Search

Sign up for my Newsletter

You are here: Home » Writing

Writing

Words

can

change

attitudes

faster

than

any

political

campaign

My nine books have between them been translated into 15 languages and sell worldwide. I write on enterprise, experience and about life itself. I am delighted that ‘The Life Plan' is fast gaining popularity in the US, home of the self help genre, where it is titled ‘The Life Guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About Everything That Matters'.

August 2009 saw the UK launch of 'How to Start Your Own Business for Entrepreneurs'. This book forms part of an exciting new series published by Prentice Hall. It really is the definitive guide to starting a business today, when it is vital to get it right first time.

This year will see the publication of two new books.

I am also a regular contributor to a number of publications. These include New Start - a magazine that covers social enterprise and regeneration, Third Sector - which is widely read in the charity world, Social Enterprise and Start Your Business - a leading business start-up title.

Policymakers and those seeking to influence them often commission me to write papers that present research findings and sometimes quite dull facts in ways that will grab attention. Too often, the statistics are well known and it needs a fresh approach to stimulate debate and action. A good example is this paper written for PRIME, which presents the need for policy change in a new, urgent context.

If you would like me to present your written arguments more persuasively, please contact me.

Although enterprise is my subject, my inquisitive nature has led to some unusual writing assignments.

I was commissioned by The Independent to write a feature about Gunther von Hagens and Bodyworlds. This involved visiting the factory which turns donated corpses into teaching aids and artworks. I also wrote a balanced piece about a traveller who had been slated on BBC Watchdog for buying residential parks and terrorising the residents into leaving so that he could redevelop their homes. This one earned me some reader ‘hate mail'! There is a positive side to every story and sometimes, it needs to be written.

Bibliography:

‘Achieving Business Alchemy’ - Hodder & Stoughton, Aug 2002

‘Copywriting in a Week’ - Hodder & Stoughton, Nov 2003

‘How to Sell’ – Hamlyn, Aug 2004

‘The Entrepreneur’s Book of Checklists’ - Prentice Hall, Oct 2004

‘The Life Plan’ - Prentice Hall, Nov 2006

‘Teach Yourself – Life at 50 for Men’, Hodder & Stoughton, Jan 2007

‘The Entrepreneur’s Book of Checklists 2^nd Ed’ - Prentice Hall, Aug 2007

‘I Know Someone Like That’ - Turnpike Farm, Oct 2008 (Foreword by Stephen Fry)

‘Instant Entrepreneur’ Prentice Hall, Dec 2008

'How to Start Your Own Business' Prentice Hall, July 2009

Two new books are anticipated to be published in 2010.

The Life Plan is published in the US as The Life Guide - (with amendments for a US audience)

Here are a few readers' comments:

"A good reference guide that deals with most of life's (YOUR) daily problems, like parents,relationships,stress, and all the way into retirement. This book just takes your common sense approach of dealing with problems and puts it into written text.. Common sense is not something they give PhD’s for, so some people need to read it to believe it."

"Easy to get through in an evening - there is nothing earthshaking here... Just a good compilation of common sense suggestions. Mr. Ashton is never overpowering with his advice - just persuasive. His topics for advice run the gamut from how to define personal success to setting goals as you get older."

"I keep this book on my coffee table and it's been a great way for me and my honey to start discussion about our life and things that matter to us individually. There are many lists of ten for 13 different topics in life (success, time, change, health, stress, work, leisure, relationships, children, parents, home, & retirement"

"Ashton's guide is perfect for the sound byte generation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book of lists. All kinds of fundamental advice necessary for the young person. I'm giving my copy to my daughter, and she'll love it. (Just starting University as I type!) It never hurts to read about things that matter in life, regardless of age, but this book is absolutely geared to the younger market"

You can read more reviews from the US on Amazon here

buy signed copies of my books here.

read some reviews here.

check out my Amazon reviews and ratings here.

See me below talking about my book 'The Life Plan' live on Canadian TV