Nosy Crow's Blog, page 110

Watch Lyn Gardner read from Rose Campion and the Curse of the Doomstone – and win a signed copy of the book!

This month we published Rose Campion and the Curse of the Doomstone, by Lyn Gardner – the second gripping instalment in the THRILLING Campion series, and the follow-up to the incredible Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret.

Set against a brilliant backdrop of smoky, foggy, fin-de-siecle London, filled with fantastic theatrical detail, and with a cast of rogues worthy of Agatha Christie, this is a can’t-put-it-down mystery from a master storyteller that will have you guessing until the final chapter.

And today you can and win one of three signed copies of the book! To win a copy, just head over to the @NosyCrowBooks Twitter feed, follow @NosyCrowBooks, and re-tweet this message.

Business has never been better for Campion’s Palace of Variety and Wonders – and the music hall is about to open its doors to its biggest act yet: the Illustrious Gandini, the stage magician known as the Great Wizard of the North. But when the Doomstone Diamond – a priceless jewel with a disturbing history – is stolen during one of Gandini’s performances, Campion’s finds itself under threat once more, and Rose Campion and her friends will need all their wits about them as they dash across Victorian London – from high society gatherings to the depths of Newgate prison – in a desperate bid to solve the mystery of the stolen Doomstone Diamond, and save Rose’s beloved home, Campion’s Music Hall, from closure!

You can watch Lyn read an extract from the book in the video at the top of this post – and you can read the opening two chapters of The Curse of the Doomstone below:

You can buy the book online here – and if you’d like to stay up to date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter at this page, or with the form below, and you’ll never miss a thing.

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Excitement is building for the next Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon, with special guest Jamie Littler

A few weeks ago we announced the latest edition of the  Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon, our programme of quarterly evening events celebrating the art of illustration — with special guest Jamie Littler, the fantastic illustrator of The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training.

Tickets are selling fast — if you’re interested in attending, book your place today!

We’ll be returning to The Book Club, in Shoreditch, for Jamie’s Salon, on the evening of Tuesday 30th May. After an interview with Jamie there’ll be a Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing and drinks.

Jamie is the illustrator behind the Hamish series, Wilf the Mighty Worrier series and the colour-reader series of The Famous Five, aimed at younger readers. He specialises in children’s books and graphic novels, mixed with the odd bit of fantasy art and vis-dev, and is the creator, writer and illustrator of the comic series ‘Cogg and Sprokit’, serialised in the Phoenix Comic.

At out last Salon, we were thrilled to host Sam Usher, the man behind Rain, Snow, Sun, as well as Refuge, written by Anne Booth and illustrated by Sam Usher, in aid of War Child. This was a particular fascinating project as the book took only seven weeks to bring to market from manuscript to publication. It took no profit, with £5 from each copy sold will go to the charity War Child. As well as raising money for War Child, the book can also help parents talk to young children who will have seen images of refugees their own age and asked questions.

Sam Usher had recently visited the “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais to see for himself what was happening, so when Nosy Crow approached him to illustrate Refuge, his answer was easy: “I had visited to see what I could do, but after listening to a young refugee’s story of non-stop horror I knew anything I could do alone would make little difference. And when I was approached by Nosy Crow on my return, I felt that a couple of weeks of solid work is nothing to the suffering refugees go through.”

Sam had brought a very large binder full of his roughs, and so we were able to gather round and look at his original concept art, tracking the development of his final images through a series of stunning drafts. These large sheets of paper, gingerly laid out by Tom across the table at the front, were accompanied by a slideshow of some of his older work as well as a few sneak peeks of his forthcoming projects.

I’d brought along with me an illustrator friend who was blown away by the beauty and finished-look of Sam’s roughs — they didn’t look ‘rough’ at all! My friend loved the opportunity to ask Sam more detailed questions, illustrator to illustrator, culminating in an in-depth exchange on different Gouache paint techniques. There was a great atmosphere of community, support and professional curiosity, which even an illustration-layman like me found totally absorbing.

As well as being a fun way to spend an evening, our Salons provide a fascinating insight in to the working life and process of established illustrators. What’s more, you can save money on a signed copy of The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, Medieval Knight in Training by buying one now with your ticket! If you are currently doing an Illustration or Publishing BA or MA, send us an email to arrange your specially discounted ticket to the Salon.

Students admission costs just £3

General admission is £4

Student admission, PLUS a signed copy of the book costs £6

General admission, PLUS a signed copy of the book costs £7

Booking is essential and tickets are extremely limited – save your place today! Doors will open at 6.30pm for drinks and conversation, and the salon will start at approximately 7.00pm.

Look inside The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge:

Listen to Christopher Edge on You and Yours

Christopher Edge, author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and the upcoming The Jamie Drake Equation, appeared on Radio 4’s You and Yours yesterday, talking about the popularity of science-based children’s fiction – and you can listen to the programme on catch-up now!

Here’s a link to listen to yesterday’s episode.

The Jamie Drake Equation is another phenomenal novel for 9+ year olds, combining great storytelling, popular science, and lots of heart

Jamie’s dad is an astronaut.This is a good thing, because how cool is that? And a bad thing, because he’s orbiting Earth and Jamie misses him badly.

Doing his homework at the observatory one night, Jamie inadvertently picks up a weird signal on his mobile phone. Could it be from an alien civilisation? Turns out, they’re the only ones who can help Jamie bring his father back. But how do you rescue an astronaut without heading into space yourself?

Combining action and adventure with cutting-edge space exploration and a compelling emotional core, this is truly awesome storytelling.

Here’s a look inside the book:

The book will be in shops in March – if you’d like to stay up to date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our newsletter at this page, or with the form below.

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Come and work for Nosy Crow: we’re hiring a Senior Publicity Manager

We have a really exciting opportunity for a talented, experienced and well-connected publishing PR professional to lead the promotion of Nosy Crow’s fast-growing, award-winning Children’s list.  The successful candidate will join our team as Senior Publicity Manager on a full-time basis, working in our London office near London Bridge.

The role of the Senior Publicity Manager is to shape and lead the PR strategy for each of Nosy Crow’s authors and illustrators, our high-profile list of titles and multi award-winning brands.

The Senior Publicity Manager reports to the Head of Sales and Marketing and will be joining a dedicated, bright and vibrant Sales and Marketing Department.

We are a close team and we value the experience and creative input that we can each provide to help shape our products to be the best they can be.

Key responsibilities and tasks:

To plan and successfully deliver imaginative, tailored, effective, and wide-reaching publicity campaigns, for short, medium and long term projects, across all Nosy Crow brands, authors, illustrators and titles.

To work closely with the Editorial and Sales and Marketing teams to ensure successful execution and maximise sales from first acquisition to sell-through.

Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:

Proven track record of leading and delivering creative and strategic campaigns for both established and debut names and brands, within a range of budgets
Proven success in organising festivals, events, conferences, launches and book tours with wide-reaching event, librarian and bookseller contacts
Excellent contacts in all aspects of the media
Effective management skills to direct both internal and freelance staff, where required
Excellent communication and presentation skills
Ability to constantly prioritise and be proactive in a busy (but fun!) environment
A keen interest in children’s books
Previous experience working on children’s book campaigns desirable, but not essential

The successful candidate will require the right to live and work in the UK.

To apply, please email your CV, accompanied by not more than 500 words on what you think you could contribute to Nosy Crow, both personally and as a PR professional.  Please send to Catherine Stokes (catherine@nosycrow.com), with details of your current salary.  We look forward to reading your application.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 26th February (UK time).

Little Bits of Sky has been longlisted for the Branford Boase Award!

The longlist for the Branford Boase award has just been announced, and we are absolutely thrilled to see that it includes Little Bits of Sky, the debut novel by S.E. Durrant!

The Branford Boase award is given annually to to reward the most promising new writers and their editors, as well as to reward excellence in writing and in publishing. It’s the only award that recognises a book’s editor in this way, and alongside S.E. Durrant, Little Bits of Sky’s editor, Kirsty Stansfield, is also longlisted.

We are INCREDIBLY pleased and proud for Sue, Kirsty, and the book. Moving, wise, and beautifully written, Little Bits of Sky is a breathtaking debut for 9-12 year old readers, and an uplifting story of loss, love and finding your place in the world.

If you’ve not discovered this fantastic story yet, here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

The Branford Boase shortlist will be announced in May, and the overall winner in July – congratulations, Sue and Kirsty, and good luck!

Come and work for Nosy Crow: we’re hiring a Production Assistant

We have an incredible opportunity for a hardworking and super-organised individual with the right to live and work in the UK to join our team at Nosy Crow as a Production Assistant on a full-time basis, working in our London office near London Bridge.

The role of the Production Assistant is to assist the Production team in the production of our full-colour and black and white books and help in the processing, circulation and approval of materials and in communicating with our suppliers and in-house departments.

In addition to this, over time we’ll expect the Production Assistant to take on responsibility for handling day-to-day production of the mono list, ebook conversions and reprints of some full-colour titles.  We’ll provide all of the support and training that is needed to do this, and our hope is that the job holder be handling the production of their own small list not long after joining us.

The Production Assistant reports directly to the Head of Operations.

We are a very small team and we value the experience and creative input that we can all provide to help shape our products to be the best they can be.

Key responsibilities and tasks:

Process and manage mono fiction reprints and provide support for mono first printings with a view to taking responsibility for the mono front list production over time
Handle the book conversion of all mono titles through Faber Factory, ensuring that files are converted accurately and that full metadata is supplied
Process all incoming material – ensuring it is approved or distributed in a timely manner
Collate proof and advance quantity requirements – gathering information from internal departments and communicating them with external suppliers, and assist the Production team in the ordering of material in preparation for Book Fairs
Providing administrative support to the Operations department
Providing some general office administrative support

 

Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:

Outstanding organisational skills
Accuracy and a keen eye for detail
Strong numeracy skills
A collaborative and co-operative approach
Can-do attitude and a willingness to ‘muck-in’ when required
A strong interest in children’s publishing and the book production process
Some experience of working in a book production department or publishing environment is advantageous but not essential

 

To apply please send your CV and an email outlining why you want to work in production and for Nosy Crow (no more than 500 words please) to Alex Dickinson (alex@nosycrow.com). The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 26th February 2017.

Four Nosy Crow titles included in the 2017 Summer Reading Challenge!

The book collection for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge has been announced, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see that four Nosy Crow titles are on the list!

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six books during the long summer holiday, to keep up their reading skills and confidence.

Children receive special rewards each time they finish a book and there’s a certificate for everyone who completes the Challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities. Schools work with local libraries and give out information to encourage children to take part, and most libraries run Summer Reading Challenge linked early years activity for pre-schoolers.

There’s a different theme each year – this year’s theme is Animal Agents. The book collection comprises 70 must-have reads for children aged 4-11, with something to suit every young reader. There are two lists – one for younger children and one for older children – representing the best in contemporary children’s fiction, fact and puzzle books, poetry, picture books and graphic novels.

And we’re very pleased that four Nosy Crow titles are included in this year’s book collection!

Harvey the Hero, by Hrefna Bragadottir, and Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam: Up, Up and Away!, written by Tracey Corderoy and illustrated by Steven Lenton, are both included in this year’s younger collection (for children ages 4-7).

And A Piglet Called Truffle, written by Helen Peters and illustrated by Ellie Snowdon, and Ned the Nature Nut’s Nutty Nature Facts and Jokes, written by Andy Seed and illustrated by Sarah Horne, are both included in this year’s older collection (for children ages 8-11).

You can find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge, and read this year’s complete book collections, here.

Congratulations Hrefna, Tracey, Steven, Helen, Hellie, Andy, and Sarah!

Nosy Crow wins the Children’s Publisher of the Year Award at the 2017 IPG Independent Publishing Awards

It’s 2.40am and I find myself recalling the words of the immortal Freddie Mercury: is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

But in a positive way.

It is the night of the annual Independent Publishers Guild Independent Publishing Awards. I am in a hotel room in a part of Oxfordshire so remote that they keep giraffes and lions in it (this is actually a real thing), feeling a little bit post-prosecco, but in cheerful and astonished possession of the Blackwells Children’s Publisher of the Year Award, awarded by the Independent Publishers Guild.

In any circumstances, this would be remarkable, frankly, but what makes it more astonishing is that this is the fourth year out of six that we have won this prize (2012, 2013, 2016 and 2017). Last year, we actually won the overall Independent Publisher of the Year Prize too.

There was, therefore, not a chance that we would win this year, having done so well in 2016.

And then there was the fact that the two other shortlisted publishers were Bloomsbury Children’s Books (who had a particularly stellar year by any standards) and the always-impressive Walker Books.

But win we did.

We did, it is true, have a particularly brilliant year last year, as I mentioned in my January 4 2017 blog post looking back at 2016.

Accepting the prize I thanked the people I have the pleasure and privilege to work with every day – Adrian, Camilla, Lou, Katherine, Miranda, Victoria, Tegen, Holly, Chloe, Nia, Emma, Kayt, Zoe, Catherine, Frances, Stela, Kirsty, Jess, Dom, Kitty, Hester, Tom, Fiona, Imogen, Leila, Alex, Michela, Ola, Nic, AJ, Will and Ed – and all of our authors and illustrators, without whom there is, of course, no publishing. I said, too, how proud I was to be a member of the extraordinary, vibrant community of independent publishers, working, many of us, in niches that no bigger publisher would deign to consider, but, because of that, reaching readers that are passionate about the books and other digital reading material that we make, or who really, really need our books and digital products. One of my most interesting conversations in the course of this conference was with Dick Warner who runs Class Professional Publishing, a family business, in Somerset. His company publishes a little (about the size of a fat Mr Men book), plastic-covered manual for paramedics. As publishers, when we mess up (and we do), we sometimes comfort ourselves by saying, “well, at least no-one died”. If Class Professional Publishing messes up, though, someone actually might die. That’s a book people need. To have that responsibility as a publisher must be daunting!

I didn’t think we’d win, so I didn’t remember everyone I should have thanked. I should, of course, have thanked the IPG organisers, the judges, and Blackwell’s, the sponsor for the award, whose MD, David Prescott, spoke really powerfully about the chain’s commitment to, and interest to expending, their children’s book business.  And, as always, I should have thanked every publisher outside the UK, every bookseller, every librarian, every teacher and every parents who buys a Nosy Crow book or app.

We are so proud of what we’ve achieved, but we couldn’t have done it alone.

You can read a full list of the IPG 2017 Independent Publishing Award winners here.

Two Nosy Crow books shortlisted for Sheffield Children’s Book Awards!

The shortlists for the 2017 Sheffield Children’s Book Awards have been revealed, and we’re absolutely delighted that two Nosy Crow books have been recognised!

123: A Walk in the Countryside, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, has been shortlisted for the Sheffield Baby Book Award. The second in a series of concept books created for the National Trust, this board book takes very young readers on an autumnal walk through the countryside. With beautiful illustrations from Ros Beardshaw, this elegant little book is a great way of bringing children closer to nature.

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Buy the book online.

And The Many Worlds of Albie Bright, by Christopher Edge, has been shortlisted in the Short Novels category of the Children’s Book Awards!

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:

Buy the book online.

Last year, over 4,000 local children and families took part in the Book Award and Baby Book Award project, making it one of the largest Local Authority award schemes in the country.  The winners of the awards will be announced at an award ceremony in November. Congratulations, Ros and Chris – and good luck!

The next Nosy Crow Reading Group is almost here – we’re discussing The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson

The Nosy Crow Reading Group is back in a couple of weeks – we’ll be discussing The Goldfish Boy, by Lisa Thompson.

And if you’re interested in coming along, there are just a couple of places remaining!

We’ll be meeting on Wednesday, February 22nd at 6.30pm, here at the Nosy Crow offices – 10a Lant Street, London, SE1 1QR – for a discussion of the book (along with wine and crisps).

If you’d like to come along, just register for a place with the form below, or at this page – if the reading group becomes fully booked, you can add your name to our waiting list, and we’ll notify you if a place opens up.

You can order The Goldfish Boy online from Waterstones here – and here’s a trailer for the book:

We hope to see you there!