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"Jodie Kidd suddenly held a previously latent appeal for me. Unfortunately, the appeal only lasted thirty seconds..."

Updated 11/09/2007

Reading between the lines

by Jacqueline Alexander

Last week, if you had asked me what the word pertinacious meant, I would have hazarded a guess and then grabbed my handy thesaurus to confirm a few approximate equivalents; determined, unyielding, persistent, tenacious and many more besides. But, this week, I have found a much better way of capturing the essence of the definition to ensure you will be under no illusions of what it takes to be pertinacious.

Meet Preethi Nair. Preethi had a dream. She wanted to be an author. In fact, she was an author but no one would publish her book so she set about resolving the situation herself. Hers is a fascinating story of self-belief and resourcefulness but mostly Preethi is the living embodiment of the word pertinacious.

Keeping my thesaurus nearby turned out to be a good idea as the next author I chose to take a peek at is somewhat blessed in the verbal department.

Meet Will Self, novelist, satirist and columnist. Will has the vocabulary of a hyperactive lexicographer. Listening to his views and opinions on what it means to be male in the 21st century is interesting and somewhat thought provoking but you would be well advised to be in the company of your local etymologist when you watch. Believe me, it will save time on manically flicking back and forth through the pages of your dictionary.

Somewhat tired after my 10 minute workout in wordsmithery, Jodie Kidd suddenly held a previously latent appeal for me. Unfortunately, thirty seconds was all it took for my newfound curiosity to be sated as Jodie, who was one of the first to 'benefit' from the famous for being famous trend within celebrity TV, explained that her recent autobiography would make me 'cry and stuff'.

Peethi Nair, Will Self and Jodie Kidd are just three of the many authors featured in the web site aiming to giving you an insight into books from the author's perspective. The brainchild of a former BBC Oxford journalist, David Freeman, Meettheauthor.com has built up a library of interviews with some of our most celebrated authors and many who may well be celebrated in the future.

The premise is simple; each author is given a 45-60 second 'Bookbite' slot to explain the theory behind their latest creation. The author speaks straight to camera and tells you why you should buy their book. In some cases, this is an ill-advised move but it is often the questionable examples that are the most entertaining - even if it means we are suffering from an acute case of schadenfreude, however fleeting.

Although these 'Bookbites' are an excellent idea and serve to allow us a quick look at the person behind the name of the front cover, it is the interviews that make really interesting viewing. David Freeman has been busy speaking to the likes of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Stephen Berkoff, Sophie Kinsella and J J Connolly of Layer Cake fame. In fact, the interview with Mr Connolly took place before the cinematic success of the book and gives an insight into the thoughts and feelings of a writer anticipating his first sweet taste of success.

Further investigation of the Author's Lounge reveals some fascinating insights from Clive James, the Australian writer, poet, essayist, critic, and commentator on popular culture. Clive, speaking in 2001, predicts a time where people not amused by television's embracement of celebrity-reality, will depart to niche programmes broadcast over the internet. Coined 'narrowcasting' in contrast to its television's counterpart, broadcasting, Mr James goes on to explain that, at its best, this new approach will embrace the values of the BBC's former Director-General, Lord Reith; inform, educate and entertain. Unfortunately, he also mentioned that there would be very little money to be made until the audience made that transition so it would be up to a few highly motivated believers in the virtue of narrowcasting to pave the way. It's interesting viewing in itself and goes some way to showing any aspiring narrowcasters how it could be done.

Meetheauthor.com does not stop at profiling and promoting published authors. A click through to the Marketplace and you will find a site dedicated to the unpublished and the, as yet, unknown.

I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this part of the site but you are invited to pitch your ideas to publishers, discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing and exchange hints and tips on writing, nurturing ideas and making the transition from having a book inside you to having it on the shelves of W H Smith.

Not all the writers of the future have a modern day 'Pride and Prejudice' in mind. One of the many struggling to understand why she can't find a publisher has put her heart and soul into writing a guide titled, 'How to write slogan tiebreakers for consumer competitions'. It does not bode well.

You are given access to the advice of experts in the publishing industry as well as writers who have struggled to be heard in what seems to be a formidably tough world. Included in the list of experts is a certain Preethi Nair and judging by her appearance in the Author's Lounge, I would say it is advice worth listening to. Getting your precious words published is not for the feint-hearted but that is not a description that comes to mind as you watch the pertinacious Ms Nair, now a successful author of four books.

Whether you are a best-selling novelist-in-waiting or a library ticket holder, Meettheauthor.com is a site worth viewing. Some of the interviews were filmed back in 2000/2001 but, as Martin Bell explains, books, unlike many television programmes are timeless and, it seems, so is talking about them.

Jacqueline Alexander presents Web Watch every Tuesday at 5.45pm on BBC Radio Berkshire on 104.1FM, 104.4FM, 95.4FM, 94.6FM and DAB Digital Radio. To listen in, just visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire.

What is Web Watch?

Web Watch is broadcast on BBC Radio Berkshire, published in the Henley and South Oxon Standard and published online right here at web-watch.info.

As a cross-media project, Web Watch is designed to help you find the best sites here on the Internet.

You can catch Web Watch on air every Tuesday at 5.45pm when Jacqueline Alexander sits down with Phil Kennedy during the Drivetime show on BBC Radio Berkshire to chew the virtual fat.