POP

POP PROFILE: JACK NOEL

Hello, folks, and welcome to January's POP Profile! This month, Jack Noel from Walker Books spared a few minutes to give us a wee insight into the life of a designer. Thanks, Jack!

 

How did you get into children's book publishing?
I was working as a freelance designer/illustrator doing occasional quite cool bits like album covers but mostly less-cool bits like corporate identity stuff. To work in children's books was my dream.
One day I wrote to my bestest two publishers - Walker Books and Nosy Crow - and asked if I could come and meet someone to talk design. Nothing happened. I'm not really sure what I expected. But then, about six months later, a junior position came up in the Fiction department at Walker. I applied and somehow ended up getting the job. I'm not entirely sure how. I was lucky.

How would you spend a typical day at work?
Each day is different, but not wildly so. Generally it's a mixed bag of the following:
emails
coffee
team catch-up
develop new cover ideas
meet illustrators
meet authors
custard creams
talk to editors
meeting
lunch
tea
emails
work on interiors
twitter
artworking
attend photoshoots
emails

What top two things do you love about your job?
1. Working in a team with talented designers and editors who all care about kids books etc. a lot
2. Ping pong Fridays

Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?
There has been a run of famous comedians writing for children of late. This is not a bad thing because famous comedians are cleverer and funnier than your average famous person, or at least that's the idea. Each one gets paired with an illustrator and is given a design that is thought to befit their comedy stylings. So David Walliams gets Tony Ross. Russell Brand gets Chris Riddell. David Baddiel gets Jim Field. I'd like to see Daniel Kitson have a go. He'd need someone obtuse and bearded to do his pictures, like himself.

Have you ever seen a book and thought "I wish I'd published that"?
I feel compelled to say Zoella, for the $$$. But my bestest books are the Mr Gum series, so I guess those really.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?
For both illustrators and designers, I'd say the same thing: make your folio as focused, as consistent and as relevant as possible. This will make it easier for people to imagine you working for them, and everyone likes it when things are easier.

Describe yourself in five words
Quiet
Mumbly
Good at computers

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Pop Profile: Rachel Mann

Futurebook 2014

POP PROFILE: RACHEL MANN

This month's POP Profile is the lovely Rachel Mann, Fiction Editor at Simon & Schuster. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Rachel!

 

How did you get into children’s book publishing?

Well, I beat my friend Jess (sorry, Jessie) to the school work-experience placement at Ottakars, which then became Waterstones. I worked there part-time, specialising in children’s, until I went off to university. At that point my lovely then-boss, Gary Deane, suggested that I might like to think about publishing as a career (thank you, Gary) and put me in touch with some lovely people at Puffin.

I did a few work experience placements with the brilliant Puffin fiction team, going in to read manuscripts for consecutive summers, and immediately knew that I wanted to be finding and shaping stories as a career. It’s still true that publishing is about contacts, but you can build them yourself – I stayed in touch with some of the people I met at Penguin and was, later, lucky enough to get a job as editorial assistant for Puffin Fiction, where I stayed for two years.

My very first job in publishing was actually as a PA and team assistant for a great print and digital start-up called Medikidz – and I’d recommend that anyone looking for a job in the industry considers an entry role in a very small house. It was a really valuable insight into the whole process, and totally exhilarating to be part of a new and innovative enterprise.

 

How would you spend a typical day at work?

The great thing about editorial is that you really are part of the whole publishing process, so my days are pretty varied. Usually, I’ll spend ten minutes every morning catching up with industry news, and checking my authors’ social media feeds to see what they’re up to! We’re a small and tight-knit team at S&S, so when we get to our desks we’ll usually catch up about the manuscripts we’re all reading, too.

Then it can be anything from attending a covers meeting, writing jacket copy, catching up with an agent or author about the status of a publication, or brainstorming campaign ideas with the marketing and publicity team.

The day will usually involve some actual editing too – either a session of structural or line editing, or compiling proofreads and copy edits ready to send to production. It’s email-heavy, like lots of jobs, but I also get lots of opportunities to speak passionately about the projects I’m working on, and help to get them into the hands of young readers.

 

What top two things do you love about your job?

I think most editors would agree that there’s a certain buzz that hits when you’re reading a really special submission. It doesn’t happen as often as you might think, but when it does, it’s the most exciting thing. I love being able to pitch passionately for a book that I think readers will love, and help direct it through to publication.

It’s also a total privilege to be working in such a creative and fun environment. I truly believe that reading changes lives, and I’m very lucky to work in an industry that I so believe in, but which is also great fun.

 

Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?

In terms of submissions, I’m always envious of/looking for strong contemporary humour. Comedy is fascinating because it evolves so quickly – just look at what Lena Dunham has done for young women, on the adult side, when you consider that Sex and the City was considered cutting-edge until relatively recently.

I also love seeing a real spectrum of characters – culturally, sexually and mentally ‘diverse’ – that are woven into narratives without being denormalised. The world is funny; the world is diverse. Any text that manages to get this across naturally and easily, preferably both at the same time, is winning.

 

Have you ever seen a book and thought I wish I’d published that?

I think each publisher brings such a unique slant and package to a manuscript, that it’s almost impossible to see finished books in that way. There are always, of course, books that have gone to auction that you’re disappointed not to have won, but generally I think it’s important to look at the things you’ve done well in-house.

If that’s too diplomatic an answer, I’ll add Harry Potter. Because when do you ever get to go to a theme park based on a story you’ve helped to create?! Wow.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?

Read. It’s so obvious, but so important. Know the area of the market that you want to work in, and read everything you can get your hands on. Context is everything – once you’re in, you’ve got to be able to spot something fresh whilst helping readers find it based on the things they already know. If there’s a genre you particularly love, seek a job with an imprint that publishes that genre. Passion will get you a long way, and market knowledge will give you the edge. There’s no point applying for a job with a cookery imprint for the sake of it, if you really covet a role in sci-fi.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to an author and/or illustrator looking to get published, what would it be?

Keep at it. I’ve worked with authors who’ve had 100 rejection letters before they’ve even got an agent, and then gone on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. The more you write, the better you get. I’d also say that the majority of the rejection letters I send are not as a result of a lack of talent, but because it’s not quite the right time for that particular subject or treatment. Your agent (get one of those!) will help you with this, but hone, resubmit, and resubmit again.

 

Describe yourself in five words

Optimistic, meticulous, idealistic, driven, forward-looking. 

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Futurebook 2014

HATS OFF TO STEVE ANTONY

This week, I'm very happy to welcome Steve Antony to POP!

Earlier this year, Steve's debut picture book, The Queen's Hat, was published amid a flurry of wonderful reviews. Betty Goes Bananas followed hot on its heals, and 2015 will see the publication of Steve's third picture book, Please, Mr Panda. With all these books, it's a wonder he had the time to be interviewed (but luckily for me he did)!

 

Thanks so much for letting me interview you, Steve! Your debut picture book, The Queen’s Hat, was a great success and also nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. How did it feel for your first book to be so well received?

When I saw my book for the first time in a shop, Foyles, I didn't have that fuzzy, dreamy, out-of-this-world feeling I thought I'd have. I think I was too tired to jump up and down, and a bit self-conscious, too. My friends were probably expecting me to fly around the store or explode into stars or cry or something. Later that day I returned to the shop on my own and just looked at my book on the shelf. I felt proud. All the hard work was worth it.

Then came the reviews. My brother called me at 8am the morning after the book's publication date. Without saying hello or anything, he said "You're in the Sun!" A week or so later I had a text from my publisher on a Sunday that said, "Go and buy the Times x." It seemed that almost every other day for about three weeks the book was getting good reviews.

It is very cool to see my Big Ben illustration and The Queen's Hat bunting in shop windows. Every now and then I get a tweet or a text with a Queen's Hat window display. I've put a few of them on my website.

When I heard the news of the Kate Greenaway nomination, I jumped up and down like a kid on Christmas. What an absolute honour!

 

You were signed up by a publisher very soon after graduating from Anglia Ruskin University. Can you tell us a bit about your journey to become a children’s author-illustrator?

In a nutshell, I graduated with a HND in Illustration from Swindon College, worked in a call centre for nine years, got made redundant, applied for a place on the Anglia Ruskin MA Children's Book Illustration course in Cambridge, used my redundancy package to pay the course costs, signed to my agent while on the course, graduated in 2013 from Anglia, and then I was contacted by several publishers that had seen my work in my class's graduation show at Foyles in London. I signed with Hodder Children's for The Queen's Hat, Please, Mr Panda and several more books, and I signed with Oxford University Press for Betty Goes Bananas. More recently, I left a part-time support role at Swindon College in order to work full-time as an author-illustrator.

Applying for the MA course was a big leap of faith. I had no Plan B. For years and years I had tried and failed time and time again. I've had countless rejections and several false starts, too.

I’ve always wanted to be an author-illustrator. It's that simple. Even if I hadn't been made redundan,, I'd still be drawing, writing and sending submissions to publishers, while holding down a day job.

 

You’re represented by Elizabeth Roy. What drew you to working with her in particular?

I was introduced to Elizabeth by my MA tutor, Pam Smy, while at the Bologna Book Fair in 2012. Pam's also represented by Elizabeth. I'm a huge fan of Pam's work and I really like the work of the other authors Elizabeth represents. I showed her The Queen's Hat and a few of my other picture book dummies in Bologna. There was a good vibe to our conversations. I later arranged to meet her in Cambridge, and things naturally progressed from there.

 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Conversations. Yesterday I heard a guy say something to another guy. It gave me this amazing idea for a story. But I didn't write it down and totally forgot it.

Newspaper articles. The Queen's Hat was inspired by a newspaper article about the Queen holding on to her hat on a windy day.

Not thinking too much. When I'm totally relaxed and not stressed or tweeting, an idea can just pop into my head.

Talking with arty friends. I get inspiration from talking with my arty friends about life and stuff. I sometimes get inspiration from talking to my non-arty friends, too.

 

Do you find it easy to retain your distinctive style in the world of children’s books?

I've found a medium and a process that I'm confident with, and I've found my voice through many trials and errors. The best way I can describe how I've developed my style is by explaining the three most important parts to my creative process.

Drawing things. I have to really know what I'm drawing. I have to watch it move and sit still and move again. My final illustrations may not look like observational drawings, but that's how most of them start. It's like knowing how to bake a cake. You can't just chunk a bunch of random ingredients in a bowl. Once you know how to do something with confidence, like bake a cake, or ride a skateboard, or draw a panda, you then have the confidence to bake a different kind of cake, try new skateboard tricks, or turn a panda into an extra-ordinary picture book character.

Then there's the colour. The dreaded colour. I'm red-green colourblind, so colour used to be my greatest enemy. But not anymore.  I use grey soft pencils and graphite sticks for every illustration, and I use Photoshop to convert my drawings into colour. The process is simple, but sometimes laborious. I draw a picture several times until I'm happy with it. I decide upon the colours. I'm very picky about colours. The colours have to be right and purposeful just like everything else in the book. I then deconstruct my drawing so I can convert it into coloured layers by using the mask tool in Photoshop. It's a bit like screen printing but without the mess.

And finally, there's the character or concept. Who is this character? What kinds of marks will bring this character to life. Bold, black lines? Slightly softer edges? What's the purpose of this story? How can I emphasise the point with my illustrations?

Its a completely organic process. I just go with the flow and hope for the best. I don’t just think, "Hmmm. What style shall I use?" and then think of a style.

 

Which part of the book-making process is your favourite?

Brainstorming ideas and suddenly having that moment. That lightbulb moment when an idea strikes like a bolt of lightening. I wish I could bottle it. It happens once every few months. It happened with The Queen's Hat, Please Mr Panda and Betty Goes Bananas and the other books I've got lined up for publication over the next two years. It can be triggered by something I've seen or heard. Sometimes it comes from nowhere.

 

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

There is not enough diversity in picture books. Yes, there are lots out there, and some brilliant ones too. But I think there’s still not enough.

 

What advice would you give to illustrators looking to crack into the children’s book industry?

Find your voice. Find your market. Get prepared. Get a website. But don't leave your day job. Things will happen if you put yourself in situations where things happen, so long as you're prepared and not afraid to talk to strangers. Prepare for success, and let failures fuel your fire. Write a best seller, and only leave your day job if you can afford to.

 

And, lastly, please describe yourself in five words

Imaginative. Adventurous. Hardworking. Loyal. OK.

 

 

 

ELLA OKSTAD: DEFINITELY NOT ALLERGIC TO IMAGINARY CATS (PHEW!)

Today on POP we're talking cats. Or, rather, imaginary cats, because I'm interviewing Ella Okstad, the extremely talented illustrator of the Squishy McFluff series.

 

 

Thank you for letting me interview you, Ella, and welcome to POP! First off, could you tell us a bit about how you got into illustration?

Thank you so much for having me!

I have always had a pencil at hand, for as long as I can remember. I knew from an early age that I would have a creative occupation. After college, I studied 2 years of graphic design in Norway. My work was always very illustrative, so I decided to go abroad to do further studies. I came to the UK in 1996 and took a foundation year and a BA in illustration at the Kent Institute of Art and Design, in Maidstone. I haven’t regretted it!

 

You’re represented by the Organisation. What drew you to that particular illustration agency?

The lovely people at the Org approached me at my degree show in London when I graduated from the Kent Institute in 2000. I have been with them since then. Wow, it`s actually been 14 years now! They really do have tons of experience and a lot of contacts in the market.

 

Where do you get your inspiration from?

As I draw a lot of kids in different settings, a great source of inspiration is observing my three boys and their friends. They are now 6, 8 and 13. These days I also draw a lot of cats (invisible and visible ones). As we don’t actually have one living in our house (I’m slightly allergic), I love watching the neighborhood cats (from a small distance). Cats are great!

Then there are of course books! When I need to go into town to do the occasional shopping, I always end up in the bookshops with my nose in a picture book. I almost forget the socks, and the groceries I went out to buy. I sometimes buy a new book or two for my already over-packed bookshelf. My kids love them too! There are so many great ones out there!

You have worked on books for a range of ages. Is there a type of book you enjoy illustrating the most?

I like working with all ranges of children’s books, but I do enjoy working with picture books. I love the fact that I can play around with the lines and the colors across the pages. The text and the images are allowed to interact with each other in a special way.

 

Which part of the book-making process is your favourite?

There are several parts of the process that I like. I enjoy reading through the text. Images start to appear in my head from the first sentence. Then there is the process of finding the characters with my pencil on a blank piece of paper. I often need to erase or start over, and when I feel frustration creeping along, I take a coffee break. When I get back it is easier to find them. I love it when they suddenly pop out. The last, finishing touch is also really satisfying. And of course having the finished book in my hands. Lastly, I love having feedback from kids reading it and enjoying the illustrations!

 

If you could meet any authors or illustrators, alive or dead, who would they be?

There are quite a few I would love to have a chat and a cup of coffee with. Here’s a selection: I enjoy the shapes and colors in the work of Czech illustrator Kvĕta Pacovská. I once had the pleasure of attending one of her lectures. I adore the work of Tove Jansson, I love reading the stories of Roald Dahl with the hilarious work of Quentin Blake, it’s fantastic to watch the universe of Hayao Myasaki and Studio Ghibli, be enchanted with the figures of Marc Boutavant, enjoy the landscapes and peculiarity of Shaun Tan’s work.

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

I think its fantastic! I went to the Bologna Book Fair last year for the first time and was overwhelmed. There are so many brilliant authors and illustrators with a wide range of different styles around the globe. The picture book market is a really exiting place to be at the moment.

 

What advice would you give to illustrators looking to crack into the children’s book industry?

It is a jungle out there, but don’t be afraid! Take a deep breath. Go in there and hold on to your personal style and be true to what you love. Find an agent. They are good guides. Make stories, make illustrations. Wave your flag and be visible! Show work through your website, blog and social media. Create a network of fellow illustrators and people in publishing. Twitter is a good place to be. I’ve just joined by the way! Lastly, have patience, because things may take some time.

 

And, for my last question, please describe yourself in five words

Curiously creative with kind spirit.

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Victoria Turnbull: Making Waves

VICTORIA TURNBULL: MAKING WAVES

I may be in Germany right now, but it's business as usual here on POP and today I'm more than a little bit pleased to share an interview with the lovely Victoria Turnbull, author-illustrator of The Sea Tiger.

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for me, Victoria! First off, I wanted to ask you about winning the Association of Illustrators New Talent Award for Picture Books in 2013 – was this key to raising your profile?

I think it certainly helped generate some interest in my work. To be honest, it was just lovely to win something! I’d only recently finished my MA, so I was talking to publishers for the first time and dealing with the inevitable rejection that this entails. It gave me hope!

 

Your road to publication is unique - is it true that you wrote and illustrated The Sea Tiger as part of your MA? It must have felt amazing when Templar commissioned it?

Yes, The Sea Tiger was the final project of my MA. The course was a brilliantly creative environment, and one I feel very lucky to have been a part of.

It was at my graduation show that Mike Jolley from Templar approached me. It took a few months from then, but I was over the moon when Templar commissioned it. They produce such beautiful books, I was delighted to work with them.

 

Your artwork is beautifully atmospheric. Which techniques do you use to achieve this look?

Thank you. I really want my artwork to capture the imaginary worlds my characters inhabit. And to begin with, I found it very frustrating because my painting skills, watercolour and so on, were not really up to the job! Searching for a suitable technique made me experiment much more and opened me up to different possibilities.

In the end, I developed my own way of working for The Sea Tiger - whereby I printed my pencil drawings out onto watercolour paper and coloured them with a combination of pastel, coloured pencil and linseed oil.

 

 

What do you enjoy most about the book-making process?

I think it’s the opportunity to tell a story that I find so fascinating, stories that are important and personal to me. Trying to convey emotion and meaning with every word and every image is an incredibly difficult process. And by the end of that process, you wonder if you should have done things differently. But it’s wonderful when people understand and relate to the story I’m trying to tell.

 

If you could meet any authors or illustrators, alive or dead, who would they be?

Maurice Sendak. He was such an influential figure and he really pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in picture books. Sadly I won’t get to meet him now but happily I have lots of his books.

 

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

I think there are some really exciting artists working in picture books at the moment, both here and in other countries. But I worry not enough of these books get into the hands of your average consumer. The UK market is dominated by a small number of well-established authors and titles.

 

If you could change one thing in the world of picture books, what would it be?

I’d love to see some of the assumptions about what is suitable for children being challenged, both in terms of the illustration and the subject matter. I think publishers at the moment are too risk averse.

 

Describe yourself in five words

Quiet

Curious

Clumsy

Determined

Quirky

 

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POP DIGITAL: FOX & SHEEP

When it comes to digital developments in the children's book/eBook/app market, there is so much to play for. And so much to learn! I mean, the goalposts are changing all the time. As part of POP Digital, I've started to chat to people involved in bringing quality digital products to the children's market and, first up, it's Fox & Sheep, who worked with author-illustrator Chris Haughton to create his very first app, Hat Monkey.

 

 

Welcome to POP! First off, could you tell us a bit about how Fox & Sheep started out?

Fox & Sheep started in 2012 and was founded by Moritz and myself. We each have two little kids and we figured that small kids would no longer use a mouse or keyboard but intuitively use smartphones and tablets for playing and learning. In 2012, there were very few really great apps out there, therefore we decided to found Fox & Sheep. Today, we develop and publish kids' apps worldwide. We work closely with book authors and illustrators worldwide to bring to life the best apps for kids out there, and help parents guide their children through the digital world.

Children’s apps have become hugely popular, but, initially, there seemed to be a level of caution when it came to allowing children access to smart phones, tablets and apps. What do you think has changed?

Parents don't want to make mistakes, and so they are cautious with new things. That's why apps needed a while to become a part of family life. Today parents see that apps provide the opportunity to learn and play creatively and interactively on digital devices, and that children can make their first digital steps in a safe environment.

There is a common misconception that creating apps is easy, but of course it’s not! What sort of challenges can you face?

It is indeed not easy. Because for kids apps, the product is everything, marketing is nothing. That means you have to create a great app with unique graphics, an intuitive design and without too many explanations and text. An app is either great and it goes up in the rankings or it's not and nobody will see it.

How has technology changed over the past few years, and how has this impacted what you do?

As we launch our apps on iOS first, we are always impacted by new iPhones or iPads with different screen sizes or new features. Also, software updates like iOS8 have an impact on our business, as we adjust each app to the new features. With iOS8 we have the possibility of showing videos in the App Store, which is of course a huge help for parents looking to learn more about the app before they buy it. Also, the other app stores like Google Play, Windows or Amazon play a role in our development roadmap.

Is there a particular style of artwork that you feel works especially well for apps?

Our most successful apps are Nighty Night, Little Builders and Petting Zoo. All 3 have a very different style of artwork. The artwork is definitely key for the success of an app, but there is not one particular style that works especially well - it is more important that the app has a clear concept and an intuitive design that kids can easily grasp.

What are your top three tips for someone looking to create an app?

Have a great idea for an app, find a great developer and illustrator (if you are neither) and look for the financing before you start.

It always takes longer and is more work than you think from the idea to the launch in the App Store. And if you have problems with either of the three tips, contact us :) 

Can you tell us about some of the projects you’ve been working on recently?

Our latest app launch was Hat Monkey, an app we launched together with the famous children’s book author-illustrator, Chris Haughton. Chris came up with the idea, concept and graphics of Hat Monkey, and we developed the app and published it on the App Store in 12 languages. The app we are currently working on is the sequel to our bestseller Nighty Nigh and will be called Nighty Night Circus. It will launch in November this year.

Describe Fox & Sheep in five words

Creative, innovative, fast, witty and child-friendly.

 

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POP PROFILE: KATE DAVIES

 

How did you get into children’s book publishing?

I first realised I wanted to work in publishing when I was sixteen – I was lucky enough to get a two-week work experience placement at Penguin after my GCSEs. When I was at university I realised that I still preferred reading children’s books for pleasure, so in the summer of my second year I did another two weeks’ work experience, this time at Puffin, and I just adored it. When I graduated I applied to every single publishing job going – in rights, in editorial, in publicity, in children’s and adults, in London and in New York (a girl can dream). I got a few interviews but never managed to get a job. I can remember just weeping and weeping after being told I hadn’t got a publicity job I really wanted . . . I was working as a temp at the Home Office and was desperate to leave. But then I spotted an ad for an Editorial Assistant job at Usborne Publishing. I had to write a book plan and the first three chapters of a book about the Olympics to get the job, and luckily I pulled it off. I spent four and a half years there, mostly writing children’s non-fiction (Usborne is quite unusual for a publishing company in that most of their books are written in-house). Then I worked as a non-fiction editor at Scholastic for a year before moving to Walker.

 

How would you spend a typical day at work?

I work on a wide variety of books, which is quite unusual in publishing, but I think it’s one of the best things about my job. I edit fiction, picture books, non-fiction and pop-up books, and I get to write books, too, which I love.

I always start the day by checking my emails, in case anything urgent has come up. Then I might have a meeting with an illustrator to go through the roughs for a pop-up book, or with an author, to discuss a young fiction book. After that I might write the text for a picture book or pop-up book, or read through some proofs EXTREMELY SLOWLY to check that no typos have slipped through. I often get in touch with our colleagues at Candlewick Press in the States to tell them about a new project we’re developing, or scour the internet looking for inspiration for new books.

 

What top two things do you love about your job?

Getting to be creative – brainstorming plots, coming up with new ideas and approaching people I think could write brilliant books for kids. And working with incredible writers and illustrators.

 

Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?

Stories-wise, I just look for things that are brilliantly written, from an author with a strong voice. It’s always exciting to read something genuinely funny, or gripping, or moving. Some of my favourite illustrators are already published by Walker – I like beautiful, contemporary, witty illustrators like Jon Klassen and Vivian Schwartz, and I love artists like Emily Sutton and Mark Hearld who appeal to both adults and children.

 

Have you ever seen a book and thought I wish I’d published that?

Loads of them: the Mr Gum books, the His Dark Materials trilogy, the Mog books . . . before I worked in publishing I picked up a copy of Michael Rosen’s Sad Book in Waterstones and burst into tears. I still cry every time I read it. To me the marriage of text and illustrations is just stunning - it’s a perfect picture book. And James Dawson's new book - This Book is Gay – I know it’s going to be brilliant. Amazing, amazing cover.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?

Try and get a work experience placement – though I realise that might be easier said than done. You could apply directly to publishers, but you could also try getting in touch with editors or designers on Twitter. Publishing people are friendly and often want to give people a chance, so it’s worth a shot.

 

If you could give one piece of advice to an author and/or illustrator looking to get published, what would it be?

Try to get as good as possible at writing/illustrating before you try to get published. Writing is HARD. Illustrating is HARD. Do courses, read loads, do your research, and then just practise for ages. And then, when you think you’re ready, try to find an agent. (Get a copy of the Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, try to find out who represents writers/illustrators you admire, follow them on Twitter and find out what they’re looking for!)

 

Describe yourself in five words

Creative, friendly, optimistic, enthusiastic, excitable.

 

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Rob Biddulph: From Harper Lee to Harpercollins

ROB BIDDULPH: FROM HARPER LEE TO HARPERCOLLINS

I am so pleased to welcome Rob Biddulph, author-illustrator of Blown Away, to POP this afternoon! Rob's beautiful illustrations are endearingly wonderful, and his first picture book, published by HarperCollins, is surely a bestseller in the making. Rob spared a few minutes to answer my questions, which is some feat considering how busy he is! Thank you, Rob!

 

 

First off, I have to ask what it was like to work for Just Seventeen! (Do you get asked this question by most women?!)

Ha! Yes, it does come up occasionally! Well, I absolutely loved my time there. It was my first job after college and I couldn't have started my career at a better place. It actually turned out to be a real hotbed of editorial talent. Lots of Just Seventeen staffers have gone on to have stellar careers across all facets of the media and I still have lots of friends from those days.  

Just Seventeen readers were great too. They were so into it. For them it was almost a tribal thing - either you were a Just Seventeen girl or you weren't. There was no middle ground. My friend Marc and I used to write the letters page (not to be confused with the problem page!) and so had a lot of direct communication with them. They were really clever, sparky and, above all, funny. We even used to get a bit of fan mail, so they obviously had great taste too! 

Personal Just Seventeen highlights include sitting awkwardly opposite a pre-fame Westlife while they loudly serenaded us in the office, and playing as a one-man football team against nineties boy-band 5ive. They were so terrible I actually beat them on my own! 

Another highlight was meeting my wife (she was the editor). Actually, I should probably have mentioned that one first.  

 

Ha! Let's assume you saved the best for last! You've actually worked for so many well-known magazines. How has this mixture of experience contributed to your unique artwork style?

The magazine and newspaper world is a very creative environment. Every day you are surrounded by talented, clever people who have all risen to the top in their chosen field. You can't help but be inspired by them. Also, the fact that I'm in charge of the art desk means that sometimes I can commission myself! I've illustrated for every mag I've ever worked on and as such have had to learn how to tailor my style to suit an audience. I guess being adaptable has come in pretty handy during the development of my children's book stuff. 

Having said that, there's no short-cut to finding your own style. It's only really through lots of drawing and redrawing that you can ever get close to something that you're happy with. Even then I never quite seem to get there. And I'm not sure I ever will because my tastes are constantly shifting. If I'm lucky enough to still be making picture books in ten years time I bet they'll look quite different to the ones I'm making now. 

You currently work for the Observer, and have a family of three. How do you manage to be an author-illustrator as well?

It's tricky. I'm at the Observer five days a week, so any book work has to happen either in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed or at the weekend. It's fair to say that there have been a few late nights! I do think you have to be quite driven to stick with it. I was lucky enough to get lots of encouragement from agents and publishers fairly early on, so I've always believed that getting a book published was something that was achievable. Still, there were times when it was harder to keep the faith. It can be a very slow process.

The sheer workload involved can be hard on the family, but I have to say that my wife Ally has been amazing. She's always been so supportive and encouraging. There's definitely no way that I could have done it without her. The kids have been brilliant too. They don't hold back with any criticism - a very useful part of the development process, if a touch painful at times!

Similarly, my editor at the Observer Magazine has been great. He's a published author himself and has experience of 'the journey'. So he's totally fine with it when I have to disappear off to HarperCollins HQ at a moment's notice. It would have been much harder had he not been so understanding.

 

Blown Away, your first picture book, was published at the end of August. How does it feel to be a children’s book author-illustrator?

Well it's all still very new, but so far it's been amazing! The first time I held a finished copy of the book in my hands was almost like an out-of-body experience, as was the first time I saw it in a shop window. When you've been working towards something for so long and then it finally happens you can't quite believe that it's real. 

I had to sign 550 copies at HarperCollins HQ a few weeks ago. Now that was odd! About halfway through I totally forgot how to write my name. I also got one of those exam lumps on my middle finger.

The very nicest thing about this whole experience, however, is getting feedback from children. It's so nice when they ask me questions about the story. It means they've really engaged with it.

  

What do you enjoy most about the book-making process?

I genuinely enjoy all aspects, but if I had to choose one it would be the final artworking. I love being in my studio, music turned up loud, fresh coffee brewing, the rest of the world shut outside while I just sit there and draw. It's lovely. By that point any creases in the story have been ironed out and all I have to do is execute the final illustrations. To some extent the pressure is off. It sounds a bit odd, but I enter an almost zen-like state. I lose myself in the artwork and then suddenly, before I know it, there's a finished illustration on the desk in front of me. 

Writing and storyboarding are great fun too. The fact that all three elements of the process use different parts of the brain means that it's not something I think I'll get bored with anytime soon. 

Oh, and the team at HarperCollins are brilliant. I feel very lucky to have the people who have worked on the Oliver Jeffers, Richard Scarry and David Walliams books in my corner. They're such a lovely bunch and they all bring so much to the table. I really feel that I'm in very safe hands with them. 

If you could meet any authors or illustrators, alive or dead, who would they be?

Hmmm. Well, my favourite book is To Kill A Mockingbird so I'd love to meet Harper Lee. Unfortunately, I doubt she'd want to talk about the book considering she's refused to discuss it with anybody for the last fifty years! 

The late Richard Scarry was my favourite author/illustrator as a kid, so it would have been great to shadow him as he went about his work. Same with Maurice Sendak. Where The Wild Things Are is a work of total genius - a genuine literary classic.

Who else? Well, I'd love to do a life-drawing class with Stanley Spencer or sit in a field painting trees with Vincent Van Gogh. Actually that would be great cos I could tell him not to worry too much about not selling any paintings. He'd get the recognition he deserved eventually!

 

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

Well, from a creative point of view I think that the market is in rude health. In fact I'd go as far as to say we are in something of a golden age. People like Jon Klassen, Oliver Jeffers, Peter Brown, Marta Altés and Emma Yarlett are producing astonishing work. Just so beautiful. Then, of course, there's Eric Carle, Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler, Lauren Child and Judith Kerr all still delivering brilliant picture books on a regular basis. I spend at least one lunch-hour a week browsing the picture book section in my local bookshop. I really love it.  

 

If you could change one thing in the world of picture books, what would it be?

It would be nice to be able to print text in a colour other than black! For those that don't know, the main story text in a picture book can (usually) only be printed using black ink so that when any foreign editions are printed the printer can simply replace the English language black plate with the foreign language black plate. I think it saves a lot of money. Sometimes it would be great to have some lovely 72 point red type though. Y'know, just for a change.  

Describe yourself in five words

I can always do better.

 

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TALKING ABOUT YALC: PART 2

For the next Talking About YALC installment, the supersonic Katherine Woodfine chats to POP about her personal YALC highlights, Malorie Blackman and the behind-the-scenes dream team. Enjoy! 

 

Now that the dust has settled on the brilliantly successful first ever YALC, how does it feel to have been part of such a well-received event

Amazing! We were absolutely delighted by the amazing level of enthusiasm for YALC, and it has been brilliant hearing everyone’s feedback.  What we really wanted to do was to reach people who might not normally attend a traditional literature event, and create a real buzz around books for young adults – and I think this is something we all felt we definitely achieved.

There’s a lot we can learn from this event, and a lot we can improve if we’re able to continue it in future, but overall it was a great success, and a really special and memorable experience.

 

There was an amazing cast of authors at YALC, and there must have been so many people helping behind the scenes, too – how did you bring together your YALC dream team?

We were so lucky to have such brilliant support for YALC – they really were a dream team.

A group of the UK’s YA publishers had already had some initial conversations about the event before we got involved, so they were really enthusiastic from the get-go. All of the publishers were incredibly supportive throughout, but I must particularly mention the YALC publisher working group - a small group of publicists who volunteered to get more involved in helping to take the event forward. Their advice and support was invaluable in planning the event and their practical support during the weekend itself was amazing – they were always on hand to pitch in, and at one point even fed me pizza when I was about to drop! I definitely wouldn’t have been standing by the end of the weekend if it wasn’t for them. It was great working with them - I like to think of us a bit like The Avengers.

 

 

 

Showmasters, who run the London Film and Comic Con, were also hugely supportive of the event from the start, and their team of staff worked incredibly hard to make YALC a success. The Waterstones team was brilliant too: Waterstones High Street Kensington, who provided our bookshop, have been working with London Film and Comic Con for a while, so they really knew their stuff. They worked tirelessly through the weekend, and we couldn’t have done it without them. We also had 20 brilliant volunteers from Booktrust who gave up some of their weekend to come down, don a YALC t-shirt, and pitch in. And I also must mention our fantastic Children’s Laureate PR agency Riot Communications, who did such an amazing job on press for the event.

Finally, Malorie herself was, of course as always, an utter delight to work with, and the perfect person to head up the event. The support and enthusiasm from all authors involved was brilliant – they all really got into the spirit of YALC, and seemed to have a ball!

 

When YALC was in the early stages of planning, did you predict that the event would be big?

I think we always knew it was an ambitious project – but it definitely grew beyond our original vision. So many authors and publishers were keen to be involved, and so many great opportunities came up that we had to expand our initial plans.

 

What were your personal YALC highlights?

There were honestly so many – it’s impossible to choose. Seeing the sheer numbers of young people who came, all the amazing cosplayers, trending on Twitter for three days, getting to try on James Dawson’s Queen of Teen crown in the Green Room . . . it was all brilliant. But one moment that really stands out in my mind is when the doors were first opened on the Friday evening: immediately lots of people surged over to the Book Zone, and one girl picked up a book and settled herself straight down to read. I think that was the magic moment that I realised "this is actually going to work!"

 

What do you think makes YA a unique form of writing, with such wide appeal? 

That’s an interesting question: I think it’s partly that "YA" itself is actually such a wide category. Books that we describe as "YA" deal with all kinds of topics, across all kinds of genres. They’re not even necessarily books "about" young people, but often about the issues and questions that are of interest to young people – like coming to terms with your identity, overcoming challenges, falling in love – that are in fact hugely relevant to all of us, whatever our age.

I also think it’s because of the quality of our YA publishing – we have so many brilliant authors writing for young people. Lots of the YA writing I read is very high quality, and isn’t afraid to take risks, and I think that’s ultimately a big part of where its appeal lies.

 

There were so many positive comments about YALC on social networks and across the media. How does it feel to be supported so avidly by fans of YA as well as publishers and the press?

Really brilliant - it was so important to us that this event was for young people themselves, and not just for the industry. One of my favourite things about the whole event was seeing how excited people were, both during the weekend itself and in the run-up. It certainly wouldn’t have been what it was without all the support and enthusiasm of the YA fans and book bloggers, who really got behind the event from the start.

I also loved seeing the positive reactions from those who weren’t super keen readers – people who’d perhaps come to LFCC for the films, TV or gaming elements, but who were really excited when they realised that authors like Malorie Blackman or Derek Landy were there, and that they could meet them and have books signed. The whole reason we wanted to hold the event at a venue like LFCC is so that we could showcase just how exciting YA is to new audiences, as well as the existing community, so it was great to see that in action.

 

Where does YALC go from here?

We’re currently evaluating the project and talking to all the partners involved about how we could take it forward. There’s a huge amount of enthusiasm for continuing it as an annual event from all concerned – so watch this space!

Describe YALC 2014 in five words or phrases

I thought I’d go off piste here and describe it with five of my favourite pictures instead

1. Holly Smale gets a selfie with a reader

2. Lucy Saxon surrounded by excited fans at the book signing

3. Our YALC book wall. This was such a last minute burst of inspiration. We knew we wanted to display lots of books, so people could look at them, but I couldn’t work out quite how to make it work. Then suddenly I had a vision of lots of coloured ribbons . . . and this was the result

4. Even Chewbacca came along to YALC

5. Malorie meeting some of the kids who came along to the event thanks to bursaries from the Siobhan Dowd Trust

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RILLA ALEXANDER: LIKE A ROLLING SNOWBALL

Last week, I spotted a special book. What was it? you ask. Well, dear friends, it was The Best Book in the World by Rilla Alexander. Published in June by Flying Eye Books, this glorious book is a celebration of colour, energy and beautiful illustrations - truly. I'll be writing a review very soon, but before that I'm really pleased to share an interview with Rilla.

 

Thank you so much for letting me interview you – you are my very first overseas interviewee! First off, please can you tell POP readers a little bit about yourself?

Thank you for inviting me! I am Australian, though haven’t lived at home for many years. I spent the last eight years in Berlin and have recently arrived in Portland, Oregon. Moving from country to country is challenging when you are a book lover with a much loved and gigantic bookshelf! Leaving books behind is akin to saying goodbye to friends – and as many as possible have joined me on this adventure.

My favourite thing to do is dream up characters, let them tell me their stories and see them come to life as books and toys, sculptures and prints – but also on plates, fabrics and other things that last and can be loved.

 

Your work is multi-faceted – encompassing picture books, workshops and ceramics, to name just a few. How do you find the time to be so enterprising?!

I come from a family who never stop making things and aren’t very good at relaxing. Coming up with ideas is so much fun but I have to constantly remind myself actually doing them is much slower. In fact, sometimes it’s a lot like work!

Doing workshops means I get to share my enthusiasm for making things and see many more ideas developed and rapidly finished. I love that!

 

How did you get into illustrating children’s books?

From as early as I can remember, I would dictate stories to my mother who would type them directly onto my drawings and bind the pages into books complete with an author’s bio. My family gave these books for Christmas and birthday presents and they were loved and treasured. As a teenager I made my first book about books for a subject called Library Studies. It was an elaborate picture book with stuffed arms and legs and contained an audio tape that my entire family contributed to. You would think it would be hard for me to stop – and yet, as time went on, I procrastinated about finishing any books because I knew how good I wanted them to be. Eventually I came to realise that getting any book done is better than none.

(As an aside, when I tell this to a class I’ve learnt I need to explain what a typewriter and an audio tape are.)

 

What do you enjoy most about the book-making process?

When you are first working on an idea absolutely everything you see, hear or read seems to relate to it somehow. Like a rolling snowball, the idea gets bigger and better and the momentum is so strong that you get swept away with it.

 

You chose to self-publish one of your books (Jorinde & Joringel) – how did your experience of this differ from working with a publisher?

The huge difference is in the collaboration, feedback and support – having somebody there who cares about what you are working on is invaluable in those moments where self-doubt gets the better of you. And then, of course, when the book is finally finished somebody else will put it into boxes and carry it up and down the stairs all over the world! (Obviously this is a highly simplified version of what the publisher does but I’m sure you understand what I am saying.)

But not everybody has a publisher to work with – and that is why I am such a strong proponent of simply making books. I suggest people forget all the rules that may be holding them back. Don’t try and make something you think a publisher will like – just make something. And when you are finished, have it printed in a limited edition, give it to friends, put on an exhibition, send it to people who might be interested and be very proud of yourself for finishing a book. Once you have made one, you can make another one and you’ll get better and better and probably won’t stop.

 

If you could meet any authors or illustrators, alive or dead, who would they be?

Can I please go back in time and play with Tove Jansson (and Tuulikki Pietilä and Pentti Eistola) building the Moominhouse?

 

What are your views on the picture book market right now?

I am completely overwhelmed when I walk into the Bologna or Frankfurt Book Fair by the sheer quantity of books and the true understanding of the word “industry”.

But I feel lucky to know a lot of people making beautiful books – among them Chris Haughton, Kitty Crowther, Vivian Schwarz, Ben Newman, Oliver Jeffers, Jim Stoten, Benji Davies and Kevin Waldron – and the simple fact that they are making the work they are making, and that it is being published and loved, says a lot.

 

Describe yourself in five words

Very likely red. Nothing more!

 

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