What’s your most Awkward Situation? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us using hashtag #awkward before the end of today to win one of 20 copies of Danny Wallace’s new book, More Awkward Situations for Men.

We have 24 pairs of tickets to give away for a double-bill event at the iTunes festival on Sunday 18th July, from 6pm. Discover Confidence in a Minute with iTunes bestselling author, TV presenter and NLP master practitioner Tony Wrighton. Tony will share several easy techniques, all of which can be done in under a minute, which can help you to instantly feel more confident and set you on the track to achieving what you want. As Tony puts it, he’s not a ‘sharp-suited guru’ - he’s very down to earth and his aim is to empower people with the techniques to gain confidence quickly, with incredible results! One of the intriguing things about the book is how the techniques Tony has developed harness the technology we surround ourselves with – your PC, email, blackberry, iphone, mobile etc…

So if you feel more anxious than assertive, come along to an audience with Tony Wrighton then take your newly empowered self to an event with Stephen Fry. Sound like a good deal?!

To enter the competition, email kcollins@eburypublishing.co.uk with Tony Wrighton Tickets in the subject line, plus their address and contact number in the email. If you have won, someone will be in touch with you next Thursday.

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Thursday 1st July saw the launch of head teacher and behavioural expert Charlie Taylor’s second book, Divas & Door Slammers. The balmy Kensington garden was full of enthusiastic friends and relatives debating how we can make (and maintain) better relationships with the teenagers in our lives.

Charlie Taylor’s approach to teenagers is unique. While they crave independence, Charlie points out that teenagers actually need to know that there are times when it’s ok to be children. This doesn’t mean we need to keep them under curfew, but it’s important to give them the support and boundaries they need to feel secure and to develop confidently. Divas & Door Slammers explains how teenagers’ lives are ruled by FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out – and how you can communicate more effectively with your teen by remembering the ‘three Ts’: Tone, Timing and Text. Charlie is a great advocate of praise; we should be aiming for around 6 moments of praise to every moment of criticism.

Having worked in inner city comprehensives and specialised in working with children with behavioural difficulties, Charlie has lots of sound advice for parents, families, or anyone else who has a tricky teenager in their lives. If you’d like a free copy of Charlie’s book, please email: jrowley@eburypublishing.co.uk. The first 20 people to e-mail in with their name and address will get a copy (and don’t worry - you won’t be signed up to any future marketing lists).

Find out more about Divas & Door Slammers

Jenny - Publicity Officer

The World Cup kicks off this weekend and since the 1974 tournament our BBC commentary has been delivered, for the most part, by the iconic John Motson. Having commentated on 6 World Cup finals and countless group games, no one is better placed to share some of the best, and worst, moments of World Cup history. And to celebrate the publication of his autobiography, Motty, in paperback we have 5 signed copies to give away.

What are you favourite World Cup memories?

Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick against Brazil in 1982 – without doubt this second-round group game between Brazil and Italy is one of the finest I have ever seen. Returning after a suspension for match-fixing allegations, Rossi had made an inauspicious start to the tournament. The game was played in the compact Sarria Stadium, now a car park, but it was then home to Espagnol. Had it been in the vast Nou Camp across the city, I don’t think the drama and intimacy of the occasion would have left quite such a legacy. As I took my seat in the stadium next to Bobby Charlton, who was my co-commentator, our BBC colleague John Rowlinson bounded up the steps. ‘The Italian journalists are all saying this could be Rossi’s renaissance,’ he said. Was it not!

From an England perspective, some of my favourite memories involve David Beckham – his injury-time free-kick against Greece which sent us to the 2002 finals and his penalty to give England victory against Argentina in Sapporo.
Still iconic moments, but less fond from England’s persepctive were Ronaldinho’s free kick in 2002. That goal created quite a storm in the BBC studio afterwards. Ian Wright and I thought Ronaldinho had meant to shoot, while Gary Lineker and Alan Hansen insisted it was a freak. Then also the penalties in 1990 in Turin, when Gazza cried, and also in 2006 – who could have believed that both Gerrard and Lampard would miss in the same sequence.

In your book you state that you feel England has previously failed to win the World Cup as the players didn’t necessarily have the mental toughness. Do you think this has changed under Capello?

There is no doubt Capello has really toughened the players up. He isn’t as easy going as McLaren or Eriksson, which was reflected in his decisive actions in the Terry saga, and this has given the team much more determination.
If you could pick one game to take to the grave with you, which would it be and why?

It would be England’s 5 -1 victory over Germany, simply because it was just so unexpected. The Owen hattrick. Sven Goran Eriksson in his first few months in the job. Germany, our ultimate opponents. Even now I look back at that game and it’s something you never saw coming.

Finally, who will win the World Cup? And how well will England do?

I would like to think England will make it to the semis. But then the problem is that I see them playing Brazil when they get there. As for the other side of the draw, I think that it will be a semi between Argentina and Spain. The Argentines have got a really terrific squad this year – Ossie Ardiles has said to me that he thinks it is the best since he played. Though they do have one major hurdle - an absolute lunatic as a manager. So this is the only time in World Cup history when the players will actually be managing the manager, not vice-versa. If they can do that, l I think they will go all the way.

If you would like win one of 5 signed copies of Motty share your favourite World Cup memory in the comments below. First 5 replies will win.

John Motson will be in the BBC studios in South Africa giving his views on the World Cup, or you can follow him on Twitter @worldcupmotty

Caroline - Deputy Publicity Director

This month has seen the return of the massively popular Atkins diet. Since its US release in 1972 the Atkins diet has been a weight loss phenomenon and we published an updated version, New Atkins for a New You, earlier in March – with the book hitting the top of the bestseller lists on its debut week and riding high ever since. A streamlined version of the classic diet it is simpler, more versatile and more sustainable than ever before. For the first time the programme contains more vegetables, can be adapted to suit the needs of vegetarians and vegans, includes small quantities of caffeine and also makes the transition from one stage to the next smoother. So you no longer have to think about eating steak, butter and cheese all day, but can incorporate most of the foods you love.

Now we want to hear from you about what you think about the diet. Are you a veteran Atkins fan – and do you have a brilliant weight-loss story to share? Or does the new Atkins sound tempting to help get you in shape for the summer? If so, we have 10 copies of the new book to send out if you would be willing to try out the diet and let us know how it worked for you.

To win a copy, tell us why you want to try the New Atkins diet in the comments section below before May 3rd, and we’ll choose our 10 favourites to win a copy.

Caroline - Deputy Publicity Director

The Manifesto is not so much a vision of the future as a slightly disturbed stare of inappropriate length into the navels of Mark Thomas’s audience. It is the result of touring the country for the best part of a year, collecting people’s ideas to make the world a better place, then discussing them and voting to select a policy from each show. Every policy published in The People’s Manifesto is there by dint of having undergone this process.

In a perfect world these policies would appear in a mainstream party political manifesto but there is little likelihood of that as traditionally radical common sense has been the kiss of death to any politicians career.

Now, however, Mark Thomas and Ebury Press are offering the chance for one reader to take up the gauntlet laid down by the book, offering one reader the chance to stand for Parliament in the next general election and run a campaign based on the ethos and ideals of The People’s Manifesto.

Yes you will have to submit a web form, yes you will have to outline where you want to stand and why. And yes, you will have to outline what policies are your priorities and your campaign plans. But if you are selected you will be given £500 to pay for your deposit and £500 campaign expenses.

Previously independents have stood for election under the premise that they had nothing to lose but their deposit, now at least for one person the deposit is covered. Go on have a go. Visit the website to find out how.

www.thepeoplesmanifesto.co.uk

Last week our wonderful I Never Knew That… series sold its half millionth copy. Championed by Sarah Kennedy on her BBC Radio 2 show, the series began in April 2005 with the publication of I Never Knew That About England. It has expanded to eight titles with companion books on Scotland, Wales, Ireland and London, as well as the English, Irish and Scottish and, most recently, I Never Knew That About Britain: The Quiz Book.

Researched and compiled by Christopher Winn, each book is beautifully illustrated with line drawings by his wife, Mai Osawa. A professional quiz-setter, the idea for the I Never Knew That… series emerged when Christopher was travelling around the country looking at country house venues to host a play he was working on, Ancestral Voices. Christopher’s first car was a Morris Minor which frequently overheated, and any journey had to be on country roads so that he could stop from time to time to let the car cool down, giving him plenty of opportunity to investigate the fascinating stories of towns and villages along the way. For instance, I bet You Never Knew That…

• British stamps are the only ones in the world not to include the country of origin
• The traffic cone was first produced in Edinburgh
• Llanwrytd Wells, home to the World Bog Snorkelling Championships, is also the smallest town in Britain, with a population of just 700
• Lincoln Cathedral was the first building in the world to be constructed taller than the Great Pyramid

To celebrate this landmark sale, we have 5 copies of I Never Knew That About England and I Never Knew That About Britain: The Quiz Book to give away. Just answer this question, taken from one of Christopher’s books, in the comments:

- Apart from the City of London, what is the smallest city in England?

Caroline - Deputy Publicity Director

Last year, my New Year’s resolution was simple and achievable: go to Hong Kong to visit my friend. In April 2009, I headed out to the “Pearl of the Orient”, explored the city, marvelled at the night skyline and stocked up on cheap specs in Guangzhou.

This year, it’s a bit more complicated. This is the last year of my 20s and I have decided that it is pretty poor showing that I still cannot drive. I did take my test twice when I was 17, but failed both times. The first time was in the Bronx, in a class of 20. Two people passed. One was a friend who wore a very short skirt to the test that day. The following summer she almost killed me twice in her car. But I was not bitter, I swear. The second time I drove to the test site out in the sticks. I got up to 65 miles an hour for the first time ever, having learnt in Manhattan where the speed limit is 35 (and traffic usually means you don’t go faster than 10). When I got out to the depths of Brooklyn, I forgot to drive slowly, missed a yield sign and failed in under 5 minutes.

I kind of gave up after that.

But now I am older, wiser, more mature. Well, older, anyway. I’ve applied for my provisional license and begged, borrowed and stolen money for the classes. I have ordered my theory test stuff and my ‘Hazard Perception DVD’ (which, funnily enough, I used to sell and provide tech support for when I worked at a call centre in Norwich, yet have never actually seen in real life). I am determined that 2010 will be the year that I learn how to drive.

What are your New Year resolutions? We are running the same competition as last year. If you let us know your resolution, our favourite (UK based person who doesn’t work for us and posts before the 15th) will get three books to help them on their way. We’ll also be recommending books for everyone who comments, so make sure you let us know what your plans are!

Katie - Digital Marketing Executive

In the spirit of all things cheerful, Random House Audio ran a competition to offer copies of Good Times! by cheeky chappie Justin Lee Collins on CD. All entrants had to do was tell us one of their Good Times. Below are the winning entries. They made us giggle, groan and gag in the case of one cat’s ear-wax exploits, but above all they reminded us that it’s the little things that mean the most.

So thanks to Justin, out favourite fuzzy Bristolian- whose brilliant book is now riding high in the iTunes chart. Good Times!

The winning entrants were:

Being 46 and asked if I was 21 in Florida to buy a drink. I felt wonderful and not a frumpy mum of 3. Thank you Florida!!!!
Andrea Tinkler

I always smile to myself when I remember how many years it was before my daughter twigged that I was fibbing when I had told her as a toddler that hamsters came from Hamsterdam.
Melanie Crossan

A night out that was unplanned, and ended up at a small bar with jukebox, fab friends a few drinks and a very improtu karaoke session!
Carrie Hobbs

My good times are going to Legoland with my daughter, getting soaked and eating birthday cake.
Joanna Henley

One of my good times is when I was only 5 yrs old, and was given a toy monkey for my Birthday. I love that monkey, I still have it today at the age of 43. His name is Henry and has been through all my good times with me.
Sherie Buck

It sounds sad, but going to a Bucks Fizz concert last Friday. They were my heroes when they won the Eurovision when I was 10, and to see them re-formed and enjoying themselves, and the atmosphere at the concert made me smile for a full 90 minutes!
Lisa Stewart

When my son was small he asked for a black marker. He was completely trustworthy when drawing so I gave him a black permanent marker. A couple of minutes later he came back and said Look, Mummy, Batman. His arms, legs and face were coloured in.
Hazel Rea

My first job as a student working in a bakery, starting at midnight. It was hard gruelling work but the camaraderie of the people I worked with was immense. I often remember the great fun we had.
Kevin Wellings

My cat eating the earwax off of my little finger. He goes wild!
Helen Pope

Last night I had got in from work, all the housework was done, tea was merrily bubbling away and all the dogs were asleep. I had the chance to just sit back, relax and read a book. Ahhhh, good times!
Helen Waite

 Jenni -  Audio Editorial Assistant

We have had jokes pouring in for over a month in our Man Walks into a Joke competition, and we have finally chosen our favourite. Alastair Gillespie was our winner with (drum roll please!), ‘What do you call an unemployed goat? Billy Idol’

Ba boom ching!

Alastair wins a great selection of Ebury humour books so make sure you look out for our next competition as next time, you could be a winner too!!

Have a look at all of our jokes on the Man Walks into a Joke website and if you think you’re funnier than Alastair, submit your own joke here.

Vickie -Marketing Executive