Festoon Publishing Blog

Psychologists and health professionals have studied the difference between those people who read books and those who don’t ever since psychology was ‘invented’. The results in many ways are not surprising, but we also have to consider any bias in the analysis – given that psychologists and health professionals are people who read a vast number of books themselves in order to reach their professional level of expertise. Of course their findings will confirm that book readers are more intelligent, better adjusted, have greater awareness etc. A summary of an article on this subject from an American not-for-profit health organisation conveys this thought: Cognitive health: Reading enhances your critical thinking skills and creativity. It also broadens your vocabulary, boosts your knowledge and stimulates your imagination. https://www.nuvancehealth.org/health-tips-and-news/physical-and-mental-health-benefits-of-reading-books (So far in my research I haven’t read anything to the contrary). But what of the empirical evidence? Elon Musk read ten hours per day as a child, and is quoted as saying that he learned to build rockets by “reading books”. Bill Gates reads nearly a book every week, mostly non-fiction. Jeff Bezos is known to be a voracious reader who recommends books to executives. Mark Zuckerberg Committed himself to reading a new book

Festoon Publishing has recently experienced a surge of activity with the addition of four new books to its catalogue. Written by my wife Susan Holden and illustrated by my son Jordan, these publications represent a true family collaboration. I’m immensely proud to see them in print. The books are already gaining international traction, with sales coming from Germany, Great Britain, and the USA. The four titles—The Home Team, I Need You Son, Something Useful, and Sweet Treat—target four to six year olds with expressive verse and engaging illustrations. Previously published in paperback, and also in eBook format through Lulu, these books are now available as hardcover editions. Libraries and schools prefer hardcover books for their durability and superior display properties on their bookshelves. I believe one reason these books are selling so quickly is that customers can now preview the first few pages before buying. This gives them confidence, as sometimes the cover doesn’t fully reflect what’s inside. At Festoon Publishing, we strive for “truth in advertising” by ensuring our covers accurately represent the content within. I am pleased to report that there are some tasks that come across my desk with the potential to bring hope to those seeking

In recent times I’ve had the privilege of looking through a couple of manuscripts that have really caught my attention. There is one in particular that stands out amongst everything that I have ever read so far. It is a book that is a record of a series of visions that God has given to a faithful servant – along with the interpretation! It is a book that would make an ideal series for discussion topics at a Bible Study or in a home fellowship meeting. More on this book in a later Blog. There are several other things that are still in the development stage of the Festoon Publishing website. Would-be-purchasers will soon be able to view the first half dozen pages or so of a book before committing to buy. This I believe will give an added level of confidence to the purchaser as you can’t always tell a book by its cover. When a book has gone through the hoops of editing, proofreading, typesetting, and so forth, there are other steps that can be very frustrating for an author – and that is the issue of copyright. The process of obtaining permission to use an image or

There is much that is happening this year with several books in the pipeline for publishing works of at least four different authors. Each author has a unique story to tell that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. Some of these books have been decades in the making as each author has persistently pursued their literary course until freed of their compulsion to ‘get it written down‘. The reader then becomes the beneficiary of their most arduous self-imposed task. As was seen in my previous blog, Festoon Publishing has a brand new look that brings the webpage up-to-date with images of real people. As the world moves further and further away from reality with AI generated text and images, it is hoped that 2026 will begin a trend away from the unrealities of AI (that is very good at mimicking reality). It is one thing for an artist or author to create a fictitious work, but quite another when human imagination is removed from the creative work altogether. It can be difficult to draw a line that determines what is acceptable as a personal work, and what is AI generated. The intrusion of artificial intelligence into what is

For those who were familiar with the old ‘hero image’ for Festoon Publishing and are wondering what has happened, rest assured, you are in the right place. The new look is all part of preparations for the new year where several new books will be released for publication. The revamp is intended to reflect the impetus of moving forward with renewed vision and purpose for 2026. Many of the books that will appear here next year have been in the formulation stages of authors minds for many years now. The process of book writing is often tedious and arduous, but the reward is in seeing the finished product being of a great blessing to the reader. There are two books in particular that have caught my attention, and although I cannot say too much about them at this stage, I am very pleased with the way that the editing process is proceeding so far. There are many different literary styles that an author can adopt, for example, a biography of one’s experiences can be expressed in a scholarly, or academic manner at one end of the spectrum, or personalised as a diary of personal experiences at the other end of