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I am a publishing expert specialising in independent publishing, author positioning and the business of books. With three decades of experience, I provide clear, practical insight into how publishing works today, from strategy and credibility to AI adoption and market shifts. I work closely with authors and businesses and am a trusted commentator on the realities behind the publishing industry.

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Taryn Lee Johnston

FCM Publishing and veteran city chairman and non-executive director, Simon Laffin, today unveil ’Behind Closed Doors. The Boardroom: How to get in, get on and make a difference’ a no-holds-barred manifesto for better boards, to be released in paperback and ebook on 2 September.&nbsp; This summer’s white paper on corporate governance and the media criticism of Morrisons’ handling of its takeover bids reveal a very focused spotlight on decisions made behind closed boardroom doors, and an inexorable focus on the individuals behind those doors. In his controversial new book Simon Laffin argues that this pressure is a good thing; but needs to be based on a broad understanding of how boards make decisions and how they work;&nbsp; “The way the outside world, and indeed shareholders, measure board performance has changed, but the way we recruit, train and educate boards hasn’t. Board directors need to have greater awareness of their roles and responsibilities to become braver and more outspoken on behalf of all stakeholders. We need to nurture and develop boardroom talent, not regulate it into submission. Current moves to increase regulation, such as the white paper on governance, won’t improve board performance. There is no hiding place anymore, so boards must reform themselves. “’Behind Closed Doors’ throws open the boardroom to help all directors with practical advice for better boards and better decisions, and enables people from wider backgrounds with less board experience to get much of the knowledge and tools needed to become directors. High performing boards are key to our economic recovery, and this book champions this.” Simon Laffin has been a director of both public and private companies for the last 30 years, as well as working in private equity with CVC. He is currently a non-executive director at Watkin Jones and Japanese global media group, Dentsu. He has chaired Assura, Flybe and Hozelock groups, as well as being a non-executive director at Northern Rock (as part of the rescue team post the 2007 run), Aegis, Quintain, and Mitchells &amp; Butlers. Prior to this he was Finance &amp; Property Director at Safeway.&nbsp; This book incorporates his extensive and lively boardroom experience including both successful and abortive bids for companies, take-overs going wrong, recovering from a bank run, being summarily nationalised, multiple equity raises and an IPO, private equity approaches, boardroom fights, shareholder disputes, competition inquiries, boardroom departures and even bedroom arrivals. It takes the reader through the whole board director life cycle; from talking to head-hunters, being appointed, attending the first meetings, understanding financials and risk management, serving on all the committees, developing relationships, becoming a chair, recruiting new and diverse directors, and finally to timing their departure from the board.&nbsp; &nbsp;<blockquote>Roland Rudd, Chairman of Finsbury Glover Herring&nbsp;“Simon brings his formidable experience to bear in this must-read for anyone interested in how boardrooms have worked and how they should work”.&nbsp;Bob Cowell, Co-founder Makinson Cowell:&nbsp;“Simon has certainly blown the Boardroom door wide open with a book that combines great storytelling with unique perspectives on key protocols that make for an effective Board. This is not some theoretical treatise written by an academic or management consultant, but a book full of practical advice from someone with many years of listed company experience and scars to prove it.”&nbsp;Dr Maria Z Kempinska MBE, founder of Jongleurs: “I never thought I would pick up a business book at 6.30am and be so engrossed that I would not be able to put it down. But Behind Closed Doors is the book every woman and everyone in business must read.”&nbsp;</blockquote>FCM Publishing: Taryn Johnston;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 07737143330Author: Simon Laffin;&nbsp;&nbsp; 07831 750579Note to editors<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/newspage.com-staging/company/800/images/79f7369e28b22efb48d89b724bf7b34dd2439e9ced866b8f07379484f57e41edeec98cc2d1336a42c8621ae04f3fa53484761430d2688de9dff80962a5249b8b.jpeg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/newspage.com-staging/company/800/images/2dbf4c7d78ec5f60876837947ab0435cd33fdfc55da3dfe3199141fea24d930ad09993392bc6d92fa1adef9c58e784a6a51a0b52346e083b962cb72181292828.jpeg"></figure>Simon Laffin is a non-executive director at Dentsu Group Inc (a Japanese-based global media company) and Watkin Jones (a UK-listed residential property developer). Previously he was Chairman of Assura plc, Flybe Group plc and Hozelock Group, as well as a non-executive director at Aegis Group, Quintain Estates, Mitchells and Butlers and Northern Rock (as part of the rescue team). He has also worked in private equity with CVC Capital Partners. Before this, he was Finance and Property Director of Safeway plc.&nbsp;FCM Publishing is an independent publisher specialising in business and other non-fiction books.

City veteran calls for board reform from within

Ray Star is a Fantasy author from Essex with a passion for animal rights and eco-living. Earthlings was conceived from a love for animals and the environment and inspired by her father, whose passing was a catalyst in leading a greener lifestyle. Ray’s dream is to one day open an animal sanctuary and wildlife reserve in memory of her father.&nbsp; Earthlings, a twisting tale of elemental magick and a broken ecosystem, is Ray’s debut novel and the first book in the Earthlings trilogy. On coming up with the concept for the book Ray said&nbsp; "The concept for Earthlings came to me when I was at lunch with my mum one day, we were seated next to a fish tank, watching the fish swim around whilst we waited for our food to arrive, and it occurred to me that these fish would continue to swim in tiny circles until the day that death found them, and this overwhelmed me with sadness. Then, my dinner turned up a moment later, creamed cod on a bed of mash and greens, and I realised the hypocrisy in my emotions.&nbsp; I looked around the room at my fellow diners enjoying their meals and the cogs began turning, I turned to Mum quite out of the blue and told her I was going to write a book about animals that could talk, and the next day, that’s precisely what I started to do." The book covers a range of topics from growing up different, learning how to be who you are and seeing the roles reversed, with humanity enslaved by animals for food and agriculture. Led by a psychotic chicken named Alan.&nbsp; Ray has promised to plant a tree for every book sold and says: "So far, I’ve planted 1101 trees to cover the copies that sold when I briefly self-published last year, along with the promotional copies sent out for the re-launch. I would absolutely love to plant 1 million trees, but I’d need to sell a minimum of 998,899 copies of Earthlings to make this a reality… a rather arduous task but I’m up for the challenge!" Ray recently launched the #READGREEN campaign, petitioning Amazon to make the switch to sustainable printing on recycled paper. On this she says: "Imagine the difference it would make to our planet, if the millions of trees due to be felled for our love of books, were saved by a simple signature instead.&nbsp; It is our duty, for every book we’ve ever bought, borrowed, written or read, to stop taking from mother nature and start giving back to her."Earthlings is launched on Thursday 12th August by Chronos Publishing.<figure class="image"><img src="https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/newspage.com-staging/company/800/images/f445d570d4106d7d5040d93253691d3eb55adf1dc029016980356c2ce99720a61c1ea31767c3cb7f87f03e562da0350a7ba86f39602877d6763fae4ec0b79f61.jpeg"><figcaption>Earthlings by Ray Stay - Available from all good bookstores and online</figcaption></figure><blockquote>“From the tiny ant to the human or elephant, we are all Earthlings.” – Phoenix, chapter 12, Earthlings, The Beginning</blockquote>

The realities of speciesism – reversed

Eating Disorder Campaigner vows to fight school weighing. Zoe knows only too well the effect weighing in school has on children. Having been party to this herself and been told she was overweight, this led to an increase in bullying at an already, brutal time in her life. From this moment on Zoe was tormented with comments such as “Can you hear that? Sounds like an elephant is coming” from class mates and other such cruel jibes. As a result Zoe lost all sense of self value which led to a traumatising relationship and a fourteen year battle with Atypical Anorexia. In her latest book Inside My Ed Zoe talks frankly about the school bullying that led to her unhealthy relationship with food. On the subject of weighing primary school children Zoe says “Weighing children in school will do more harm than good. It may encourage teasing which is already happening and push children into engaging into disordered eating habits, which will lead to a rise in eating disorders. Being weighed in school can be damaging, there are different factors that contribute to a child’s weight and body size, that are out of the child's control.” Zoe now campaigns for better awareness of eating disorders, having been told she was “too fat to have an eating disorder” due to the outdated and dangerous BMI calculator. Recently MPs have been calling for this to be removed from GPs, something Zoe wholeheartedly agrees with. There has been a 50% CAMHS increase in the number of reported eating disorders, and Zoe is hugely concerned that weighing in schools will only contribute to the growing number of children with an eating disorder. In her opinion it is not about scales but about ensuring that children learn to have a healthy and educated interest in food. On education Zoe says “Teaching children about nutrition and what our bodies need is vital, teaching them the importance of all food groups and not demonising certain foods. Bring cooking back into the classrooms using affordable produce, getting children excited about cooking together. Also making active before and after school clubs accessible and free for all. If we ensure that children are taught that health can not be measured by an outdated BMI chart, true health means so much more, encouraging body image workshops to be taught in schools would be far more beneficial and would encourage children to have a healthy relationship with their bodies.&nbsp; Also those in poverty need support, food bank usage and struggling families have risen dramatically, school dinner budgets have been cut leading many families having to rely on quick meals as both parents are working full time. We need to do more to support everyone from all backgrounds to have access to affordable produce and time to cook as a family.&nbsp; Weighing children from September cannot be allowed to happen, it is not mandatory and parents need to be aware that they can opt out of having their children weighed. If you have any concerns about your child’s eating it is important to get medical help and advice. Zoe’s book Inside My Ed is out now and available from all good book stores &nbsp;<blockquote>Body shaming children will only increase childhood eating disorders, not fix obesity.</blockquote>

Fat Shaming In Schools Must Not Be Allowed to Happen

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Media coverage of Taryn Lee Johnston