@jameslilford.bsky.social
Editorial director, New Modern
Top 5.
Nothing beats seeing it in print.
Treated myself to a croissant from Esso
Bookseller Crow shop window
Shocked beyond belief to hear (via the shop’s IG account) of the death of Jonathan Main, the stalwart of Bookseller Crow in Crystal Palace.
I only met Jon once but we chatted online for years and he was so very funny, interesting, and knowledgable (with apt cynicism) about the book world. RIP Jon.
I never knew this about my pal Campbell.
As a festival programme editor myself (of 20 years' standing - eek), this story rings so true.
What a start!
02.09.2025 19:53 — 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
“Unique, truthful and frequently very funny”
@thetimes.com
“A candid journal of resilience”
@latimes.com
“Full of life and joy and copious swearing” @heraldscotland.bsky.social
“A minor masterpiece”
Classic Pop
‘The Tremolo Diaries’ by Justin Currie is OUT NOW
Buy: tinyurl.com/2b3yb4u9
New Modern #3 and #7
Proofs now in.
Design by Paul Palmer Edwards
Mark Blake 09-10-25
Peter Doggett 06-11-25
@newmodernbooks.bsky.social
Now on substack, attempting to blend poetry and east London partying. Do read / share / subscribe!
open.substack.com/pub/rowetati...
SIGNED BOOK!
MIKE JOYCE (THE SMITHS)
The Drums
*Signed* Hardback
Preorder: resident-music.com/product/joyc...
This charming man gives an off-piste, frank & witty perspective on what it felt like to be a member of the Smiths whilst being the group's biggest fan.
@newmodernbooks.bsky.social
It’s time the tale were told
The long awaited autobiography from the self proclaimed biggest Smiths fan in the world
‘Mike Joyce - The Drums’
06-11-25
Resident: tinyurl.com/25hpf9ph
RT: tinyurl.com/4a3ch57a
HMV: tinyurl.com/2zcw9a8f
Hard to beat the feeling of receiving advance copies of a book fresh off the press… the first New Modern book The Tremolo Diaries is out on 28 August: tinyurl.com/466uv2pv
08.08.2025 11:47 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The cover for the book 'Why Q Needs U' by Danny Bate
With pride, joy and a great deal of nerves, I'd like to reveal the cover for my book 'Why Q Needs U'!, published by @bonnierbooksuk.bsky.social!
I love the cover, with the endorsement from its first reviewer, who also called it "a wonderful achievement" and "just couldn't recommend it more highly".
A lovely endorsement for a fantastic book! Congrats, Danny. Can’t wait to see it out in the wild
28.07.2025 18:33 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
⭐️25% off New Modern pre-orders at Waterstones⭐️
Limited 4 day offer
Use code: SUMMER25
Go!
tinyurl.com/2wwvxxrv
#WPreorder
@waterstones.bsky.social
@delamitri.bsky.social
@debseyonbass.bsky.social
@tomdoyle.bsky.social
@claire-manumission.bsky.social
Becka White is a great working-class writer and human rights campaigner from south-east London.
She's written for the New Statesman and the Times Educational Supplement – her piece Why Don’t Children’s Book Characters Live in Flats?, published in the latter...
Congrats, Richard! Sounds brilliant
21.07.2025 18:58 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
You said you hadn’t listened to the much - this album is excellent in the sun open.spotify.com/album/5wAGlQ...
20.07.2025 20:22 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0“A minor masterpiece”
Classic Pop
From Band Aid to Live Aid to Live 8 and beyond….
A 40 year phenomenon.
The complete story.
‘Live Aid - The Definitive Inside Story’ by Paul Vallely with a foreword by Bob Geldof
06-11-25
RT: tinyurl.com/2cfwf75f
R: tinyurl.com/tmnet7er
HMV: tinyurl.com/42zsyvxn
Amazon: tinyurl.com/5n963axd
What a combo. Living the life, Nige!
14.07.2025 09:09 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
***NEW***
Drummer.
Actor.
Designer.
Beatle.
‘Ringo: A Fab Life’
The dazzling new biography by Tom Doyle
23-10-25
A: tinyurl.com/254j86h7
HMV: tinyurl.com/bdcrm32h
W: tinyurl.com/2pjthwtm
RT: tinyurl.com/yn2m99rp
#ringo
***NEW***
All the pain and glory of their remarkable 65 year family saga is explored in Peter Doggett’s ‘Surf’s Up’. The ultimate tribute to Brian Wilson & the Beach Boys
06-11-25
R: tinyurl.com/5aectvnk
A: tinyurl.com/y2bxbwva
HMV: tinyurl.com/4x67c3ze
Nearly three years in the making, it’s a pleasure to be able to announce Peter’s incredible tribute to Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys.
His ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ is one of the best books on The Beatles and ‘Surf’s Up’ is as essential a read on this most remarkable of family sagas
Proofs now in!
Our first book - ‘The Tremolo Diaries’ by Justin Currie - is out 28th August.
You can order a copy here:
R: tinyurl.com/hc7w6a5c
HMV: tinyurl.com/466uv2pv
A: tinyurl.com/2b3yb4u9
W: tinyurl.com/ms2ds3hc
New Modern #1
@delamitri.bsky.social
Feeling the heat? It's like Ibiza out there... timely, to announce:
@Mike_and_claire Manumission in conversation
The Motel: High Times in 90s Ibiza - An acid-dipped love letter to a lost Ibiza.
Sat 15 Nov, 8.15pm @innsideuk #Manchester.
All tickets: tinyurl.com/43ja7xd7
A logo of a book and the title Great Books, that deserve better
Being part of the whole Unbound saga has not been fun; one consolation has been the support of the many other authors involved.
And so, in that spirit, we've put together a list of some of the great books that now need publishers and agents. Please do share!
open.substack.com/pub/therebou...
Exclusive interviews. Unseen letters. New revelations.
Their story in their words.
‘Pink Floyd Shine On: The Definitive Oral History’ by Mark Blake
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
09-10-25
HMV: tinyurl.com/bdnyyeej
W: tinyurl.com/bdfd9m7e
R: tinyurl.com/mtbee4cp
Digital poster at the Barbican for In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats - a VR adventure.
This opens at the Barbican tomorrow, a virtual reality event in which you can travel back in time to 1989 and visit an illegal rave.
Rave wasn’t my thing, I only ever went to one and don’t remember much about it. But I had a go on this at the press preview today, and it was… strangely affecting.
