Today is the first ever Author Day, marking the importance of both independent and traditionally published authors.

Today is the first ever Author Day, marking the importance of both independent and traditionally published authors. It has been organised by the people behind Europe’s largest publishing conference, The Futurebook Conference, which is now entering its fifth year.

As the day is celebrating both established and emerging authors, we decided to delve into the past of some famous authors. The authors of the world’s most popular books are household names, however many decide to use a ‘pen name’ for their writing.

Below, we take a look at five of the most recognisable pen names, and discover the truth surrounding why their real names were changed.

J.K. Rowling – Joanne Rowling

Known to many as the author of one of the most popular franchises ever, the Harry Potter series of books, J.K. Rowling is a name known by children and adults alike the world over. The series, which has sold over 450 million copies worldwide and been turned into films that made over £4 billion, was imagined by Rowling on a 4 hour delayed train from Manchester to London. When discussing the book’s release with her publishers, Rowling was asked to use two initials when publishing, as it was believed that boys in her target age range wouldn’t like to read a book about magic by a woman. Ms. Rowling agreed, however as she didn’t have a middle name for the second initial, she opted to choose her grandmothers name of Kathleen to create the name instantly recognised around the world today.

Lewis Carroll – Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

Alongside being the author of some of the most loved children’s books, Lewis Carroll was also a famed mathematician, writing many books on topics such as geometry, algebra and logic. He gained first class honours in the subject, graduating top in his class, and held the post of Mathematical Lecturer for 26 years at Oxford College, Christ Church. Whilst he was a gifted mathematician, he had a love for writing poetry and literature, and decided to write works such as Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. When it came to publishing, he decided to keep his fictional work separate from his factual writings, so decided to use a pen name. He came up with four, three of which were rejected, and the final choice, an complicated Latin and English translation of his name became the name he would be synonymous with. However, even though his books gained immense popularity, Carroll would never answer to his pen name, even going as far as to refuse letters sent to Lewis Carroll at his place of work.

George Orwell – Eric Blair

George Orwell, a writer concerned with social injustice, was famed for novels such as Nineteen Eighty Four and Animal Farm. His novels have spawned many well-known phrases in modern day language, such as cold war, and even ideas for television programmes such as Room 101 and Big Brother. His first novel, a documentation of his time living in poverty and undertaking menial jobs, entitled Down and Out in Paris and London, created the need for a pen name. He did not wish to cause embarrassment to his family with regards to his time living as a ‘tramp’, so his agent selected George Orwell from a list provided. Orwell is said to have been inspired by the River Orwell in Suffolk, and was described by the author as a ‘good round English name’.

Dr. Seuss – Theodore Geisel

Many of us remember reading the poems and stories by Dr. Seuss as a child, including works such as ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’.  He published over 60 books, which have sold over 600 million copies worldwide, and adapted into films, television programmes and plays. However Dr. Seuss, the author behind the poems, is not really a doctor, and neither is his surname Seuss! Theodore Geisel, a student attending Dartmouth College was an active contributor to the university’s humorous magazine, ‘Jack-O-Lantern’. However, he faced trouble at the college when he was found to be drinking gin with his friends, during the prohibition in America, a time when alcohol was banned. He was banned from extracurricular activities, including his burgeoning journalism career, so began writing under various pen names to continue his hobby whilst avoiding detection by the dean. He later added the ‘Dr.’ to one of his pen names, T. Seuss, to pay tribute to his father, and his wish that his son would gain his PhD. Ironically, due to his notoriety as a well-respected children’s author, Dr. Seuss would later receive multiple honorary doctorates from various establishments, making his father’s wish come true!

Mark Twain – Samuel Langhorne Clemens

The 19^th century author of novels such as ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ started out his career as an apprentice to a printer, before moving away from lettering and decided to work on the water, acting as a riverboat pilot along the Mississippi. At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, boats were no longer allowed to travel on the river, so Twain found himself without a job. He eventually found his way back to where he began his career, in writing, however his new pen name was a reminder of the career he could have had. The word ‘Twain’ is another way of saying ‘two’, and ‘mark twain’ was a phrase used in boating to refer to the depth of the water. For a steamboat to be safe to pass, water had to be two fathoms deep, therefore the saying ‘mark twain’ meant that the waters ahead were safe to travel on. According to Twain himself, he was not the first to adopt this pen name, as a Captain who wrote news stories about the rivers was using the name. After his death, Twain decided to use the name for himself, stating, “He could no longer need that signature, I laid violent hands upon it without asking permission of the proprietor’s remains.”

If you are interested in becoming an author and creating your own pen name, why not take a look at our popular Fiction Writing course?

Bargain hunters get ready: this weekend the biggest discounts of the year will be available in stores and online across the UK.

Bargain hunters get ready: this weekend the biggest discounts of the year will be available in stores and online across the UK.

Originating in America as a day for discount shopping following the US holiday of Thanksgiving, the idea for a day of cheap shopping to kick off the Christmas period found its way across the pond to us a few years ago, and is getting bigger year on year.

With sales last year of over £800 million in just one day, Black Friday has become the most popular shopping day of the year in the UK. Experts are estimating that sales this year will be even higher, and could even pass the £1 billion mark for the first time ever.

As you can imagine, the demand for cheap items before Christmas is high, and stampedes, frenzies and fights to get the best bargains. Scenes became so bad in the supermarket Asda last year that this year they have announced that they will no longer be taking part in the event.

If you are looking for bargains, you don’t just have to consider Black Friday. Companies are looking to maximise sales, so many are starting the event early and carrying it on throughout the weekend. Also, the Monday after Black Friday has become known as Cyber Monday, where companies encourage people to shop online by offering further discounts to customers who visit their websites.

Below are our best tips for finding the best online deals this weekend, meaning your Christmas shopping list could become that little bit cheaper!

The early bird catches the bargain

This may seem like a no-brainer, but with some shops opening in the early hours of the morning this Friday, it is vital to be up and out early to get your hands on the best deals. Similarly, if you are planning on shopping for your bargains online, many websites are launching new deals every hour from midnight on Thursday. It might be wise to get a few cups of coffee waiting if you’re planning on getting the best deals possible!

Don’t judge a bargain by its cover

When in store on Black Friday, you may be tempted by what seems like an amazing deal, especially on more expensive items like electronics. However, the item itself may be something that doesn’t normally sell well – and there could be a reason for this. It could be something that isn’t a top item in its market, or there may be cheaper alternatives that actually work better. Make sure your phone has a full charge, and do you research by checking reviews on items that you aren’t sure about before buying!

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail

The most successful Black Friday shoppers are the ones who know what they need to buy and know where they will get it from. If you have a list of items that you know you want to purchase, and decide which shops will have the best deals, you are more likely to come home feeling like it was a worthwhile shopping experience. Some people may be tempted by a wide range of offers on items they didn’t think of, and might impulse buy only to find later that they have purchased something they don’t really need or want.

Google knows best

Don’t forget that many shops offer the same products, and may have them listed at different prices on the day. It’s worthwhile to keep that phone charged, so you can check out online price comparison websites to see whose Black Friday deals are the best! Some shops, such as John Lewis, are offering a price match on any other Black Friday deals, and due to the large amount of different items they stock, so if your phone does die, it may be worthwhile starting here if you have a big shopping list!

To coincide with the release of Adele’s hotly anticipated new album 25, we are going to look at the five all-time top selling albums in the UK and what makes them so great!

To coincide with the release of Adele’s hotly anticipated new album 25, we are going to look at the five all-time top selling albums in the UK and what makes them so great!

5. Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

Coming in at number 5 on our list is Oasis and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? As a child of the 90’s growing up in the north, it came as no surprise that this album was one of the bestselling ever, especially considering the amount of times I’ve heard it being played over the last 20 years! The album is full of classic Oasis tracks, that everyone (tries to) sing along to with their hands behind their back, belting out their best Manchurian version of the word “Sunnnshiinnneeee”. Included are the hugely popular tracks; “Wonderwall”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, Champagne Supernova and others. I can easily say it’s my favourite album of this century and possibly my favourite non-greatest hit album of all time! Everyone in the office can sing at least one line from one of the tracks and “Some Might Say” it’s their favourite album too!

4. Adele – 21

Possible quite apt considering the reason for this blog, Adele’s 21 takes the number 4 spot on the list, which is astounding considering it was only released in 2011 while many of the other albums have had decades to generate their sales! 21, Adele’s 2nd album was a huge success in the UK and internationally, it has achieved platinum status 16 times, the most times of any album in the UK ever! The album contains many hits but perhaps none more so popular than the track “Someone Like You”. This song achieved number 1 status in the UK and stayed there for five weeks while also achieving number 1 in a number of other countries. This album continues to be bought to this day and “Rumour Has It” we may even see it climb even higher in our listing the next time Adele releases a new album

3. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Being maybe Britain’s most loved band of all time it’s easy to see how Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has took the number three spot on our list. The album is the highest release on the list that isn’t classed as a greatest hits album and is often cited as one of the most influential pieces of music in history inspiring the rock and roll era and many artists since! The album takes its name from Paul McCartney written track and fictional alter ego of The Beatles, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Also included on the track listing is the hugely popular and much covered With a Little Help from My Friends. The album was a great success but our list also keeps “Getting Better”….

2. Abba – Gold: Greatest Hits

A possible dark horse at number 2 on the list but after a show of hands in the office we found that nearly every person had a copy of this item in their house at some point! Abba Gold is a compilation of greatest hits from everyone’s guilty pleasure and has achieved platinum status 14 times! With hits we all enjoy singing along to such as Dancing Queen and Mama Mia, it’s easy to see how this album climbed so high on the list! Unfortunately they didn’t quite make the top spot and as we know “The Winner Takes it All” …..

1. Queen – Greatest Hits

Perhaps unsurprisingly the bestselling album ever in the UK is Queen’s Greatest Hits. This is certainly one of, if not my favourite album of all time and has achieved Platinum status a whopping 11 times! The album contains a host of classics including the 3rd bestselling single in the UK of all time and the best song to bang your head to (Thanks Wayne’s World), Bohemian Rhapsody. Other well know songs include, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Killer Queen” and “We Will Rock You”. This album truly deserves the top spot on this list, they can truly boast “We are the Champions”!

If you would like learn more on how Marketing and Media studies work together why not study our Marketing & Media Studies Diploma? This course fuses the two concepts of media and marketing together in order to provide the learner with a broad based overview of the two different disciplines and how they interact with each other

One of NCC’s partner companies, Youth Employment UK (YEUK), are hosting their annual conference to promote the creation of a youth friendly culture.

One of NCC’s partner companies, Youth Employment UK (YEUK), are hosting their annual conference to promote the creation of a youth friendly culture.

The Youth Friendly Employment Conference 2015 will offer a wide range of exhibitions, such as presentations and panel discussions, alongside group sessions to assist companies in promoting their business attitude to youths.

The conference is built on five themes of their Youth Friendly Charter, an agreement that companies can sign to demonstrate their commitment to supporting young people in the workplace.

The conference will feature a large amount of high profile speakers, who will be providing attendees with their expertise and experience of young people in the workplace.

Each of the speakers, such as Learn Direct, National Grid, Standard Life and Interserve, will be discussing their approach to one of the YEUK Charter’s key themes.

The Keynote Speaker for 2015 is Rt. Hon. Priti Patel MP, the current Minister of State for Employment, who will be sharing her views of Youth Employment in the UK.

The conference is due to be held on Tuesday 1^st December 2015, at the Millenium Gloucester Hotel in London. For ticket availability, click here.

What are the 5 Key Themes of the Youth Friendly Charter?

Youth Voice: Agreeing to listen to the ideas of young people and providing opportunities for them to be listened to where possible

Creating Opportunity:  A decision to provide different opportunities for young people to gain necessary life skills

Recognising Talent:  A promise to recruit young people based on ability, talent and potential

Fair Employment: Attempting where possible to assist young people to enter the workforce

Developing People: A commitment to supporting the continuing personal development of young people in the workplace

Scoops are loosely defined as items of news which are investigated and reported by one reporter before any other journalist or media organisation has a clue what is going on.

Every November, aspiring authors all over the world put on their thinking caps and encourage the cogs in their brain to start whirring.

National Novel Writing Month, otherwise known as NaNoWriMo, encourages people of all writing abilities to push themselves to develop a novel within one month.

The aim is to keep motivated and creative with writing, with participants pushing to write the minimum number of words for a novel, a mammoth 50,000 (1,667 words per day!)

The event started life as a small writing project in 1999, with only 21 people participating, but has grown year on year, with over 400,000 participants in 2013.

If you are joining in with this years’ event, or just want to learn how to improve your writing skills, check out the following tips from our Creative Writing Diploma!

1. Develop Conflict

A character tends to become beloved by an audience if they face a series of challenges throughout the books – whether these be physical challenges, mental challenges or social challenges is up to the author. Readers aren’t interested in a character who seems to have the perfect life, with no worries whatsoever, as this means that there is nothing in the story line to create an element of danger – leading to a very boring book!

2. Combating writer’s block

If you are suffering from the dreaded curse that plagues authors from time to time, forget about writing a specific paragraph, chapter or even line of your book. An exercise recommended to tackle those time when you can’t seem to write a part of a story is to just write anything. Start writing anything, whether it be related to your book or not, whether it makes sense or not or even if it is in note form rather than full sentences. This helps writers to overcome their mental block, and get their creative cogs whirring!

3. Read it out

Reading through your own work to check for errors is always a difficult task, as it is often difficult to be critical of a piece of writing that you have created. Similarly, you may not want to show your work to anyone until you are finished and proud of it. You may love one of the characters that you have created, or you may be really proud of a specific chapter. However, the parts you like may not always be the best way of moving forward with your book, or they may not even make sense. A good way to check your work thoroughly, without having to involve someone else, is to read the work out loud. By doing this, you are more likely to spot your errors, or discover that certain sections should be removed or replaced.

If you would like to study more about writing, why not check out our Creative Writing Diploma and Fiction Writing course?

Scoops are loosely defined as items of news which are investigated and reported by one reporter before any other journalist or media organisation has a clue what is going on.

Scoops are loosely defined as items of news which are investigated and reported by one reporter before any other journalist or media organisation has a clue what is going on. For this reason, a scoop is an important aspect of journalism due to any number of factors whether it’s due to heightened public interest, the importance of the story, concerns it raises, or the secrecy behind it.

Scoops often come from an exclusive source, and are unexpected and surprising revelations. Below we look at five of the biggest newspaper scoops to have rocked the UK in the past fifteen years:

The MP’s Expenses Scandal – 2009

When the Daily Telegraph revealed that hundreds of MP’s had lied or embellished their expenses claims, it brought with it a tidal wave of public disgust and outrage made all the more worse when it was revealed that MPs had tried to block Freedom of Information access to the information.

The Daily Telegraph’s disclosure, leaked over the course of several weeks, dominated the media as more and more examples of gross misuse of the expenses system for personal gain was revealed across all major political parties in the UK.

Off the back of this expose, there was a swathe of resignations and disciplinary action against MP’s and peers and a full independent audit was conducted into MP’s expenses. As a result, huge reforms were made to the process.

Edward Snowden Blows The Whistle On Mass Surveillance – 2013

As the man responsible for the biggest intelligence breach in US history, Snowden handpicked Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian as the man to break the story.

Conducting interviews in Snowden’s hotel room in Hong Kong, coupled with documents that Snowden had leaked to Greenwald in the build up to the meeting, The Guardian were given four major scoops in quick succession with the most jaw dropping being the exposure of the Prism programme, which allowed direct access to Americans’ Google and Yahoo accounts, a secret court order requiring Verizon to hand the NSA millions of Americans’ phone records daily, and XKeyscore which is an analytical tool allowing the collection of almost anything done on the internet.

Off the back of these revelations, politicians and the public asked whether he was a whistle-blower or a traitor, but it appeared Snowden was only leaking information that he felt it was in the public’s best interest to know. At the end of his revelations, Snowden quoted Benjamin Franklin to Greenwald: “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

Guantanamo Bay Operating Procedures – 2007

Guantanamo Bay was America’s dirty little secret during the years of their ‘War On Terror’ – a high security detention centre which the US insisted existed in a political black hole where detainees could be considered outside U.S. legal jurisdiction and were not entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions.

Off the back of this, current and former detainees have reported abuse and torture but often the claims weren’t being given much credence due to the status of the detainees.

With Wikileaks release of the Camp Delta Standard Operating Procedures in 2007, official details on the practices and guidelines for soldiers stationed there were finally brought to light. The PDF document revealed startling information such as prisoners being denied access to Red Cross for up to one month and arguably led to President Obama’s demand for the base to be scaled back and shut down when he took power.

The Horse Meat Scandal – 2013

Affecting the UK and Ireland, the horse meat scandal horrified consumers throughout the two countries when it was revealed by a House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that foods advertised as containing beef had been found to also contain undeclared horse meat.

The shocking revelations affected a large number of corporations such as Findus, whose frozen lasagne products were found to contain between 60-100 per cent horse meat, Sodexo – one of the largest private catering businesses in Britain, and Silvercrest who had supplied Burger King and Tesco with tainted meat.

The news led to a variety of arrests and investigations throughout the European Union as to the source and labelling of the meat. Regarding the matter, MP Barry Gardiner was quoted as saying: “The extraordinary thing is that because of its clout, industry has been able to commit what appears to be a criminal offence – selling the public horsemeat falsely labelled as beef – and just say they are sorry and didn’t know.”

Scandals such as this, the BP oil spill, and recent revelations about VW raise serious questions about how to ensure companies operate above the law and in the public’s best interest.

With Halloween just around the corner and many households prepping for an inundation of trick or treaters.

This week is Dyslexia Awareness Week, and this year the British Dyslexia Association are attempting to help people ‘Make sense of Dyslexia’.

There are many different ways to define dyslexia, as it is a condition which has many different factors. It is a learning disability which affects a person’s ability to read, write and spell.

It is estimated that 1 in every 10 to 20 people in the UK have some form of dyslexia, with 1 in 4 of these having a diagnosed severe case.

Those with dyslexia often struggle at school, and it was difficult for those with the condition in the past, as it was often not diagnosed due to lack of understanding.

These days, a diagnosis is much easier to come by, however coping with the difficulties posed by dyslexia is a challenge that will affect those affected for the rest of their lives.

Below, we discuss four different ways of making your life easier if you are dyslexic.

Text to Speech

With modern advances in technology, people who are diagnosed with dyslexia now have more options available to them when writing and reading. Computers, smartphones and tablets all have the option to use a ‘text to speech’ feature, in which any text that is printed on screen can be narrated by the voice of the gadget. This allows users to hear anything that they want to read, without having to worry about having difficulty reading the words. Similarly, this can work in the opposite way, by allowing someone to narrate to a piece of technology, with the gadget converting this into a block of text. This saves a lot of time over commonly used methods such as recording a voice reading or having to struggle to read the words.

Coloured Overlays

Many people who are diagnosed with dyslexia struggle to see black text on a white background. As this is the most common colour combination for the written word, it can make life difficult when trying to read anything from a website to a menu. Luckily, there is a simple option to make their lives easier, through a piece of acetate! A coloured acetate overlay, essentially a transparent piece of coloured plastic, can be placed over any piece of text or screen to change the background colour to one that is easier to read from. With a different range of colours which can be combined to create a perfect background colour for each individual.

Divide Tasks

Often, when faced with a large amount of work, someone with dyslexia might feel overwhelmed or unable to complete the task at hand. A recommended method for this is to tackle the work in manageable chunks. Breaking down a task into ‘bite-size’ pieces allows you to work on different sections of work in an order that makes more sense to someone with dyslexia. This will make it easier to complete tasks in a structured way.

If you are interested in learning more about learning disabilities, why not take a look at our Special Educational Needs course?