The Editor’s Blog

The best independent bookshops in the West Midlands

The Best Independent Bookshops in the West Midlands

For readers, there are few things lovelier in life than visiting a beautiful indie bookshop, browsing their selection, and leaving […]

A book lover’s guide to a British staycation

A Book Lover's Guide to a British Staycation

We think bookworks deserve to get the getaway plans of their dreams, and luckily, the UK has some of the […]

6 Nonfiction books to celebrate LGBTQIA+ authors

Six Nonfiction Books to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Authors

The Shifting Tides of Queer Stories in Publishing There is still a way to go in securing equal rights for […]

Breaking into publishing in a time of uncertainty: Everything you need to know

How to Break into the Publishing Industry without Any Experience

In the current climate, it can seem like jobs are scarce and opportunities are few and far between, even for […]

 My reflective lessons in an increasingly virtual world

Whether you’re re-evaluating your priorities in life or considering whether you’re on the right path, there are times in your […]

8 “Lessons in Stoicism”: How to be a better human

Lately, the Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of Stoicism has become surprisingly popular. In our world of excess, of always […]

Are physical copies or e-books more popular?

The first Kindle appeared on our shelves in 2007—and since then, the debate has raged: which format is more popular, […]

13 Business lessons I learned from Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War”

13 Business Lessons I Learned from Sun Tsu's The Art of War

In the world of nonfiction, there are a handful of classic books that it’s assumed one should read. One of […]

7 Brain hacks to better remember what you’ve read

Ever read an interesting, inspiring, or informative nonfiction book, then just a few weeks later find that you’ve forgotten most […]

Richard Templar’s “The Rules of Life”: Self-help at its best

Self-help is the Marmite of the book world. It seems that readers either ravenously consume self-help books or find them utterly unhelpful. […]

Let’s talk about race: My thoughts on “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race” as a mixed-race female book editor

The news hit last week that Reni Eddo-Lodge had become the first black British author to ever top the UK paperback non-fiction […]

Did E.M. Forster’s “The Machine Stops” predict the future?

While nonfiction is our bag at The Book Shelf, E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops is stranger than fiction. It has an uncanny resemblance […]

The E-Myth: The book every business owner needs to read

When it comes to business books, there’s no shortage of options available to entrepreneurs, wantrepreneurs, and small business owners hoping […]

7 Lessons from the Stoics on how to deal with life’s uncertainties

Over recent years, the Ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism has gained a new lease of life. 3rd Century BC ideas […]

The importance of fact-checking before publishing: The Gladwell case study

Times of crisis like this demonstrate how important it is to know truth from fiction. Written content has a huge […]

An editor’s review: Brief answers to the big questions, Stephen Hawking

I’ll be the first to admit that I hated science at school. And when I say hated, I mean that I’d […]

RIP books: is the written word dying?

If you read the news, scour forums, or listen to podcasts, you might have encountered sensationalist headlines suggesting that the written word is dead. Or if it’s […]

An editor’s review: The little book of tidying, Beth Penn

In this age of consumerism and materialism, on a planet drowning in stuff and fast fashion, it’s understandable that “tidying” […]