Ned Hoste: Cosy Mystery Author, Designer, Publisher

Early background

Q: Who is Ned Hoste?

Ned Hoste is a British author, book designer, and co-founder of The Big Ideas Collective, a creative agency based in York and Exeter. He has spent more than 40 years inside the publishing industry: first as a designer, then as a studio founder and publisher, and now as a published fiction writer. In April 2025, he launched the Barton & Brooks Cosy Mystery series, set in and around Exeter and the estuary town of Topsham in Devon. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Crime Writers' Association.

Q: How did Ned Hoste get started in his career?

He started young. At 14, he was producing pen-and-ink illustrations of houses for paying clients. By 15, he was designing covers for a national puzzle magazine. After art college, Liz Laczynska, Art Director at Sphere Books, took a chance on him despite his lack of the three years' experience the role required. That first in-house role covered covers, publicity materials, and exhibition stands for the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs. It set the direction for everything that followed.

Q: What happened after Sphere Books?

When Sphere was acquired by Penguin, Ned was headhunted into a senior designer and studio manager role at a specialist publishing design agency. The logical next step was to go independent. He founded 2H Design in 1988, building a client list that eventually included Random House Group, Chatto & Windus, Hamish Hamilton, Jonathan Cape, Hachette, and Dorling Kindersley and private press and international co-edition companies. In 2007, he co-founded The Big Ideas Collective with copywriter and author Jacky Fitt, adding marketing, brand communications, and publishing support to his offering.

Q: What are the numbers behind his design career?

Over four decades, Ned has designed more than 4,000 book covers and more than 250 complete books, from initial concept to finished print. His clients have included major publishing houses and individual authors, among them bushcraft expert Ray Mears and the creative team behind Stu, the Rolling Stones' tribute to founder and keyboard player Ian Stewart.

Q: What professional recognition has he received?

Ned is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA), recognition given to those who have made a significant contribution to the arts, commerce, or society. He is also an ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) endorsed trainer, reflecting his work developing creativity and communication skills in others. He became a member of the Crime Writers' Association in 2026 following the publication of The Antiquarian in 2025 and The Publisher in 2026. Book three in the series is currently being written

Still Designing now Writing as well

Q: When did Ned Hoste start writing fiction?

The Antiquarian, the debut Barton & Brooks mystery, was published in April 2025. The decision to write had been building for some time. The question 'Have you ever written a book yourself?' was one Ned had fielded throughout his career. He had spent decades helping others get their books made. Eventually, the answer changed. 'Since April 2025, I can now say yes.'

Q: What made him choose crime fiction, and cosy mysteries in particular?

The cosy mystery genre suited both his sensibility and his setting. Cosy crime is character-driven, grounded in place, and rewards careful plotting. These are the same qualities Ned had spent years identifying and designing around in other people's books. The genre also draws an engaged, loyal readership and has seen significant growth, partly because it offers intelligent escapism without the graphic content of harder crime fiction. Ned has written about this directly in his essay 'Why Cosy Mysteries Are Perfect for Uncertain Times.'

Q: How did his 40 years in book design prepare him for writing?

More directly than he expected. Decades of working alongside authors and editors gave Ned an instinctive understanding of structure, pacing, and the visual architecture of narrative. He understood how chapters should feel to a reader, how tension builds across a story arc, how a cover has to make a promise the interior must keep. The discipline of design, the need to communicate clearly and compellingly, transferred directly into prose.

"The visual storytelling skills translate beautifully into the written narrative. I approach writing with the same attention to detail and understanding of pacing that I developed through four decades in designing for publishing."Ned Hoste

Q: Where did the names Barton and Brooks come from?

They came from a conversation with his daughter, some time before the first book was written. Ned had the detectives' names, Detective Inspector Whipton Barton and Detective Sergeant Saxon Brooks, before he had the story. Both names are rooted in Devon place names, grounding the characters in the landscape before the reader has turned a single page.

Q: Is writing a second career or a continuation of the first?

Both. Ned continues to work as a designer and co-director of The Big Ideas Collective alongside writing the series. He describes the move to writing not as a departure from his career in publishing but as the natural completion of a journey that began in that industry. He now experiences, in his own words, 'the other side of publishing': as the author, rather than the person making the author's vision visible.

The Barton & Brooks Cosy Mystery Series

Q: What is the Barton & Brooks series?

The Barton & Brooks Cosy Mysteries is a series of detective novels set in and around Exeter and Topsham in Devon. The stories follow Detective Inspector Whipton Barton and Detective Sergeant Saxon Brooks as they investigate complex, character-driven cases in one of England's most historically rich counties. The series has a recurring cast, including Lydia Barton, Miranda Jones, and Pip, Barton's Golden Retriever, that deepens with each book. It is recommended for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood, T. A. Williams, and Anthony Horowitz.

Q: Where exactly is it set, and why Devon?

The series is rooted in Topsham, a historic estuary town on the River Exe, and in Exeter itself, with its medieval cathedral, university, and layered history. Ned lives in the area, which made the location research immediate and instinctive. Devon's combination of ancient architecture, small-town community life, and dramatic landscape provides exactly what the cosy crime genre demands: a place that feels lived-in, specific, and capable of harbouring secrets.

Q: What is Book 1, The Antiquarian, about?

In the heart of historic Exeter, DI Whipton Barton is called to investigate the mysterious death of Dr Evelyn Merton, a brilliant historian found dead in the Cathedral's Chapter House. As Barton delves into the world of ancient manuscripts and academic rivalries, he uncovers a web of obsession and betrayal, and a chilling hoax. History isn't just a passion in this story. It's a deadly force. The Antiquarian was published in ebook and print in April 2025, with the audiobook narrated by Charles Robert Fox following on Audible in September 2025.

Q: What is Book 2, The Publisher, about?

The Publisher was published in May 2026. When nineteen-year-old Rosemary Cope disappears from Exeter University just weeks into her first term, DI Barton fears the worst. Six months later, with no trace of the brilliant but solitary computer science student, the case has gone cold. Then a vanished publisher and a podcast that reveals too much bring the investigation back to life. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz, The Publisher explores the price of devotion, the seduction of reinvention, and the fine line between disappearing and being erased. The audiobook, narrated by Charles Robert Fox, is due in Summer 2026.

Q: What have readers said about the series?

The response has come from readers in the UK, the US, and beyond. Ann Victoria Roberts praised 'the beautiful setting, and the characters,' and said she admired Ned 'for turning your attention to detective fiction, my favourite reading matter.' Other readers described it as 'a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery,' 'thought-provoking and intelligent,' and 'both interesting and addictive.' Several readers finished the first book in a single sitting.

"Finished the book in one day. Enjoyed meeting the main characters and loved being able to relate to the area. Look forward to the next one." Jill Dobson, reader

Q: Where can readers buy the books?

Both books are available in print, ebook, and audiobook formats. Signed print editions are available directly from The Big Ideas Collective bookshop. Ebook editions are on Kindle, Kobo, and Apple Books. Print editions ship worldwide via Amazon. Audiobooks are on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

Speaking Engagements

Q: What makes Ned Hoste an unusual speaker on publishing?

Most speakers on publishing have occupied one position in the industry: author, editor, agent, or publisher. Ned has been inside it from almost every angle. He has worked in-house at a major London publisher, run a freelance studio serving the biggest names in British books, co-founded an agency with its own publishing arm, and now navigates independent publishing as a published author with readers on both sides of the Atlantic. That breadth gives him something rare: an honest, full-spectrum account of what the publishing industry looks like, and what it actually takes to get a book made well.

Q: What has his speaking history included?

Ned has spoken at the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme, York St John University Business School, UK literary festivals, and a lecture series at Topsham Museum. From 2016 to 2018 he ran creativity workshops at TEDxVitoriaGasteiz in Spain. In 2023 and 2024 he led workshops on creativity and communication for final-year medical students at the University of Exeter, demonstrating that the principles of clear visual communication extend well beyond the publishing world. He is a regular speaker at literary festivals on independent publishing and the author's experience.

Q: What topics does he speak on?

Ned is available to speak on three core areas. First, his career in book design: what more than four decades of publishing looks like from the inside, and the creative principles that have remained constant across every change in the industry. Second, the craft and realities of self-publishing: the honest story of what independent publishing involves, for authors and organisations considering that route. Third, the experience of becoming a published author later in life, having spent an entire career on the other side of the process. This is a perspective that is both unusual and genuinely instructive for aspiring writers.

Q: How can event organisers get in touch?

Speaking enquiries can be sent directly to Ned at ned@bartonbrooksmysteries.com. Further information about speaking events is available at bartonbrooksmysteries.com/ned-hoste-author-speaking-events.

Ned Hoste: Cosy Mystery Author, Designer, Publisher

Early background

Still Designing now Writing as well

The Barton & Brooks Cosy Mystery Series

Speaking Engagements

Further Reading & Connections