A Beginner’s Guide to BookTok: Ten Things to Look Out For

BookTok is a vibrant and active community of book lovers on TikTok, and if you’re new to the platform, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are ten things to look out for as you explore BookTok:

1. Book recommendations: One of the best things about BookTok is the endless stream of book recommendations. Whether you’re looking for your next read or just want to see what others are reading, you’ll find no shortage of suggestions.

2. Book hauls: Book haul videos are a staple of BookTok, and they’re a great way to get a sense of the latest and greatest releases. Keep an eye out for these videos to get an idea of what’s new in the world of books.

3. Book reviews: If you’re not sure whether a book is right for you, you can often find reviews on BookTok to help you decide. These reviews can be helpful, but it’s important to remember that everyone’s opinion is different, so take them with a grain of salt.

4. Book challenges: Book challenges are a popular feature of BookTok, and they’re a fun way to get involved in the community. Whether it’s a reading challenge or a book recommendation challenge, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to participate.

5. Book clubs: Many BookTok users belong to book clubs, and you’ll often see them sharing their thoughts and discussions about the books they’ve read. This can be a great way to discover new books and connect with others who share your love of reading.

6. Book swaps: Book swaps are a fun way to share your favourite reads with others and discover new books. Keep an eye out for BookTok users who are looking to participate in a book swap and see if you can get involved.

7. Author content: Many authors have embraced TikTok and are active on the platform, sharing content related to their books and writing process. This can be a great way to get to know your favourite authors and learn more about their work.

8. Book aesthetics: Aesthetics are a big part of BookTok, and you’ll often see users sharing beautifully arranged shelves and book stacks. If you’re looking for inspiration for your own bookshelves, you’ll find plenty of ideas on BookTok.

9. Book memes: If you’re a fan of memes, you’ll love BookTok. There are endless book-related memes floating around the platform, and they can be a great way to get a laugh while exploring new reads.

10. Book communities: BookTok is just one of many book-related communities on TikTok, and you’ll often see users sharing content from other book-centric hashtags like #Bookstagram and #BookBlogger. Keep an eye out for these hashtags to discover even more book-related content.

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are finding these tips helpful. I have written a wide range of fiction and non-fiction and if you want find out more about me and my work, click this link here.

Good luck with all your projects.

Kind regards

Barnaby

Inteachán – Book One: The Song of the NotBeSpeak 1: 11 ‘From the Sea’

Mac cleared his throat, opened his Miscellanea and started reading.

‘Fomhóire means ‘from the sea’ and is the name given to the divine powers, or gods of night, death and cold. The Fomhóire were misshapen and were believed to have the heads of goats and bulls. They also were believed to have only one leg and one arm each, and these grew out of the middle of their chests. The Fomhóire were the ancestors of the evil faeries and, according to legend, of all misshapen persons. The giants and leprechauns are also said to belong to the Fomhóire.’

Inteachán – Book One: The Song of the NotBeSpeak 1: 9 ‘Cataclysm’

‘Every infection needs a host,’ said Mac, ‘and the NotBeSpeak need the biggest host of all; the world.’

‘How do we stop them?’ asked Inteachán.

‘How do you stop them,’ Mac corrected her. ‘I am old and my days of fighting inter-dimensional demons intent upon cataclysm are long gone.’

‘How do I stop them?’

‘They can only be stopped by preventing them from taking their final form.’

Mac smiled sadly.

‘If we know what final form they wish to take then that is how we can stop them.’

He paused.

‘But, I am only now beginning to understand what form their final form will take.’

Inteachán – Book One: The Song of the NotBeSpeak 1: 6 ‘You may call me Mac’

It was Professor Mac an Bhaird who heard Inteachán sobbing late on that awful evening.

Who left his door open in case she needed someone. Who woke to find Inteachán curled up asleep at the end of his narrow bed. Who smiled and didn’t speak. Who allowed Inteachán to just sit. Until she was ready to talk.

‘You may call me Mac,’ he said kindly.

Now they talk all the time.

Shawn Bracebridge – The Cat’s Pyjamas and Other Stories

I recently had the pleasure of chatting to Dublin-based artist and illustrator, Shawn Bracebridge. With his distinctive style and eye for the quirky, Shawn’s artwork combines beautiful echoes of previous decades of graphic design with a vibrant, contemporary edge. 

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1. How did you get started?

For as long as I can remember I have always been drawing. My father is a very talented painter, which is where I initially found inspiration. I have always had a very active imagination which always adds to my creativity. When I finished school I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in art. I initially wanted to study animation, while I do have a strong interest and love for animation I quickly discovered that the process wasn’t exactly for me so I took a step back and decided to try my hand at oil painting. I fell in love with painting for a while and even thought about pursuing a career in concept art for video games as I was creating a lot of fantasy inspired landscapes, but like animation I fell out of love with it and grew impatient. I started to explore my options a bit more and decided to look into graphic design as I wanted to gain some skills in the digital format. Graphic design really stood out and excited me so I decided to study it. I leaned everything I could about poster design, stationary design, branding and identity, typography, colour theory etc. After a few years of exploring graphic design and struggling to find some work I started to miss drawing and putting my imagination to work, so I put graphic design on hold and jumped right into illustration. I’m still relatively new to the field but I am very excited to see where this journey brings me in the future.

2. Who or what are your major inspirations?

My major inspirations in the world of art/design/illustration would be Saul Bass, the legendary graphic designer and illustrator who created some of the most amazing movie posters for film makers such as Hitchcock and Otto Preminger. Saul was where I found inspiration and drive for illustration itself. Peter Donnelly from Dublin is also another big hero of mine, having worked on one of my favourite childhood movies, The Land Before Time. He also has a series of beautiful picture books, The President’s Glasses and The President’s Cat, which are very reminiscent of the travel books created by another inspirational illustrator, Miroslav Šašek. Aside from other artists, what inspires me at the moment is music, jazz especially. I recently just discovered my interest in jazz and that in turn helped me find this 50’s/60’s inspired style of illustration. I have a deep love for comics, sci fi and fantasy which all factor in as inspiration for me too.

3. How would you describe your style?

My style is always slightly changing as I find different subject matter to work from, but I would say that my style definitely draws heavily from mid century style illustration. I look at illustrators like Saul Bass as sources for inspiration, especially with hand made typography. I always try to put my own spin on different styles that stand out to me, bringing a modern but ”retro” look to it. I’m always thinking of new ways I can change my style up slightly just to keep it fresh and exciting.

4. How do you work?

I currently work digitally but I try to start off with a simple pencil sketch on paper whenever working on a new project. I feel like i’ve neglected my sketchbook quite a bit since I started working digitally but I am working to get back to drawing with just ink and paper. I find sketchbooks to be a necessary tool as you may get an idea while taking the train or bus and you can quickly scribble it down and take note before developing it into a completely finished piece. While working digitally I try to keep my digital illustrations almost organic, my work doesn’t tend to have a highly digital polish at the end.

5. Can you talk us through some examples of your work?

print mockup bowie
Here is an illustration I created representing my favourite musical icon, David Bowie. This illustration was inspired by the music video for ‘Modern Love’ from his album ‘Let’s Dance’. As well as being a highly influential musical artist, he was a fantastic style icon and I just love everything about his look in this image, so naturally I decided to sketch it and then eventually turned it into a print.
kamasi mockup
Kamasi Washington, another favourite of mine. Kamasi is an American jazz saxophonist and musician. I just find everything about this mans music simply amazing. I always thought that he had a quite an interesting look, much like my David Bowie design, so I wanted to capture the bright colours and interesting outfits that he is known to wear.
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The Cat’s Pyjamas is a comic book series that me and my friend Kevin started together, it’s set against a 1960’s backdrop with jazzy undertones and is representative of cartoons such as the ones you might see from Hannah Barbera and The Pink Panther. There is much more to come of this!

6. What are you currently working on?

Right now i’m working on some more music inspired pieces. I’m creating a small collection of new prints that I will soon have available through my online store and whatever various markets I may take part in throughout the next few months. I’m also developing my comic series The Cat’s Pyjamas which will be an ongoing project for the foreseeable future!

7. What are your plans for the future?

My plans for the future are not quite certain at the moment but I am excited at the same time. I hope to make more of a name for myself and meet more people through this field. I have ideas for more books that I wish to make in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later) I’ll also look into getting them published at a later stage, but for now I’ll keep on exploring ideas and creating more work!

Many thanks to Shawn for giving us such a fascinating insight in to your work. It was a pleasure chatting with you. Good luck for the future.

Shawn Bracebridge Illustration A4

If you want to stay up to date with Shawn’s progress with The Cat’s Pyjamas and his other projects then you can find him on Instagram.

If you are interested in buying some of Shawn’s work then you can find his online store on Bigcartel.

Diary of a Free Ebook – Day 378 – What’s in a Word?

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E-Book? Ebook?

Hyphen? No hyphen?

What’s in a word?

There is something very old-fashioned about the sound of the word(s) used to describe an electronic book.

Much like the way in which we still use the word ‘video’ today to describe moving images.

glitch 1

As a word, ‘video’ reminds me of watching dodgy copies of banned horror films on VHS in the 1980s.

Despite the fact that we use the word to mean something very different in 2019 ‘video’ just seems so old-fashioned.

For me, it is the associations.

The clunk of the door as you inserted the tape into the recorder/player.

The sound as the machine steadied itself.

The roll of the lines up the screen.

The occasional distortion as the sound synced.

The hang of the pause.

The song of the tape as it rewound in a different key to the one that played as you fast-forwarded past the adverts.

Do you remember these sounds?

Perhaps you have never heard them?

It is highly likely that you will never truly hear them again.

And we haven’t even started to think about another link in this word association game we are playing today.

Betamax.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Eleventh Film – Horror/Science Fiction Flash Fiction Series

The Eleventh Film VII

Some thought it had to be negligence.

Others proffered chance as an explanation.

A by-product of progress.

An unforeseen response to technological change.

It was all of naught.

There was no suitable analysis.

The cosmic die had been cast.

They were among us now.

Summoned by the Eleventh Film.

It was now simply as if they had always been here.

The Eleventh Film – Horror/Science Fiction Flash Fiction Series

The Eleventh Film Part VI

It was Georges Méliès who first saw the angels. With his love of trick and smoke and conjuring. Méliès felt their presence. He understood their mission.
He began to chart their flight as they flew like sainted bees. Gathering evidence for a sceptical world. He tried to speak with them. But how do you talk to bees? What do you even say?
And then everything he had managed to gather was lost in a studio fire.
And so it was their presence simply became the natural way of things.