Nosy Crow's Blog, page 100
July 13, 2017
Take a look inside You Can’t Make Me Go To Witch School!
For the past week, some intriguing (and rather beautifully wrapped!) parcels have been showing up on Twitter…
Books you need unwrap. What's inside? @NosyCrowBooks @NosyCrowBooks pic.twitter.com/zIBduCTKbK
— Mr Ripley (@Enchantedbooks) July 11, 2017
Thanks to @emlynas and @nosycrowbooks for this beautiful package. Now what could it be…? pic.twitter.com/dfBEd5015L
— Book Corner (@BookCornerShop) July 11, 2017
@imaginecentre @NosyCrowBooks @loveswimming What exciting post today..! Opening later… pic.twitter.com/VJGXWI1xPD
— Vicky E-B (@VEdgeBaron) July 12, 2017
When you get super exciting post from @NosyCrowBooks that :) pic.twitter.com/ijKVrsf3af
— Damyanti Patel (@damyantipatel) July 13, 2017
Thank you @NosyCrowBooks for the quite intriguing and rather fun #bookpost yesterday #youcantmakemegotowitchschool pic.twitter.com/tAS7UT9Kld
— Minerva (@minervamoan) July 13, 2017
Exciting post from @NosyCrowBooks Looking forward to reading this @emlynas pic.twitter.com/o68ePVXLV2
— Jane Etheridge (@janesetheridge) July 12, 2017
…Because proofs have been sent out for You Can’t Make Me Go To Witch School!, the first book in a hilarious, action packed school series, written by Em Lynas and illustrated by Jamie Littler. The book will be published next month – and if you weren’t the lucky recipient of one of these proofs, fear not – today you can take a look inside with an early extract!
Daisy Wart, a Shakespearean actress with grand ambitions, is FURIOUS at being left at witch school by her grandmother. SHE IS NOT A WITCH! And who will play her Bottom now? But Daisy soon becomes drawn into the mysteries of life at Toadsput Towers, and finds that she even has a few magical surprises up her sleeve…
The adventures of Daisy the reluctant witch are PERFECT for fans of magical school stories.
And here’s a look inside the book:
July 12, 2017
Children’s apps highlighting diversity
USA Today have published a piece on children’s apps that highlight diversity, and we’re delighted to see two Nosy Crow fairytale apps recognised – Cinderella and Goldilocks and Little Bear.
Representing diverse characters in our apps is something that’s always been important to us – and although it’s not always been easy to achieve (several of our apps, like The Three Little Pigs, have a cast made up entirely of non-human characters…), wherever possible we have made an effort to show characters from different backgrounds.
You can read the full USA Today piece here.
Here’s a look at our Goldilocks and Little Bear app:
And here’s a look at Cinderella:
July 11, 2017
Come and work for Nosy Crow: we’re hiring a Production Executive
The Production team at Nosy Crow is expanding, and we have an opportunity for a Production Executive to join our small and friendly team. This is an exciting new role and we are looking for a hardworking and organised person with experience of children’s full-colour print production.
Purpose of the job:
The role of the Production Executive is to deliver production services across the Nosy Crow list. It is the job holder’s responsibility to deliver great-looking books, on budget and on time, whilst following systems for managing workflow. The Production Executive will work closely with colleagues from all areas of Nosy Crow and need to maintain relationships with a range of external suppliers.
Key responsibilities and tasks:
Manage the production of a portfolio of full-colour front list titles – from pre-press through to bulk production and delivery
Handle the production of the majority of the full-colour backlist reprints with assistance from the rest of the team
Play a leading part in the implementation of production management systems. Collate bibliographic data – ensuring it is complete and accurate. Work with the rest of the Operations team to develop workflow systems
Liaise directly with Rights customers on the progress of their print orders ensuring we have in place the documentation we need, approvals are given on time and that any special requests are met
Work closely with the sales department on the costing and production of full-colour specials projects, often to very tight specifications, costs and deadlines
Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:
Experience in children’s full-colour picture book and novelty production and a good understanding of printing processes and terminology
Excellent organisational skills
Accuracy and an eye for detail
Strong numeracy skills
A collaborative and co-operative approach
Tact, diplomacy and strong negotiating skills
Can-do attitude and a willingness to ‘muck-in’ when required
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
Working knowledge of Adobe CS Suite
The role is full-time and based in our office near to London Bridge. The successful candidate will also have the right to live and work in the UK.
To apply please send your CV and a covering letter to Alex Dickinson (alex@nosycrow.com). The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 30th July.
July 10, 2017
There’s a week left to apply for a Rights and Contracts Assistant role at Nosy Crow
A little while ago we announced that we’re recruiting a Rights and Contracts Assistant – and there are just a couple of days left to apply for the role: the period for applications ends on Sunday.
This is a really exciting opportunity for a hardworking, organised individual, who is probably at the start of their career in publishing, to join Nosy Crow’s rights department. Impressive rights sales were a key reason we won the title of Children’s Publisher of the Year at both The British Book Awards 2017 and the 2017 Independent Publishers Guild Awards, and this is your chance to be part of and contribute to our success in this fast-moving, fascinating, international area of our business.
Purpose of the Job:
The role of the Rights and Contracts Assistant is to provide administrative support to the rights department to enable the sale of translation rights and co-editions of our frontlist and backlist, create contracts for all foreign rights and co-edition sales, and contribute to the smooth running of the department.
The Rights and Contracts Assistant reports to the Rights Manager (with, at least initially, a dotted line report to the Commercial Director, who is currently responsible for generating all of our contracts).
We are a very small team and we value the organisational and creative input that we can all provide to help shape our products to be the best they can be.
Key responsibilities and tasks:
Creating and amending contracts for all foreign rights sales, and coordinating their sending and return
Creating rights appointment schedules for all book fairs attended by the Nosy Crow rights-selling team
Assisting in coordinating the sending out of the follow-up material after the fairs
Assisting in organising selling material for the Bologna and Frankfurt fairs
Organising appointment schedules and sales material for foreign trips outside of the main fairs
Organising travel and accommodation arrangements for foreign trips, including fairs
Updating the rights database containing information on all submissions, rejections and licences of our books
Coordinating the mail-out of foreign copies to authors, illustrators and their agents
Providing general administrative support required by the rights department
Providing some general office administrative support
Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:
Strong organisitional skills
Excellent attention to detail
The ability to multitask and prioritise tasks
The ability to work under pressure
Great initiative and the ability to work independently
Strong numeracy skills
Knowledge of at least one foreign language, in addition to perfect written and spoken English
Excellent communication
A strong interest in children’s literature
The successful candidate will have the right to live and work in the UK.
To apply, please email your CV, accompanied by a covering letter, to Ola Gotkowska (ola at nosycrow dot com).
The closing date for applications is Sunday 16 July at midnight (UK time).
July 6, 2017
Our New Books videos have arrived
We’re very pleased to launch a new series of videos, celebrating and demonstrating our newest Nosy Crow publications! You can find these monthly books videos on our Youtube channel, as well as here on the blog.
You can watch the latest video for our July books at the top of this post – and here are video previews of our May and June titles:
We hope you like them!
Our July Books are out today!
It’s our July publication day – and we have a fantastic selection of new books out this month! Here’s what you can find in shops now.
We’re launching our our new Lois and Bob series with a duo of incredibly stylish novelty books: Lois looks for Bob at Home and Lois looks for Bob at the Park. With fresh, contemporary illustrations by Gerry Turley, this is a visually arresting and wonderfully quirky lift-the-flap series. All little readers will love helping Lois search for her friend Bob behind the different objects, and encountering new friends along the way!
Also publishing today is Mummy! – a lift-the-flap adventure through ancient Egypt for little readers. A little Egyptian girl can’t find her mummy . . . and she needs your help! After discovering a whole host of Egyptian animals, from cats to crocodiles, she discovers that there is more than one kind of mummy! Published in partnership with The British Museum, Mummy! is an ingenious piece of narrative non-fiction, illustrated by Lerryn Korda, ending with an adorably reassuring spread as mummy and toddler reunite.
Also out today is the brand new board book edition of Blocks, written and illustrated by Irene Dickson. Sharing is never easy when you’re little! Follow Ruby and Benji as they build with their coloured blocks and learn that by sharing their blocks and building together they can have even more fun! This timeless story of sharing is perfect for little readers, and shows that playing nicely together means more fun for everyone!
Take a look inside:
And it’s also publication day for another book written and illustrated by Irene Dickson – Stick, her brand new picture book. Head outdoors and discover that there are SO many things you can do with a stick. You can throw it for your dog, balance with it, float it down a stream, draw pictures in the sand and, if you’re lucky, it might even help you make new friends! All it takes is a good, useful stick and a bit of creativity.
Here’s a look inside:
It’s publication day for Troll Stroll – a fun and rhyming story by Elli Woollard with illustrations by David Barrow. Troll is fed up with eating boring old goats, so off he strolls in search of some scrumptious children. But the children are clever, and outwit Troll time after time as they tell him to wait because there’s something FAR tastier coming along the road after them… At last, the children turn the tables on the Troll, who makes a quick exit back to his mountain cave! Troll Stroll is publishing in hardback and paperback in a few weeks time.
Take a look inside:
We have two new activity books in partnership with The British Museum out today.
Get creative with the latest in The Colouring Book of Cards and Envelopes series: Amazing Animals & Beautiful Birds. This amazingly innovative colouring book is full of beautifully designed cards and envelopes to tear out and colour, all illustrated in stunning detail by Rachel Cloyne. The twenty-four gorgeous designs are inspired by animals and birds found in The British Museum and are perfect for all ages to decorate and send to family and friends. Use the handy index at the back to take inspiration from the Museum objects themselves or get experimental – try unusual colours and different materials to make each card truly unique! With enough blank space inside for a message, envelopes to customise and colour stickers to seal your card, this is the complete creative package!
We’re thrilled to be publishing the Around the World Colouring Book, illustrated by Thomas Flintham and packed full of information and facts from The British Museum. Take a tour around sixteen incredible civilisations, from Mayan temples in Central America to the palaces of ancient Persia, and many more in between. Colour in and learn about the bustling markets of ancient Greece, then turn the page and discover a traditional Chinese dragon parade. Complete your pictures with over 70 stickers of historical artefacts from each civilisation!
The latest book in the Zoe’s Rescue Zoo series, The Picky Puffin, written by Amelia Cobb and illustrated by Sophy Williams, is in shops now. When Great-Uncle Horace brings back lost and homeless animals from his travels around the globe, it falls to Zoe, and her mum, the zoo vet, to settle them into their new home. Zoe’s very good at this, because she can understand what they say and talk to them, too. But that’s a secret! Puffins are Zoe’s favourite ever animal, so when Poppy arrives at the Rescue Zoo, Zoe is very happy to help her settle in. But Poppy is very picky! She doesn’t like her enclosure … or her burrow … or even her food! Can Zoe and Meep work out what is making Poppy the puffin so picky, and come up with a plan to make the little puffin feel happy in her new home? This chapter book is great for young readers who are growing in confidence, and is illustrated throughout with beautiful black and white artwork.
Take a look inside the latest Zoe’s Rescue Zoo:
And finally, we are very excited to publish My Evil Twin is a Supervillain – the third installment in the series of Luke’s laugh-out-loud adventures by David Solomons, the author of My Gym Teacher is an Alien Overlord and My Brother Is a Superhero, winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the British Book Industry Awards Children’s Book of the Year.
When Luke is confronted with Stellar, his superpowered twin from another dimension, he is highly suspicious. No one travels through time and space without a plan, and that plan is usually EVIL. So what does Stellar want? And why is he so UNBELIEVABLY IRRITATING? From his superhero hair to his rocket-powered shoes, Stellar is up to no good, and Luke must BRING HIM DOWN!
It’s out now! Take a look inside:
Congratulations to all of today’s authors and illustrators!
July 4, 2017
The Jamie Drake Equation is one of The Times’ best children’s books of the year!
The Times reviewed their favourite children’s books of the year to date, and the best Summer reading for children, over the weekend, and we were delighted to see some The Jamie Drake Equation, by Christopher Edge, included!
Alex O’Connell writes:
“If you like stories about space, aliens and having to share your parents with other people, this is for you. It is told with the intelligence and heart we can expect of Christopher Edge, nominated for the Carnegie Medal for The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. Jamie Drake’s father is an astronaut and national hero, but the boy feels his father’s constant absences; he must look after his mother and sister and he has no one to help him with his maths. Enter the enigmatic Professor Forster, who Jamie meets at the local observatory. She’s trying to hack the Hubble Space Telescope and Jamie’s phone handset goes Awol. How is an alien called Buzz able to communicate with him via a glowing app? Should he heed Buzz’s warnings of a storm that could endanger his father’s life? All this and a divorce subplot. A fun, intellectually challenging novel with an emotional centre.”
You can read read The Time’s full Summer children’s books round-up here – and here’s a look inside The Jamie Drake Equation:
Announcing the speakers for our upcoming Nosy Crow Masterclass
A couple of weeks ago we announced the return of our Nosy Crow Masterclasses, with another edition of our How to Write Picture Books event, taking place on Saturday September 9.
The masterclass sold-out in record time: if you’re still interested in attending, you can add your name to our waiting list here, and if a place opens up, we’ll notify you.
And today, we’re very pleased to reveal the full line-up of speakers for the masterclass!
The day will begin with an overview of the children’s book market, setting a context for picture books in 2016.
Nosy Crow’s Managing Director, Kate Wilson, will deliver a crash course on the editorial essentials for writing picture books – a distilled masterclass all in itself.
Helen Mackenzie Smith, literary agent at Bell Lomax Moreton, will talk about her role as an agent – what she looks for in a submission, do’s and don’ts for authors, and more.
Over lunch, there’ll be the opportunity for our attendees to receive one-on-one manuscript feedback.
Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam author Tracey Corderoy will begin our afternoon sessions with a talk on how she writes, covering topics including the differences (and challenges) of writing in rhyme and prose, where she finds her inspiration, and more.
And finally, Kate Wilson close the masterclass with a session on the importance of thinking internationally, and writing picture books for a global audience – followed by a glass of wine at the end of the day!
If you’d like to register your interest in future masterclass events, sign up to our books newsletter here, and be the first to find out when we announce new dates.
July 3, 2017
There’s a Bear on my Chair wins a UKLA book award!
The winners of the 2017 UKLA Book Awards have been announced, and we are absolutely delighted that There’s a Bear on My Chair, written and illustrated by Ross Collins, has won the 3-6 category!
The UKLA Book Awards are the only awards to be judged entirely by active classroom teachers. Of There’s a Bear on my Chair, the judges said:
“A superb example of how interesting words and evocative pictures should work together and one which also demonstrates a very clever use of design; with differing font size and colour expressing tone, emphasis and volume. The clever rhyme reads aloud very well and the perfectly expressive and humorous illustrations really engage young children in discussing the story and the issues of restorative justice that it raises, providing a wonderful stimulus for dramatic re-telling.”
Here’s a look inside the book:
You can read more about all of this year’s winners here. Congratulations, Ross!
June 30, 2017
The Many Worlds of Albie Bright has won the Redbridge Children’s Book Award!
Yesterday the winner of the Redbridge Children’s Book Award was announced, and we’re absolutely thrilled that The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge took the prize!
This annual book award is presented by the Redbridge Schools Library Service – and every school in the Borough is invited to take part in the award and vote for their favourite children’s book published in the UK in the current year.
Frank Cottrell Boyce called The Many Worlds of Albie Bright “A book with a big brain, big laughs and a big, big heart.” The Times, naming the book a Children’s Book of the Week, wrote: “Christopher Edge has written a clever story infused with science that wears its intelligence humorously, introduces complex ideas with the lightest of touches … Give the man his own element on the periodic table of children’s authors.”
Here’s a look inside the book:
Congratulations, Chris!
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