Something Brand New

I've been busy again. Not writing blog posts, obviously - the name of the blog is still accurate - but building another side project. I've been trying to think of something that could be fun and useful, for myself and others, and came up with this.

It's called Brand New, and the idea is simple. It lists the books and albums that came out in the last week, and the ones due over the next three months, sorted by genre. That's it. It doesn't review anything, and it doesn't have opinions. I'll leave those for the blog.

Why another site?

I hate when you go to a web site, and immediately get bombarded with adverts and popups. It makes me not want to revisit the site.

As a result, I've decided that this blog won't carry adverts (even though the software behind the blog has the functionality to add advertising). There are no banner ads, no pop-ups and no cookie banner, and I'd like to keep it that way. However, it isn't completely free to run, and the cost will go up next year when the free database offer runs out.

Brand New is my way round that. It has Amazon affiliate links, and whatever it earns helps to keep this blog free of ads (although it's likely only to earn pennies for me, if anything at all). The blog stays as it is, and the site with the shopping and affiliate links lives next door, at its own address. I think that's fairer than putting adverts next to my posts.

I may have other ideas for sites, and they will follow the same model, keeping this blog advert free.

There's also a new Sites page here on the blog, in the menu at the top. It lists Brand New, and anything else I build, so you don't have to remember the addresses. It's a short list for now.

How to use it

Start on the home page and choose a genre, from either the books or the music section.

Each genre page is split in two. "Out this week" shows what came out in the last week (or the last two weeks, if a genre had a quiet week), and "Coming soon" lists what's due over the next three months, month by month. If something is due within the next week, there's a countdown. The lists are updated automatically once a day, usually in the morning, so I don't have to remember to update anything, which is just as well.

Every book has:

• an "on Amazon UK" button, with smaller Kindle and Audible buttons underneath;

• an "Other shops" button, for Waterstones, Bookshop.org, Foyles, Blackwell's and Hive, plus Kobo, Google Play Books and Spotify if you'd rather have the ebook or audiobook (similar site to this generally just give you the Amazon link);

• a "More on Google Books" link, if you want to read the blurb first (a few have "More on ISFDB" instead, for the Internet Speculative Fiction Database).

Albums have an "on Amazon UK" button too, but the second button is "Listen & buy". You can listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer or Bandcamp, or buy a copy from HMV, Rough Trade, Norman Records, Banquet Records or Resident. Until an album comes out, the streaming services may only have a single or two, or a pre-save, so for albums that are coming soon, the record shops are listed first.

If you can't decide, press "Surprise me" and it will pick something at random. On a genre page, it picks from that genre, including what's coming soon. Anywhere else, it picks from the last week's releases. If you don't fancy its choice, press "Try another". It's a good way to find something you'd never have gone looking for.

There's also a light and dark mode switch at the top, the same as on the blog.

About those Amazon links

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That's the official wording, and I have to include it.

In plain English, the "on Amazon UK" buttons and the Kindle and Audible buttons have a code added to the end, so Amazon knows you came from Brand New. If you then buy something, Amazon pays me a small commission. You don't pay a penny more: the price is exactly the same as if you'd gone to Amazon yourself. Amazon doesn't tell me who you are, either. I only see totals.

The other shops aren't affiliate links, and that includes the Amazon Music search links. The exceptions are the small trial links for Kindle Unlimited, Audible and Amazon Music Unlimited: if you sign up from one, Amazon pays me a fixed fee. I earn nothing from the shops, and none of them has paid to be listed. They're there because it's your choice where you buy, and I'd much rather you used your local bookshop or record shop than didn't buy anything at all.

Like the blog, Brand New has no adverts or cookies, and unlike the blog, it doesn't even count its visitors. If you'd like to support it directly, there's a Ko-fi button in the corner. I still can't promise the money will be spent on coffee.

What it won't do

A few things worth knowing before you use it:

• It isn't a price comparison site. It doesn't show prices, and it can't tell you who has something in stock.

• Every link opens a search on the shop's own site, Amazon included, rather than going straight to the item, so you might find other editions, or nothing at all.

• Release dates move, especially for books, and the lists come from public data that misses some releases. Check the date with the shop before you order.

The About page explains all of this in more detail, including where the data comes from, if you like that sort of thing.

Over to you

Have a look, and let me know what you think. Is there a genre missing that you'd like to see? Have you found anything good on it yet?

Reply to this post on Bluesky, and your reply will turn up in the comments below. Or leave a comment on LinkedIn.

And if you do buy something through it, thank you. You've just helped to keep the adverts off this blog.

Cover photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash.