Blog | Ian Sutherland

Wattpad and the Unpublished Author Hell-Bent on Being Published – Part 1

For the unpublished author truly serious about publishing their first novel (the category I fall into at the time of writing this), is posting some or all of your yet-to-be-published work on Wattpad a good idea? And what are the downsides?

5 Ways Computer Hackers Remain Anonymous

The hacker characters in my cybercrime thriller Invasion of Privacy are incredibly secretive of their real world identities. This is because they are engaging in illegal activities online or actions that would put their life at risk. One has set up an illegal money spinning website that hacks IP webcams in private homes and broadcasts the […]

The Indie Author’s Second Responsibility to Their Readers

The first responsibility any author has to their readers is obvious: write and publish a great book. That means it should be well written and if you’re an indie author it should be professionally packaged (i.e. good cover, compelling blurb and have been through a proper copy-edit). The second responsibility an indie author has to […]

Lessons Indie Authors Can Learn From Single-Estate Winemakers

I just bought a bottle of wine solely based on its label. According to old guard wine connoisseurs I’ve just committed a major faux pas.

3 reasons why Stornoway is currently a focal point for UK crime fiction

Has Stornoway – most famous as the town displayed at the top of the BBC weather map (usually covered in clouds) and the capital of the islands of the Outer Hebrides just off the west coast of Scotland — suddenly become a focal point for the crime fiction genre? And either way, why the hell […]

Is Ethical Hacking Actually Ethical or even Legal?

There are three main generally accepted categories of hacker, each represented by a hat of a different colour: white, grey and black. All of them exploit weaknesses in computer systems and networks. The differences between them are their motivations. The most infamous are the black hat hackers, computer criminals epitomised by Hollywood, whose malicious activities serve their […]

On Writing the Dreaded Second Novel – An Interview

An interview with Ian Sutherland on writing Taking Up Serpents, his second thriller novel and how he overcame ‘second novel syndrome’.

Cover Reveal for Taking Up Serpents

I’m excited to reveal the new cover for Taking Up Serpents, which will be published in October. What do you think of the cover?

Announcing the Second Brody Taylor Thriller

18 months since the release of Social Engineer and Invasion of Privacy, I am delighted to reveal the title and jacket description of the third Brody Taylor thriller!

Book Covers: Redesigning to Fish in a Bigger Pond

A case study showing the redesign of two crime thriller book covers to make them far more appealing to a much wider audience.

Sunday Express Newspaper Mentions Ian Sutherland

In April, I attended London Book Fair for the second time. The first was two years ago before I’d finished writing my debut novel. While there, I was briefly interviewed by Nick Rippington, a journalist and soon-to-publish indie author. The story he wrote as a result has just been published in the Sunday Express, a UK national newspaper. In it, he charts the rise of ebooks and indie publishing and their effect on the London Book Fair and the publishing industry in general.