Have you ever been asked which decade you would live in, if you had the choice? Well, I have - a few times, in fact - and whichever decade I'm in when I'm asked is the one I'll pick. Why? Because I believe that there are many ways that the world is improving and moving forwards. Knowing what I know, and feeling how I feel, I don't think I could move backwards. My sensibilities wouldn't allow it.
That said, we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to making the world a better place. Progress . . . it's an interesting thing, isn't it? Because the goal posts keep shifting - they need to - and this means that, even when progress is achieved in one sense, there is still work to be done.
I'm a glass half full kind of person who believes that she can make a difference. But, bloody hell, there are things in this life that make me feel desperate at times. If you've had an eye on Twitter very recently, you will have seen Sky News kicking the hornet's nest by cocking up the reporting of their interview with Malorie Blackman (YA author, Children's Laureate and curator of YALC, the UK's first ever YA Literature Convention). They interviewed her, they chose to use an incorrect and sensationalist headline, and then, by the look of it, all hell broke loose. It sounds like Sky News apologised for their mistake. But the damage was already done. Because Malorie Blackman had already started to receive all manner of abusive messages based on that incorrect headline.
And I suppose what I want to ask is: how is this allowed to happen? I mean, we've all heard stories about people getting trolled online - at least, I know I have - these stories have been popping up for years now. What I can't figure out is what's being done about it. Have any laws changed to prevent this from happening? Is there a way for us to protect ourselves from it? What should we do if it happens to us? Do social networks (where this form of abuse is most likely to occur) offer any sort of emotional support to people who have experienced trolling? I'm not being obtuse here, I'm asking these questions because I genuinely don't know the answers.
Because, of course, if someone is set on tearing you down, rationalising with them will not help you. Chances are, they are not rational. Chances are, they are not reasonable. Any reasonable person would have read that Sky News headline and thought "Hmm . . . You claim Malorie Blackman said this? Malorie Blackman who has experienced racism first-hand? Malorie Blackman who campaigns for equality and diversity and individualism? Hmm . . . Nope, don't believe it."
The difficult thing here is that, for every one person who is capable of rationalising in situations like this, there is at least one person who either isn't capable or isn't willing to be capable. So what do we need to do to help those people see that what they're doing is not OK? How can their behaviour be managed, improved?
This issue? It has got to be something that we force to change.
Last week, Yasmeen Ismail was the latest illustrator to create a vision behind glass as part of Bloomsbury Children's Books Illustrated Windows project. And, boy oh boy, what a corker it was!
These windows are gorgeously creative, with Bloomsbury illustrators being given free rein to do whatever they darn well please. Each person brings something slightly different and truly special to the project, and I love how the illustrations look when they're blown up to enormous proportions!As you can see from the photos, the end results are spectacular.
The Illustrated Windows project was thought up by Emma Bradshaw, the wonderful Senior Publicity Manager at Bloomsbury. See below for a mini Q&A with Emma and more photos of the brilliant windows.
For anyone who doesn’t know already, tell us a bit about the Illustrated Windows project
The Illustrated Windows project is something I came up with to try and showcase both the emerging and established talent on Bloomsbury’s picture book list, and to support the many amazing booksellers and bookshops across the UK. The project is running throughout 2014 with at least one Bloomsbury illustrator creating a window display for a high street or independent bookshop each month.
Where did the idea come from?
It started with an idea I had for Independent Booksellers Week 2013; across the week I placed a number of illustrators in different shops doing all sort of things from school events to craft workshops and live drawing, and a couple of them created bespoke window displays. The results were so stunning I decided it was something we should do more of in 2014.
Which illustrators and book shops have taken part?
You can also see the locations of all of the shops, and their stunning windows, by checking out the rather awesome Pintrest map our digital team put together:
There will be more from Debi Gliori to celebrate the publication of her next book, Alfie in the Garden, with windows for The New Bookshop and Ebb & Flo Bookshop. And I’m in the process of arranging some others at the moment, but I’m afraid they are top secret for now!
Can book shops still get involved?
Absolutely! I’m so pleased with how everything has gone so far this year I’m pretty sure we’ll do it again in 2015. Anyone who’d like to take part should email me at emma.bradshaw@bloomsbury.com or talk to their Bloomsbury Area Manager
Thanks so much for answering my questions, Emma, I can't wait to see more!
Earlier today, I whizzed down to Brighton's Churchill Square Shopping Centre to watch Sue Hendra take part in the Big Summer Read. Now, have you heard about this already? Because, I'm telling you, the Big Summer Read is brilliant - there's so much going on and so many wonderful people getting involved. Also, it's all absolutely free! FREE, I tell you!
Sue's Spider Sandwiches reading and squiggly spider make-and-do session went down a treat, as did the Spider Sandwiches activity packs (BIG thank you to the Bloomsbury Marketing team!). I witnessed the creation of many a wondrous spider! I'd like to give special thanks to the (as named by me) Tremendous Trio who were always on hand to help, always smiling and always simply marvellous. Thanks for having us, ladies!
Welcome to the very first POP Profile post! I'm not gonna lie, I'm very excited about this! In these posts, I'll be pestering lots of lovely publishing folk into sharing little snippets of information about their jobs. If you want to work in children's book publishing, then these posts are for you! And, hey, even if you don't want to work in children's book publishing, you will love having a read. The industry is filled to the brim with wonderful, talented, interesting people, and I hope you'll enjoy finding out more about them.
First up is the rather marvellous Louise Grosart . . .
How did you get into children’s book publishing?
I have always loved books, especially children’s books, and I was in my last year at university when it dawned on me that I could work in publishing. It only took two minutes of research to work out how competitive the industry is, but even that didn’t put me off. I applied left, right and centre for work experience, hearing nothing until the following October, when Random House Children’s Books offered me a two week placement in the editorial department. It was the best two weeks of my life and I knew it was the job for me. I made sure I did the best job I could on everything I was given, asked lots of questions, talked to all the editors and found out all I could about working in editorial. After the work experience I had to get a normal job (as a bowls tours organizer) but I kept in touch with the editors I’d worked with at RHCB. Six months later they called me to say a PA role had come up in the department and asked if I would like to apply. The skills I’d honed whilst organizing tours were very transferable to the PA job role, and after going through the interview process I ended up getting the job! I could not have been happier and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Since then I have worked my way up the editorial ranks to editor in the picture book team.
How would you spend a typical day at work?
I check my emails first thing and make a list of all the urgent things to get done. Then I will brief books, check layouts, go to meetings about the books I am working on. We work quite far ahead in the picture book team, so the books I am working on now will be coming out Spring/Summer next year. At the moment we are all in book fair lock-down, getting everything ready for the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
What top two things do you love about your job?
Working with authors and helping to create beautiful books!
Which stories and/or illustration styles are catching your eye right now?
I’m looking for stories that are quirky and have something different about them – perhaps they’re classic stories told from a different angle or something new, fresh and exciting. The same goes for illustration styles – we’re looking for lots of different things – an illustrator of one book may or may not be perfect for other projects we’re working on. The style has to work for all our sales teams too.
Have you ever seen a book and thought I wish I’d published that?
I love Quentin Blake, Oliver Jeffers, Jill Murphy, Ed Vere and Simon Rickerty – so anything by them!
If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to work in publishing, what would it be?
Really think about what area of publishing you’d like to work in – a lot of people who are new to publishing think that they would be happy working on any type of books, but when it comes down to it, where would you most like to be? Also make sure you read everything big in that genre and look in all the bookshops to see how the shops are displaying these books; look at the covers and ask yourself what makes them part of the genre and what’s different about the ones you like. If you are fortunate enough to get a work experience placement then make sure you research the publisher you’re going to, and if you can find them, check the Twitter of the people you will be working with. That will give you an idea of what they are working on at the moment.
The best thing you can do is get a foot in the door and see how the publishing business works. I started as a PA and learned things about the company that I would not have learned if I had started as an editorial assistant.
If you could give one piece of advice to an author and/or illustrator looking to get published, what would it be?
Be yourself – and don’t follow the trends. Be as quirky, silly and interesting as you can and that will shine through in your work and everything you do.
Describe yourself in five words
Positive, curious, conscientious, loyal and friendly.
I've been trying to figure out how to start this post. Where to start. But I know really that there is no way I can write this review in a logical way, because I still feel how I felt when I was reading each book in the Chaos Walking triligy: like my tiny little mind has been blown. So I'll apologise in advance for being unable to thread together my words as elequently as I would like.
The thing is, the Chaos Walking books are unlike anything else I've read. The setting, New World, felt so real to me. I cared about the characters, I felt fear, elation, regret, happiness, defiance, horror, dread . . . I smiled, I laughed, I cried (actually cried. That doesn't normally happen), I read and re-read. There were times when I'd have to let out a "bloody hell" under my breath and stop reading - literally put the book down - just so I could process a twist in the story that had taken me completely by surprise.
*stops to catch breath*
You know what? I'm not even going to give you the official book spiel here. All I'm going to do is tell you to read these epic books, if you haven't already. Trust me, you'll bloody love them.
Now more than ever, I hear about writers looking to get that elusive first book deal. I also hear about what a tough industry publishing is. And that is true. On so many levels. BUT. There are still a number of things that any person can do to considerably increase their chances of getting an agent and, ultimately, a publisher.
So, I am ELATED to welcome Non Pratt to POP for this week's excitingly informative guest post. As I'm sure you all know, Non is the author of the absolutely brilliant Trouble (Walker Books). But, Non is also a rather unique author, because she used to be an editor. This happy mix is exactly why I feel Non's advice is so useful and so insightful.
Big thanks for taking the time to share that advice with us, Non. And, without further ado, over to you . . .
THIS IS NOT A LIST OF WRITING TIPS. Mostly I only ever give these under duress – the only way to write is however works for you. Getting published, however is something else entirely . . .
Writing is an art; publishing is a business.
Don’t confuse the two. Disassociate the writing process from the publishing process – words should spring from your heart without the reader in mind. Right now, as yet-to-be-published author, no one cares about what you’re writing except you – you have to care about it enough for the lack of readership to be completely irrelevant. Focus on that and finish the first draft before you read any more of these tips.
Finished you first draft? CELEBRATE! Put it away for as long as you can bear. Read a book. Have a holiday. Go to the cinema.
Anything to stop you attaching that first draft to an email to your preferred agent/editor.
Gemma Cooper of the Bent Agency once said, “I can only read something for the first time once.” This is a ONE TIME DEAL don’t waste it on your first draft.
Now’s the time to switch from heart to head. Editing is part of the writing process, but it is also firmly a profession and it’s up to you to try and employ those skills yourself.
Be as ruthless with your own words as if they mean no more to you than someone else’s.
This is tough. I have a workshop on editorial bad-assery that doesn’t even begin to cover it, but here are some condensed tips:
a) Find the heart of your book. What was it that made you sit down to write the idea in the first place? What thing did you want to show that only these words could invoke? Write it down. Keep it in mind with every page you edit.
b) Plot/character/world/language – chances are you’re really good at one of these (hint: it’s the one you find easiest/enjoy the most). Work out which is your strength, then work on the others until they match up.
c) Cut out the boring. If you’re tempted to skip over a passage to get to the good bit, cut that passage. If you can’t be bothered to read your words, why will anyone else?
d) Too much stuff. Cut superfluous words, characters, dialogue, descriptions . . . Meg Rosof once said to only tell the reader something once. This seems like good advice.
Get agented. Sure they take 15% of whatever you earn, but that still leaves you with 85% of something rather than 100% of nothing.
The right agent will place the right book in the hands of the right editor at the right time.
Because this is their job. And their job depends on making you as successful as possible. But how do you find one. Here’s another subset of mini tips:
a) The Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. Get an up to date edition.
b) Check the acknowledgements of your favourite authors – and, indeed, the dedications and their websites. Make a tally chart of names that crop up.
c) Submit to small and large agencies alike. The difference between the two is usually in volume of staff and real estate, neither of which matter when it comes to making a deal.
d) If you’re on twitter, look for them – the #askagent hashtag is a good place to start.
e) Submit to more than one agency at a time, but make sure you mention this is in your submission letter. It’s only polite.
f) Don’t automatically accept the first offer of representation you get. Too many writers snatch the dream before it’s materialised. In the case of agents, if one person sees potential, so will another. Meet with the agent, talk to them, see if you click. This is a business relationship that should last for life. See it as a choice and choose wisely.
Remember tip number one? Good. Never forget it.
Publishing is a business so be professional.
Think of submitting to agents as applying for the job of being an author. Like any application, read the guidelines, meet their criteria and write an entirely professional letter, one that’s honest, respectful and reflects your personality and what you’ve written. Friendly is fine, over-friendly is not. And like every piece of applying-for-a-job advice ever: tailor your letter to each agent you approach. Get their name right and say why you’re interested in them if you’ve seen them talk at a conference/be funny on twitter/you like someone they represent.
Honestly, I’d say that once you’ve got an agent, these tips become largely redundant. Agents are remarkably good at giving you the kind of tailored professional guidance that a blogpost from a stranger can’t.
Having said that…
Random subset of things people worry about but don’t need to:
a) Social media. If you like twitter/tumblr/whatever, go for it. If you don’t, don’t. It’s better to have no online profile than a bad one. And if you are active on twitter, watch your tone. Snark is funny, but no one’s looking to work with someone who seems bitter.
b) Belonging to things. There are some great organisations out there – I’m a member of SCBWI, which arranges events at which writers can meet and learn from industry professionals like agents and editors. These can provide great resources and help a lot of members who like this sort of set-up, but you don’t have to be a part of it to get published.
c) Not having a clue. In the internet age it seems like there’s no excuse for not knowing the answer to everything, but no one will be offended if you are naïve, so long as you’re polite.
d) Having a brand. You don’t need to have a brand, you just need to have a good book.
e) Making it perfect. There’s no such thing. Make it as good as it can be and then send off. No one will offer for a book they never get to read.
f) People changing your words. Get over this, it will happen and these changes will make your words better.
Whether you work in publishing or want to work in publishing, getting to know people who are already in the industry can be all sorts of good. Thing is, it isn't always easy to do.
So, I figured why not create POP Social, as a way to bring together the lovely folk in and out of children's book publishing? (And I quickly confirmed to myself that there is no reason why not. So . . .) What's the point? Well, that's up to you, but whether you're out to make friends, build contacts or network, I guarantee it'll be interesting. And fun. Watch my Twitter feed for more info, it'll be coming soon.
Today I am very excited to be posting a guest blog from the lovely Caroline Carpenter, Editorial Assistant at The Bookseller. I couldn't go to YALC, and so I've loved hearing about it - in conversation, over Twitter, anywhere - and that was my motivation when it came to asking a few people to tell me their YALC tales. Big, big thanks to Caroline for being the first!
The first ever YALC
As I entered the London Film and Comic Convention in Earls Court, passing several Mothers of Dragons and light sabres on the way, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the UK’s first ever Young Adult Literature Convention.
In the Book Zone at the back of the hall, I found publishers selling books, a chill-out area with a wall of hanging books and lots of keen YA fans already milling about. The panel area was a small stage with chairs set out in front. Though there were no walls separating us from the rest of the attendees, surprisingly it was easy to hear what all the speakers said.
How to get published
The first panel of the day was ‘How to get published’ with authors Phil Earle and Sally Green, chaired by Puffin Books’ editorial director Ben Horslen. It was interesting to hear how both of the authors came to writing, considering neither of them planned to. For Earle, working as a bookseller and being handed a copy of Louis Sachar’s Holes “turned a light on” and he eventually began writing himself, while Green discovered a love of writing while studying with the Open University.
Considering the shake-up going on in the industry at the moment, I was intrigued by Green’s statement that she didn’t even consider self-publishing as she doesn’t feel tech savvy enough and instead went down a very traditional route. She was also vocal about how sharing her work with others and getting and giving feedback during her Creative Writing course really helped her writing.
It was great to have Earle speaking as both a writer and a publishing insider (children’s sales and marketing director at David Fickling Books). He spoke openly of his worry approaching publishers having been on the other side of things and not wanting to embarrass himself or feel that anyone was doing him a favour.
Both writers were honest about the fact that part of their reason for choosing their publisher, Puffin, was down to vanity and wanting to have a brand with such a legacy on their books. They also gave out plenty of golden nuggets of advice, telling aspiring writers not to chase the market and instead “write the book that you want to read”.
I'm too sexy for this book!
Next, the newly-crowned Queen of Teen James Dawson chaired a panel consisting of fellow authors Cat Clarke, Non Pratt and Beth Reekles on the subject of sex in YA. I was impressed by how specific he was with his questions in relation to the other writers’ work and found this a really lively, fun panel with lots coming out of it.
All the authors on the panel were clear that, though their approaches ranged from Pratt’s graphic sex scene in Trouble to Reekles’ more tame fade-to-black scene for her younger readers in The Kissing Booth, they felt a duty to write about sex in YA as it reflects the reality of life for teenagers.
Pondering why sex in YA is still a taboo, Clarke raised some good points, highlighting the “ridiculous” discrepancy between this attitude and parents letting their children watch highly sexualised television shows such as Game of Thrones or reading violent books such as The Hunger Games. She suggested this is because there is an attitude that books should be “good for you”, which she called “crazy, because books are for entertainment!” Dawson made another good point - that it’s better for curious teenagers to find answers about sex in novels than the internet.
The panel seemed to be in agreement on most of the issues raised. All of the authors were opposed to the idea of age ratings on books and they all acknowledged the “trickle down effect” of 50 Shades of Grey on sex in books becoming more acceptable, though Clarke noted that most sex in YA is “doing something very different” to 50 Shades, with less focus on titillation. They all dismissed the label New Adult, with Pratt calling it “a marketing tool” and Reekles saying it merely “labels books for gatekeepers”.
Crossover: not just for kids
I also listened to a panel on the crossover appeal of YA, consisting of authors Matt Haig, Meg Rosoff, Anthony McGowan, Nick Lake, with David Maybury chairing. Out of all the panels I saw, I felt like this was the least engaging as not many questions were posed to the authors, which meant the conversation had a lack of focus and direction.
A few of the things discussed stood out for me, such as McGowan saying that the “intensity” of being a teen is what attracts him to writing YA, and Lake noting that YA readers seem to be “more willing to read across genres” than adult readers. They also talked about the distinction between YA books and an adult book about teenagers, with Lake saying that YA is told from the perspective of a teen looking out whereas an adult book is like looking in at a teenager’s life.
Controversially, during this discussion McGowan said that he doesn’t like fantasy or escapist books as he thinks books should make people question the world we live in and want to change their lives. He also said that he thinks teenagers should be reading books such as War and Peace rather than obsessively reading Twilight.
I was quite shocked to hear his comments in the setting of this convention, when everyone attending was there to celebrate YA despite the snobbery that often comes with it. That said, it did seem like he was playing devil’s advocate somewhat and hearing a different point of view did provide some debate. The other authors were quick to disagree with him, with Rosoff reminding him to “know your audience!” and Haig saying that “a book doesn’t have to be long and complex to be interesting or profound”.
Sisters doing it for themselves
The final panel I attended that day was about heroines in YA with writers Julie Mayhew, Tanya Byrne, Holly Smale and Sara Manning. It was really refreshing to get their perspective on both YA books about girls and what it’s like to be a female writing YA.
They talked about the pressure for YA heroines to be “strong” and “perfect”. Mayhew said that writing perfect teen heroines was “unrealistic” and unhelpful as teenage girls are already “under a lot of pressure to be perfect”. The example of The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen was brought up and Smale admitted that Katniss is a strong heroine that she doesn’t identify with, so in her own Geek Girl series she wanted to create a heroine “who’s brave in a different, more vulnerable and relatable, way”. There was general agreement with Byrne’s statement that “there is more than one type of teenage girl to represent in YA”.
When they were asked by an audience member if they felt they were taken less seriously by the publishing industry as female authors, Byrne said that she feels the covers given to books by female authors makes a “huge difference” to how they are perceived and who reads them, suggesting that less specific covers would encourage more diverse readerships. Manning said that she definitely felt taken less seriously as a woman, but Harrop disagreed, saying that YA is “one of the best places to be a woman in the media”, thanks to the high proportion of women writing and publishing YA.
After wondering around the Film and Comic Convention for a bit (and getting some snaps of Hodor from Game of Thrones!), I headed back to the Book Zone for a workshop on fan fiction and communities with Eva Caiden from Movellas and Elizabeth Minkel, a freelance journalist and expert on fan culture. As it was the end of the day and most people were queuing to pick up some free books, this was a much more intimate affair than the panels. I don’t know if I learned much that was new to me here but it was a good environment to ask questions and discuss ideas in and I got to see the passion of some teenagers that attended the session too, which is what it’s all about after all!
Leaving YALC, I felt like I had experienced something really positive and informative. Huge congratulations are due to everyone who helped make it happen for a job well done. I hope that it becomes a regular event and is even bigger and better next year!
Last weekend I was really pleased to fly out to Valladolid, Spain to spend a couple of days at IlustraTour, the illustration festival. If you've not heard of IlustraTour before, then you are exactly who I wanted to write this post for, because while the festival has already been running since 2008 and is growing in size each year, it feels to me like it's also on the cusp of becoming something even more significant and exciting. People say the most effective way to raise awareness is by word of mouth. So here goes . . .
I was in Valladolid for two reasons. The first was that Mark Mills, founder of illustration agency Plum Pudding, invited me along to help him judge the third Plum Pudding Illustration Prize. This was one of the highlights for me, and allowed me to get a first look at all of the artwork, which was a real treat. With The Wizard of Oz as the theme, and each entry being vastly different from the next, it was a joy to go through all of the submissions. When Mark and I sat in a crowded lecture theatre on the morning of Saturday 5th, I was struck by how much enthusiasm was in the room with us. That was my first taste of the illustrators' untapped potential, bubbling away under the surface.
The results of the competition were:
First place Clara Gosálves Silva
Second place Brenda Figueroa
Third place Esther Burgueño
Later on that day, I saw the first half of my IlustraTour Network appointments. The Network event is a brilliant way for illustrators to showcase their work to people within the publishing industry. There was a mix of professionals giving advice and comments - those working both in Spain and internationally, encompassing books, magazines, and digital - almost 60 of us in all, which I found really impressive. Each of my meetings felt positive and exciting. It was a great chance for me to meet illustrators I wouldn't normally have the chance to meet, and they were all very talented and passionate. Here's a little taster of what I saw on both Saturday and Sunday:
Whenever I look at artwork, I find that my mind flits between my personal taste, which area of publishing I can imagine a particular artwork style working for and which publisher I can imagine wanting to commision that style. I think that's something illustrators don't often realise at first - that each publisher has its own identity which leads them to commission particular types of books. That's why it's so, so important for illustrators to research publishers and look closely at the books they're publishing right now, to see if they show signs of responding positively to a certain style of illustration or type of book. (Of course, I would also be the first to tell someone to take a chance and just send your artwork to a publisher even if you're not sure. Everyone loves a wildcard!)
As well as the illustrators I met at IlustraTour, I was amazed by the people who were working hard behind the scenes. The team at IlustraTour did a brilliant, brilliant job and were always in control, always on-hand with help or advice (or directions, in my case, for when I got lost!) and above all were always simply lovely people. I felt honored to be involved in the event alongside them, and I hope that I can continue to help IlustraTour grow and flourish in the future.
Before I sign off, here's even more of what I saw during the weekend.
Earlier this week, Zoe Griffiths (the ever-so-lovely Senior Commissioning Editor on the Fiction list at Bloomsbury Children's Books) and I decided to spend a lunch hour treasure hunting for some Books About Town BookBench sculptures. If you haven't heard about these benches already, then you are in for a treat, my friend, for they are sprinkled across London in the most delightful way. There are four different trails that you can go on (Bloomsbury, City, Greenwich and Riverside), each mapping a very satisfying number of benches.
In our lunch hour, Zoe and I managed to spot 10 benches mere minutes from the Bloomsbury office, and, I have to admit, there were some clear favourites. We both loved Aslan (the bench was in use when we got there, so we couldn't see Lucy and Mr Tumnus, but Aslan more than made up for that - he's quite beautiful), and The Day of the Triffids and Mrs Dalloway were also stunning. In a flurry of excitement, we pledged to do the remaining three trails, and I'm really looking forward to it!
The benches showcase some wonderful illustrators and books, and they are so worth a look - if you haven't come across at least one already you really must go out looking. A BookBench treasure hunt would make a great family day out - my neice and nephew loved hearing all about them and I've already planned an excursion with them. It strikes me as quite fantastic that this is something I can share with them that's absolutely free. How rare!
I'll keep you posted on mine and Zoe's highlights - with three more trails to do, I'll have lots to share with you! And if you'd like to find out more about why the BookBenches were made, you can do so here.