Amanda Ross
Amanda Ross is Joint Managing Director of Cactus TV, a production company she founded with her husband Simon in 1994. Its current productions enable Amanda to indulge in her passion for books, with recent programmes including The TV Book Club. Amanda has recently become an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust. In her interview she tells us more about her work and her views on literacy.
You have been rated as the most influential person in publishing. What first drove you to produce TV show about books? What do you think has been the main reason for their appeal?
I am very flattered by the title, but it is very strange, as publishing is not my profession! Books and reading are a passion for me and I wanted to encourage as many people as possible to get the reading habit. At the most basic level reading is essential for people to be able to play a full part in society, it’s a key to unlock the world, but it’s also a passport to pleasure. Reading is the most fun you can have on your own. I think that the appeal of our TV shows is that they provide proper independent recommendations, that people can rely on. There are too many new books published, book shops and libraries can have an overwhelming choice, so people need help to pick out books they’ll enjoy from something they can trust. They know we have trawled through all the new books published to find the best in each genre for them so they don’t waste their time or their money.
You’ve been a voracious reader from a young age. From the many books you have read would you be able to pick a favourite?
I don’t have a favourite book, I have many, and they change according to my moods. Growing up I used to have “crushes” on authors. With the classics, if I read a book I liked by a particular author I would then read everything they’d written: I read all of Jane Austen’s works after reading Emma, Great Expectations lead to a Dickens phase, and Tess of the D’Urbervilles made me read most of Hardy. I’m pretty eclectic in my taste. I loved the Philip Pullman trilogy, and cried at the end, having to leave that world. A recent favourite has been David Nicholls' One Day. I wholeheartedly recommend all the books I’ve selected for any of our book clubs. I chose to give away Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell for World Book Night’s million book give away as it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.
In the Times last year you offered your top tips for what makes a good book. Do you harbour any ambitions to write a book yourself?
I have read so many brilliant original books, and having said there are too many books published, I don’t think I should try to write a book unless I have an amazing idea, or think of a completely original voice, which is unlikely!
As a parent, what do you feel is your role in supporting your children’s literacy?
It’s my responsibility to help my children to read and enjoy it as a pastime as early as possible, so they can fully take part in life and be completely aware of the worlds around them. I constantly remind my four-year-old son of all the reasons he needs to be able to read, and all the amazing things he’ll be able to do by himself once he can read to spur him on, like driving, travelling or even cooking.
How do you think schools and parents can work together to better support children’s development?
Parents and teachers need a dialogue to understand where the individual children are with their reading. My son’s school sends home a log which we have to fill in commenting on what we’ve read with our children and how we think they are doing. They have also suggested games to make learning letters fun. We need to be able to support what the teachers are trying to teach at home. Reading is all about practice and familiarity. We need to help the teachers to help the children unlock the reading code. Parents need to lead by example, if our children see us enjoying reading and understand how we use reading in our everyday lives they will be keener to get to grips with it at school.
You attended our recent event with HRH the Duchess of Cornwall, to celebrate National Story Week. What impact do you feel stories have on our lives?
Stories can have an amazing impact if we allow them to, but sadly not everyone realises the pleasure a good book can give. Television and film are important mediums for today’s storytellers.
One in six people struggle with basic literacy; in your opinion, is enough being done to promote and develop literacy skills?
No! It is still too hard for people to admit they have any reading difficulties, or find out where to go to get help. People need to be made more comfortable about asking for help with reading. More needs to be done to communicate with children of school age about the reasons they need to learn to read and the value they can get from reading every day. After all, the younger you are the easier it is to learn.
What would you like to think will make the most difference to raising literacy skills?
Better teaching and communication in schools from the earliest age, making reading the foundation of school life. Schools need to tackle literacy before children move on to anything else or they won’t be able to properly take part in any other classes and will become alienated from any other lessons.
There is a lot in the news about library cuts at the moment. What do you think is the future for libraries?
Unfortunately it is bleak, because there is no central library policy and councils are free to make cuts where they see fit to meet their tight budgets. Libraries are easy targets.
