by Tom Ashford
Welcome to the SPF Weekly Write-Up, where each Wednesday we collect together the self-publishing news of the week so you don’t have to.

This week has been a quiet one. Some startling information on our fellow readers in Denmark, and someone tries to steal an old document.

Dive in below!

A Good Danish (Novel)

Panic! The Danish are reading fewer books!

That revelation comes despite the news that the number of books published in the country is increasing. Seems problematic, somehow. According to Denmark’s Ministry of Culture’s Books and Literature Panel, the number of 30-39 year olds (isn’t that a bit small for a sample audience?) who regularly read novels and short stories has fallen by ten percent since 2010.

But we have an explanation. Audio books are more popular than ever! Apparently, 232,453 audio books were borrowed from Danish public libraries in July of 2018 alone!

Unfortunately, only 3.5 percent of their population read eBooks every day. Shame!

Don’t Touch The Glass!

Last Thursday a man was arrested after attempting to steal a Magna Carta… from Salisbury Cathedral. What is up with that place? First Russian spies, now this…

For those who might not know, the Magna Carta is one of the most significant documents in British history (and in the whole world, for that matter). It was signed and sealed by King John in 1215, basically agreeing that he couldn’t get away with doing whatever he wanted. The copy in Salisbury Cathedral is one of only four copies of the original charter in existence.

Does the Magna Carta count as a self-published book? There weren’t any traditional publishers around back then, after all…

Luckily the document was left undamaged. At least we know what Mark Dawson’s next Milton novel will be about…

Tom Ashford

Tom Ashford is a professional copywriter, author of numerous dark fantasy and sci-fi novels, and the Head of Content at the Self Publishing Formula Blog. His books include the Blackwater trilogy and the Checking Out series.

He lives in London with his wife, in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Find out more about Tom here.