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Betty Cook
5 years ago
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2 really understands both the technical and creative sides of writing is both a luxury and a necessity and can prompt you to take it so much further. Monday 20 th August Time to meet the gang The organisers Helen Chamberlain freelance editor, and former publisher with more than 35 years experience in the children s book industry. In 2014 she was awarded the Dromkeen medal for her outstanding contribution to children s literature. Pam Horsey former marketing manager of a large publisher, award winning supporter of Australian children s literature, and owner of a vast collection of children s books. Suzanne Thwaites former teacher librarian, devoted children s book champion, and fellow Margaret Wild enthusiast. The mentees Ash Hardcastle from Perth psychologist and author of Olive and Salima a contemporary young adult novel addressing themes of acceptance, friendship, and Islamophobia. Nat Amoore from Sydney energetic performer, and writer of stories certain to appeal to children of all ages. Mike Barry from Sydney author and graphic artist behind Action Tank a series of graphic novels developed for children 7 12 years. Maggie Jankuloska from Melbourne history and English teacher, and author of The Ratcatcher s Apprentice a middle-grade historical fiction novel. And me Maura Finn from Melbourne writer of books for the little ones, all the way through to the middle-grades, and feeling like the luckiest gal in the world. Tuesday 21st August A visit to two of Melbourne s most iconic and best loved bookshops Readings and The Little Bookroom and between these, a leisurely lunch, where we discussed each others writing projects. Angel Crocombe met us at Readings Kids in the morning to share her wealth of expertise having worked in many aspects of the book industry, including as an author. She explained 2

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5 Shaun spoke to us about his published work, and his creative process (something I always love to hear about from other creators). He talked about the importance of the picture book writer leaving space for the reader. Each book is the creation of so many people including the reader, and each reader needs to be allowed their own interpretations and emotional response. It is not the writer or illustrators job to tell the reader what to feel. In line with this Shaun tries to cut any emotional words or description from his writing. Note to self: It is easy to sometimes become overwhelmed or intimidated by the number of fantastic books that are available in Australia today. But it is also easy to look at this from another angle and turn that intimidation into inspiration. Look what can be done. Aim high. Friday 24th August A visit to the very flash offices of Penguin Random House, followed by a trip to the State Library of Victoria. At Penguin Random House we met Amy Thomas and Lisa Riley who spoke to us about the children s book industry, what they mostly publish, and what they would like to see more of. Middle-grade fiction seems to be in hot demand, both for fantasy and non-fiction. The YA market is a bit tight at the moment Their PB list is full until 2021, with spaces often taken up by their existing authors. Amy noted that while this may seem daunting, meet ups with publishers at events such as CYA, Kid s Lit Vic etc, are good avenues to bypass the slush pile. She broke down the reader categories into the following guidelines (which I found very useful): years Beginner Readers (e.g. Lulu Bell / Juliet, Nearly a Vet) years Junior Fiction (e.g. Clementine Rose series) years Independent Middle-Grade (25 60k) years Upper Middle-Grade (45 60k, e.g. The Fall) years Teen (e.g. Risk) years YA (interesting fact: 80% of YA buyers are actually adults years) Juliet O Connor met us at the State Library to talk about the children s collection that they house there and to show us a few of the lovely old books. Their collection contains over 100,000 children s books including two books from the 16 th century, and this collection grows by more than 2000 books each year. The first children s book to be published in Australia was in

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8 Tuesday 28th August Meeting with Alexandra Yatomi-Clarke from Berbay Publishing. Wow, you can feel the passion and dedication radiating from Alexandra from the moment she starts to speak. After working for a number of big publishing companies, Alexandra formed Berbay in And in 2017 it was awarded Best Children s Publisher of the Year (Oceania Region) at the Bologna fair. Initially inspired by the styles and quality of picture books she discovered in France and Finland, she started off acquiring the rights of European books and translating them into English. Berbay seeks to create clever books for clever kids quality, nourishing books, by both local and overseas artists. She notes that they do still need to be commercially viable. Note to self: If I want to be in this for the long term, which I most certainly do, then I need to complement my creative endeavours with a strong business mind. Never forget your audience. Wednesday 29th August Day 1, Melbourne Writer s Festival Schools program and visit to Text publishing After coffee and a chat with former mentees Katie Flannigan and Rebecca Green, we went to listen to Maxine Beneba Clarke interview author Demet Divororen about her recent book Living on Hope Street. What lovely eloquent ladies, it was a pleasure and inspiration to listen to them talk, and I now have yet another book sitting in my pile to read. In the afternoon we went to the offices of Text publishing and met Jane Pearson for a very informative meeting. She talked a lot about the Text Prize, a yearly competition for YA through to middle-grade stories, which runs for the month of January. Interestingly, while they do accept unsolicited manuscripts throughout the year, most of their gems are discovered from the submissions received via the competition, when the whole team is searching to find the winning titles. Text publishes around 110 books each year including Adult fiction and non-fiction, through to YA and middle-grade. 1/3 of these books come from overseas creators, and the remaining 2/3s are from Australian authors. And, as with most of the publishers we met, they are interested in publishing more middle-grade. Jane also noted the usefulness of a strong pitch with your submission. It starts the momentum towards the ultimate goal of getting the book into reader s hands, sparks 8

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10 the second book in the series, in just 12 months. It is always such a treat to listen to a creator talk about the trials and inspirations of their process, and to recognise how deeply connected they are with their work. Truly inspiring, and yes, yet another book to add to my reading pile. Drinks and nibbles at Suzanne s house This was the official end of the program, and what a very lovely evening it was. I think there were roughly 30 people from the industry there to celebrate and to wish us mentee s well. A number of mentee s from previous years were there too, and it was reassuring to see that they were still connected, and to talk with them about their journey s following the completion of the program. Everyone spoke so highly of their own experience, and the lovely ladies who had made all of this possible. What a treat to be fussed over and welcomed by so many people. Note to self: John said something really useful when he was talking to us over coffee today that the best writing comes when the writer is exploring something that interests them, but that they don t fully understand, rather than something they know well. This was the first time I d ever thought of it like that, and it made a lot of sense. Another useful gem to take with me to my own practice. Friday 31st August Meeting with agent Clare Forster from Curtis Brown This was an added bonus that Helen organised for us at the end of the program. Clare talked to us about the main role an agent plays in a writer or illustrator s career and the value they can add. Such as: helping to refine work; helping the creative to navigate changes in personnel in publishing companies (e.g. through mergers etc); assistance in sale of world rights; act as a buffer zone when there are problems between creators and publishers; encourage competition and awareness to a greater number of publishers; their recommendation can add extra weight to a manuscript, increasing the chances that it will be read; and they understand the tastes of different publishers and what is more likely to suit their list. If you are seeking representation by an agent then the following are some tips to make your submission stand out: mention of comparative titles and where your work stands in the market show your own familiarity with the current market your professional background any industry bodies you are a member of, any courses you have completed. All this shows a long term commitment to your career. Strong samples of work obviously. 10

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1a Teens Time: A video call

Keep in touch 1a Teens Time: A video call Vocabulary 1 Write the missing letters to complete the words and match them with the correct photos. 1 m i c r o p h o n e a 2 m b l p h n 3 k b r d w b c m 5