Sally Murphy's Blog, page 48
March 2, 2016
TBT: Doggy Duo
It’s Thursday, and time for another TBT (Throwback Thursday) post.
Last week I shared a picture of my first ever copy of my first ever book.
This week I thought I’d share one of copies I still own, of my very first trade book (ie a book which you could, potentially, buy in a bookshop). Here it is:
Doggy Duo was special to me because it was, as I’ve said, my first ever trade-published book, and its acceptance came after years and years of trying to break into writing for children.
Sadly, the company which published it (Banana Books) went into receivership not long after the book was published, meaning it didn’t get a long life on bookstore shelves, but 11 years down the track, I still remember the thrill of that acceptance and holding that book in my hands. (And, as you can see, I still have lots of copies, so can hold it in my hands any time I like!)
Have a great Thursday!
February 25, 2016
Poetry Friday: More Holiday Snaps
It’s Poetry Friday and I’m still thinking about my holiday to Singapore, even though I’ve been back for a month.
This first photo was taken at Universal Studios on Sentosa Island. There are two roller coasters in one – known as duelling roller coasters because both run at the same time – and yes, I rode them both, with one of my sons. So much fun! And just a little bit frightening.
This second poem was taken from a Bum Boat as we cruised down the river.
The Poetry Friday roundup this week is hosted by Elizabeth Steinglass.
Throwback Thursday: My First Book
It’s Thursday, and for the first time I through I might do a Throwback Thursday post, hoping it might become a regular thing, where I post something from my writing past – books, publications, photos, old blog posts, whatever takes my fancy.
So, it seems the best place to start might be where it all began: my first published book. And not just my first book, but my first copy of my first book, looking a little worse for wear after 19 years of being carted round and shown off.
When I was offered a contract for Speak Out, I had only written an outline and two sample pages. Oh, and I was 7 months pregnant with my fourth child (I didn’t tell the publisher that bit). Instead, I calmly said ‘yes please’ when I was asked to do it, and wrote the book before Murphlet 4 was born.
When my first copy arrived I took it everywhere with me – and still take it along to author talks to show off, though, as you can see, that copy is now in danger of falling apart. 19 years down the track, the book is still in print, outlasting many of my subsequent books.
40 books later, I’m still proud of book number one.
Have a great Thursday. See you next week.
February 23, 2016
Read Aloud Today
Today is World Read Aloud Day. How wonderful to have a day dedicated to something so special, so much fun, and so very very important.
Of course you can read aloud any day of the year, but the purpose of having a special day is to remind everybody that reading aloud is a wonderful thing. At the same time, World Read Aloud Day helps to spread the word that literacy is a right that belongs to all people, and those of us who have the ability to read have the responsibilty of working to ensure that everyone gets to learn to read. You can learn more about the day here.
I plan to celebrate today by reading some poetry out loud.
What are you going to do to celebrate?
February 21, 2016
Cover Reveal: Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape
It’s Monday and I’m excited because I can finally reveal something that’s been in the works for a couple of years. A series! My very first series! Coming in July this year, with books 2 and 3 also being released this year.
So (drumroll please), here is the cover for book one:
Sage Cookson is an ordinary Aussie girl. Her parents just happen to be television chefs, and Sage gets to travel with them as they seek out the best food from around Australia and around the world. It seems, though, that along with the fun of travel, comes plenty of adventure – and sometimes that adventure can get out of hand.
In Sage Cookson’s Sweet Escape, Sage and her parents find themselves lost in the bush after a chocolatier sees them as too much competition for his own culinary skills.
Published by New Frontier Publishing, Sweet Escape will be available from all good bookstores. Sage will also have her own website.
I’ll keep you informed about Sgae and her adventures – and will reveal the cover of book two very soon. In the meantime, have a great week!
February 7, 2016
February 4, 2016
Poetry Friday: Shhhhhhh
It’s Poetry Friday and I’m still thinking about my visit to Singapore, and trying to create poems to go with some of my favourite pics. One of the animals I really wanted to see at the Singapore Zoo was the polar bear – and I wasn’t disappointed. He was absolutely beautiful. Here’s my photo poem.
Have a great Friday, and don’t forget you can see what my Poetry Friday friends are doing by visiting the Poetry Friday roundup, which this week is hosted by Trica at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
February 1, 2016
Keeping a Book In Print: Some thoughts on a Book-Birthday
This morning Facebook reminded me that six years ago I was celebrating the release of my verse novel, Toppling. Six years! In some ways it feels like yesterday. But then I think of things that have happened in my life since that particular came book out: writing wise, including having lots more published, and personally, including moving towns, becoming a grandmother, returning to university, travelling… Oh wow, only six years?
Anyway, the great thing about realising Toppling is six years old is the fact that, in spite of its age, it’s still in print (here in Australia, with Walker Books, and in the USA with Candlewick and in the UK, with the title John and Dom) .
Six years is a long time for a trade book to still be in print. Even though being in print doesn’t guarantee that it is sitting on shelves in very many brick and mortar bookstores (who change their stock regularly), it does mean that it’s available for purchase through online stores, and most bookstores will get it in when asked.
So what is it that keeps a book in print – and what part can an author play in that?
Publishers need books to sell (just like an author does), so if copies of a book continue to sell, it is more likely to stay in print. From my perspective, this means making sure prospective readers still know about the book and where they can buy it. To do that, I blog about it, talk about at school visits and festivals, have it visible on my webpage and so on.
Winning awards is fulfilling, but it also means the book is likely to be sought out by readers, librarians, teachers
After winning the WA Premier’s Literary Awards
and parents. . A shiny sticker on the front, especially from an organisation such as the CBCA adds an implicit recommendation to the book. Which in turn leads to sales, so it is kept in print. Luckily for me, Toppling won the children’s literature category of both the Queensland and WA Premier’s Literary awards, as well as being shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year and other awards. From an author’s perspective, you can’t do much about winning these awards (apart from making sure your publisher nominates them) but you can spread the joyous news both at the time and in your profile for years to come.
Timelessness or, at least, longevity of the story. A story that is all about the latest gadget, or about an event that only happens once (say, for example, this year’s Rio Olympics) may sell really well in the short term, but not so well after the event or gadget has faded away. (NB – this kinds of books are not necessarily a bad idea – just not so relevant in a post about keeping things in print). Stories that deal with issues or topics or experiences that are always relevant have a chance of appealing to readers for a long time. Toppling is about friendship and about childhood cancer, both subjects which remain current six years after the book first came out. As an author, I wish that childhood cancer would stop being relevant (because I’d like to see it wiped out of existence), but since that isn’t happening, I’m glad my book is able to tell a story which connects with readers six years down the track.
Undated content. This is kind of similar to number 3., but is about how the story is told. Using trendy words, or
I’ve changed in the last six years so it stands to reason other things have, too.
games, or clothes, that change rapidly can make a book seem outdated very quickly. We all know (or, perhaps, like me, ARE) people who use what they think are young-people words that result in eye-roll from kids so they are so outdated. Rad? Cool? Groovy? In books there is a danger not just of putting those rapidly changing words into character’s mouths, but also using them in the text for description and narration. It could be not just the dialogue, but the latest game I have my characters play, or the television show they watch or a million other details which make the book seem ‘old’ but not historical fiction (which is another matter entirely). This is not to say a book will go out of print just because a character watches Masterchef and then Masterchef stops being televised, simply that sometimes details can date a book. So, as author, you can’t try to make a book completely devoid of small details, but you can avoid being too trendy.
Writing other books. I mentioned that I’ve had other books come out since Toppling. Having multiple books helps to keep the older ones in print. This called a backlist. When a reader discovers your latest book and likes it, they often go looking for what else you’ve written. So, for publishers (especially if it’s the same publisher), keeping the older books in print is worthwhile. Roses are Blue, my next verse novel after Toppling, came out 4 years later, meaning that many of the young readers who read Roses had not yet read Toppling. But many of them did (and still do) go on to read Toppling, and my other, earlier verse novel, Pearl Verses the World). As an author, of course, what I can do here is to make sure I keep writing new books, and perfecting them, so they keep getting published.
Not every book will stay in print forever, and there can be lots of reasons for this. But I’m glad Toppling is still around, and I aim to do my bit to keep it in print for a bit longer yet.
The UK Cover – same book, different tile.
January 31, 2016
January 28, 2016
Poetry Friday: Hello
It’s Poetry Friday, my favourite day of the week.
Last week I was lucky enough to have a holiday in Singapore, where I spent five days seeing amazing sights, eating amazing food, doing exciting things (some involving roller-coasters) and smiling a lot.
I came home with lots of memories and about a bajillion photos. I’ve been busy sorting through these and will be sharing some here on the blog in coming weeks. Of course, if I can combine a photo with a poem, even better.
So, here’s the first, based on this beauty I met face to face at the Singapore Zoo.
Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Catherine at Reading to the Core. Head over there to see what other poetry goodies have been shared.
