Allan Poe or Henry Miller struggled with poverty.