Behind the Scenes at Rob’s Books

Our Latest Publishing Update

By Robin Wickens | Rob’s Books | 19 October 2026

If anyone imagines that running an independent publishing venture consists mainly of sitting comfortably in an armchair, writing a few pleasant sentences and occasionally drinking tea, I should probably invite them to spend twenty-four hours at Rob’s Books.

They may reconsider.

Over the past day, we’ve been working across several areas of our growing publishing venture, from children’s picture books and humorous supernatural fiction to website development, digital book presentations, category artwork and new blog content.

We’ve been exploring how to make our books easier to discover, how to present them more attractively and how to communicate what makes Rob’s Books different.

And somewhere along the way, we’ve managed to involve a cheerful little witch, a purple dragon, several troublesome ghosts and enough Halloween pumpkins to concern a reasonably sized greengrocer.

It has been a productive period of creative and editorial work.

Not everything is finished. Some projects are progressing towards publication, while others involve refining existing material and preparing promotional assets.

But the direction is becoming clearer.

We want Rob’s Books to be more than a collection of digital publications. We want it to become a welcoming place for readers of every generation, where curiosity, imagination, knowledge and entertainment can flourish.

The Website Is Becoming a Proper Home for Our Books

One of our continuing priorities has been the presentation and organisation of the Rob’s Books website.

An independent publisher can produce the most fascinating books imaginable, but if readers cannot find them, much of that effort risks going unnoticed.

That’s why we’ve been spending time developing our book categories, descriptions and visual identity.

Our catalogue covers a wide range of interests.

We have children’s stories, humorous fiction, Gothic mysteries, ghost stories, folklore, British history, cookery, puzzles, activity books and much more.

That variety is a strength, but it also presents a challenge.

Somebody looking for a children’s bedtime story shouldn’t have to search through a collection of wartime histories to find it.

Equally, a reader interested in British folklore should be able to discover the relevant collection without first encountering seventeen unrelated cookbooks.

Over the past day, we’ve worked on category imagery that helps communicate the subjects our readers can explore.

The Rob’s Books category image brings together the broader character of our independent publishing venture, with a warm literary atmosphere, a digital bookshelf and visual references to our different genres.

The Membership category artwork reflects our developing family reading programme, bringing together generations around a shared story.

We’ve also been refining the appearance of other collections, including Gothic Books and the wider blog categories.

These visual improvements are more than decoration.

They help visitors recognise different subjects, navigate the website and discover publications suited to their interests.

We want the site to feel welcoming, informative and enjoyable rather than resemble an enormous filing cabinet that has developed an unfortunate attitude.

Wally the Witch Has Been Particularly Busy

One of the most enjoyable projects we’ve worked on is Wally the Witch’s Halloween Surprise.

Wally is a cheerful little witch with a very simple ambition.

She wants to make Halloween special for everybody in her village.

Naturally, being a witch, she approaches this task rather differently from the average person preparing seasonal refreshments.

Instead of purchasing a few packets of sweets, Wally collects magical ingredients, mixes them in her bubbling cauldron and produces an extraordinary selection of treats.

Her faithful black cat, Midnight, accompanies her.

And, as readers will discover, allowing a mischievous cat anywhere near unexplained magic is not necessarily a decision supported by sensible risk assessment.

The result is a gentle, colourful Halloween adventure filled with friendly ghosts, cheerful skeletons, magical sweets and a pumpkin that develops the unexpected ability to fly.

We’ve spent time developing the book’s presentation, including its description, recommended readership, square cover artwork and promotional mock-up.

We’ve also prepared a substantial blog article introducing Wally, Midnight and the ideas behind the story.

The suggested readership is approximately three to seven years, depending on individual reading confidence and whether an adult is sharing the story.

What appeals to me particularly about Wally is that her Halloween adventure doesn’t rely upon frightening children.

There is no need for terrifying monsters or disturbing scenes.

The story is about imagination, friendship, kindness and sharing something wonderful.

And I think there should always be room for that sort of Halloween story.

The Dragon Has Been Sneezing Again

Another cheerful resident of our publishing world is the star of The Dragon’s Gentle Sneeze.

This illustrated children’s story introduces a rather magnificent purple dragon, a brave young knight and an adventure involving a problem that is considerably less threatening than everyone initially imagines.

We’ve been developing the title’s presentation, including its age recommendation, description, cover artwork and promotional mock-up.

Like Wally’s adventure, the book is particularly suited to younger children, with a suggested age range of three to seven years.

There is something delightful about turning a traditionally fearsome creature into a character who is more likely to need understanding than a heroic battle.

Dragons have spent centuries being accused of burning villages, guarding treasure and generally making themselves unpopular.

It seems only reasonable that one should occasionally be allowed to have a troublesome sneeze.

Stories like this reflect an important part of our children’s publishing philosophy.

Young readers deserve imaginative adventures, memorable characters and plenty of humour.

They also deserve stories that encourage empathy, curiosity and the ability to look beyond appearances.

Sometimes the supposedly frightening dragon turns out to be the one who needs a little kindness.

And sometimes the greatest hero is simply the person who thinks to ask what is wrong.

Crumblewick Hall Remains Thoroughly Inconvenient

Our publishing interests are certainly not confined to children’s stories.

We’ve also been working on the presentation of The Ghosts of Crumblewick Hall, a humorous supernatural adventure involving an elderly British mansion, an unexpected inheritance and a collection of ghosts whose haunting abilities leave considerable room for improvement.

Crumblewick Hall is not the sort of property likely to receive an enthusiastic report from a structural surveyor.

It has dampness, mysterious noises, questionable plumbing and residents who have been dead for years but still insist upon offering opinions about household management.

The trouble begins when the living develop plans for the building.

The ghosts, naturally, object.

They have become quite accustomed to their surroundings and see no particular reason why death should require them to tolerate renovations.

We’ve been considering how to position the book within our catalogue, particularly among humorous fiction and supernatural stories.

This is important because the title combines several elements.

It is a ghost story, certainly.

It has Gothic atmosphere, an old mansion and mysterious secrets.

But it is also a comedy, filled with eccentric characters, absurd situations and the sort of distinctly British disagreements that can continue long after everybody involved should reasonably have given up.

Books do not always fit neatly into a single category.

A little imagination is sometimes required in deciding where readers are most likely to discover them.

Ghostly Libraries and the Darker Side of Our Collection

We’ve also been developing material associated with The Hauntings of Blackwood Library.

There is something particularly appealing about a mysterious library.

Books already contain countless lives, forgotten histories, unfamiliar worlds and secrets waiting to be discovered.

Introduce a haunting into the proceedings, and the possibilities become considerably more interesting.

Our work has included book presentation and consideration of relevant categories such as Gothic fiction, ghost stories and mysteries.

This forms part of the broader development of the Rob’s Books supernatural collections.

We want readers to be able to distinguish between the different experiences our books offer.

A humorous ghost story is not necessarily the same thing as an unsettling Gothic mystery.

An atmospheric haunting differs from a strange tale built around a surprising twist.

By developing clearer category identities, we hope to make these distinctions more useful to our readers.

The Work Behind the Images

A considerable amount of recent activity has involved book-cover concepts, category graphics and promotional mock-ups.

Images matter in publishing.

A book cover is often the first thing a potential reader notices.

It must communicate something about the story before anybody has read the description.

A children’s picture book needs to feel inviting and appropriate to its audience.

A Gothic mystery should establish atmosphere.

A humorous supernatural novel should suggest that its ghosts may be entertaining as well as troublesome.

Our image-development work aims to give each publication a recognisable visual identity while maintaining consistency across Rob’s Books.

We’re also making greater use of square category graphics and book presentations designed for digital browsing.

These are particularly relevant because Rob’s Books operates primarily as a digital publisher.

The books purchased directly through our website are digital publications, while selected paperback editions are available separately through Amazon.

That distinction matters.

Our website artwork should help people appreciate our books without leaving customers uncertain about the product format they are purchasing.

A promotional book mock-up can be attractive, but we must still communicate clearly when the actual product is a digital download.

Good design attracts attention.

Good information builds confidence.

We need both.

Our Free Family Reading Membership Remains an Important Priority

Behind all the covers, website graphics and individual titles lies another project that is particularly important to me.

Our developing free family reading membership.

One of the reasons I continue working on Rob’s Books is my belief that reading should remain part of people’s lives from the earliest stages of childhood right through to old age.

We hear a great deal about children spending too much time on screens.

We also hear concerns about social media, computer games and the endless supply of online entertainment.

Yet we ourselves produce digital books.

Is that contradictory?

I don’t believe it has to be.

The important question is not simply whether a child is looking at a screen, but what they are doing with it.

A tablet used for an imaginative story, shared with a parent or grandparent, can provide a very different experience from constantly switching between videos and notifications.

That distinction is central to our developing membership programme.

We’re working towards a welcoming collection of age-appropriate digital stories, reading activities and resources that encourage families to enjoy books together.

Our plans begin at birth, with shared stories and picture-led experiences, and progress through increasingly independent reading stages.

We’re also considering how best to support children with different learning needs.

The membership is intended to be free and advertising-free, making reading resources available without unnecessary commercial distractions.

The programme remains under development, and we will continue introducing information about its content and availability as the work progresses.

For me, this represents something more lasting than an individual publication.

We want to help families establish reading habits that children can carry with them throughout their lives.

Behind the Blog: More Than Announcing New Books

Another important part of our publishing work is the Rob’s Books blog.

I don’t want it to become a place where every article simply announces another publication and asks people to buy something.

There is nothing wrong with promoting our books, naturally.

But I believe a blog should also give people a reason to visit when they’re not shopping.

It should provide interesting reading in its own right.

Our recent writing has explored the creative process, the realities of digital publishing and subjects that affect ordinary people.

One article examined the frustrations of modern digital security, including passwords, account verification, accessibility and the extraordinary complexity of completing what should be relatively simple online tasks.

As a deaf author who relies upon written communication, this subject has particular significance for me.

Online systems that insist upon voice telephone conversations can create genuine barriers for people who cannot use that method of communication.

Security matters enormously, but accessibility should matter just as much.

The discussion also reflects the practical reality of operating an independent publishing venture.

Sometimes I sit down intending to write a chapter and discover that an entirely different task requires my attention.

A website needs updating.

An account requests verification.

A publishing platform changes something.

Or a piece of software decides that my perfectly acceptable password is no longer sufficiently imaginative.

There are occasions when developing fictional worlds feels considerably less complicated than navigating the real one.

Our other recent blog work has explored children’s reading, Halloween storytelling and the importance of encouraging imagination.

The substantial article about Wally the Witch’s Halloween Surprise is an example of how we want to combine book promotion with useful information for families.

Rather than simply describing the product, it discusses gentle Halloween stories, sharing books with children, age-appropriate reading and ways to extend stories into creative activities.

That’s the approach I want Rob’s Books to continue developing.

Interesting subjects.

Accessible explanations.

Thoughtful research.

And, whenever appropriate, a little humour.

Improving How Readers Discover Our Books

We’ve also been strengthening the way we describe and present our publications.

Search-engine optimisation may sound like a particularly dull branch of modern publishing, but it serves an important purpose.

People need to be able to find what they’re looking for.

A parent searching for a gentle Halloween story may use completely different words from a reader looking for humorous supernatural fiction.

Someone interested in British wartime history may search for the Home Front, civilian experiences, evacuation or rationing.

A visitor looking for a cookbook may want practical air-fryer recipes, traditional British baking or everyday family meals.

Our descriptions need to communicate these subjects clearly.

That’s why we’re putting greater emphasis on informative titles, accurate categories, useful descriptions and naturally incorporated search terms.

However, we don’t want our writing to become a collection of keywords pretending to be sentences.

The priority remains the reader.

A good description should explain what the publication offers, who may enjoy it and why it deserves attention.

Search engines may help people discover the page.

But people themselves decide whether the content is worth reading.

Why All This Matters to Me

Rob’s Books is a personal undertaking.

It reflects my interests, experiences and continuing enthusiasm for writing, researching and discovering unfamiliar subjects.

As a retired military veteran, I have developed a particular appreciation for history, human experiences and the importance of preserving stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

I enjoy British folklore, unusual traditions, supernatural mysteries and the extraordinary peculiarities of everyday life.

I also enjoy cooking, children’s storytelling, imaginative fiction and the challenge of turning an interesting idea into a finished publication.

There is no shortage of subjects waiting to be explored.

The difficulty is usually deciding which one deserves attention next.

What connects these different interests is curiosity.

A question leads to research.

Research leads to an idea.

An idea becomes a manuscript.

And, with enough work, that manuscript eventually becomes a book.

But producing books is only part of the process.

They need to be organised, presented, described and made accessible to potential readers.

That is why the website, category artwork, publishing descriptions and promotional material matter.

They are not separate from the books.

They are part of helping those books find their audience.

What Still Needs Attention?

Although we’ve made progress in preparing content and developing our presentation, there are several areas where the work continues.

Our book descriptions and category structure need ongoing refinement as the catalogue expands.

Promotional artwork must remain consistent with the publications it represents.

Digital formats, product information and device compatibility should be explained clearly.

Our membership programme requires further development, including the gradual preparation and organisation of its reading resources.

And our existing manuscripts and new publications will continue to need the research, editing and checking appropriate to each project.

We also need to keep the website manageable.

There is little point in developing an impressive collection of categories if visitors cannot work out where to begin.

The objective is not to make Rob’s Books unnecessarily complicated.

It is to make it increasingly useful.

Looking Ahead

Over the coming days, I expect our work to continue across several familiar areas.

Children’s stories will remain an important priority, particularly as we develop the family reading membership.

Our fiction collections will continue expanding and improving their presentation.

Historical subjects, folklore and factual publications will remain central to the catalogue.

Recipe books, puzzles and creative activities will continue providing opportunities for practical enjoyment.

And the blog will remain a place for independent observations, publishing news, research discoveries and subjects that deserve a little further thought.

There will undoubtedly be unexpected complications.

Something will refuse to display correctly.

A carefully arranged graphic will require another adjustment.

A website setting will move to a location known only to the person who designed the software.

And somewhere, I suspect, another fictional character will decide to create difficulties that were never included in the original chapter plan.

Such is the life of an independent publisher.

A Final Thought: Twenty-Four Hours Is Only the Beginning

Looking at the recent work, I am reminded of how much goes into creating and maintaining an independent publishing venture.

Writing is only one part of it.

There is research, planning, editing, design, publishing, administration, presentation and the continuing challenge of communicating with readers.

Some tasks produce immediate results.

Others take weeks or months before their full value becomes apparent.

But they all contribute towards the same objective.

To make Rob’s Books a place where people can discover books, enjoy stories, explore unfamiliar subjects and develop a lasting appreciation of reading.

I don’t expect everybody to enjoy the same genres.

Some readers will prefer cosy mysteries.

Others will enjoy supernatural fiction, fascinating historical accounts or practical recipe books.

Children may fall in love with friendly witches, magnificent dragons or adventurous woodland animals.

And some readers may simply enjoy a well-designed puzzle and the satisfaction of discovering the answer.

That’s precisely why we publish such a varied collection.

There should be room for everybody.

So, after a busy period involving witches, ghosts, dragons, category artwork, website organisation and a considerable amount of writing, I can safely say that things are moving forward.

There is still plenty to do.

There always is.

But the important thing is that Rob’s Books continues to develop.

And if the next twenty-four hours involve fewer password verifications and slightly more uninterrupted writing, I shall consider that a particularly welcome improvement.

Thank you for following our journey and supporting independent British publishing.

Whether you’ve discovered us recently or have been following our work for some time, I hope you’ll continue exploring what we’re creating.

Visit Rob’s Books and discover our growing world of stories, history, cookery, imagination and creative activities.

Robin Wickens Founder, Author and Publisher Rob’s Books

Rob’s Books – Written with Curiosity. Created with Care. Published for the Pleasure of Reading.

I have a little work to do here, I have over 50 years of writing and hundreds of books to sift through, one by one, plus whatever happens in the meantime I will be here for some time!