Nosy Crow's Blog, page 136

There’s just under a week left to apply for a Designer position at Nosy Crow

We’re looking for a designer to join our team, and there’s not long left to apply for the role – the closing date is this Friday (February 26).

We would like to find someone hard-working, creative, clever and good at communicating, who’s got great taste in illustration and design (or, at least, taste that matches and complements ours!) and a strong interest in and understanding of visual storytelling of all kinds. They also need to be willing to muck in with goodwill: the team is phenomenally busy.

This is a full-time role and the successful applicant will be based in our crowded but lively office in Borough (near London Bridge, Borough and Southwark tube stations, and 15 minutes’ walk from Waterloo).

Candidates will have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in graphic design, probably exclusively in children’s publishing. Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator programmes, excellent proven book design and typographic skills, and a love of children’s book illustration are essential, along with good written and spoken communication skills, and the ability to work to a deadline.

The successful candidate will design and manage full-colour illustrated book projects (including picture books, novelty books, activity books and the exciting new non-fiction that we are working on for our partnerships with the  National Trust and The British Museum) from initial layouts all the way through to production, supporting the illustrator or the author/illustrator throughout the creative process.

The designer will report to the Head of Design but will work closely with other members of the Nosy Crow team, particularly the editorial staff, to produce child-focused, parent-friendly, high-quality books.

If you think this sounds like you, and you would like to apply for the role, please send a CV and application letter, along with digital samples of your design work, to Stephanie Amster via email (stephanie@nosycrow.com) by midnight on 26 February 2016. If you have a bit more or a bit less experience than we are asking for (but a minimum of a year of hands-on illustrated children’s book design experience) then do still apply: it’s more important, in the end, for you to be the right fit than that you have exactly the right level of experience, and we can be flexible about the role level for the right person.

Take a look inside Dave’s Cave, the brilliant new picture book from Frann Preston-Gannon

Finished copies of a BRILLIANT new picture book have just arrived in the office: Dave’s Cave, written and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon – and today you can take an early look inside the book for the first time.

Dave loves his cave. Inside is decorated EXACTLY the way he likes it. Outside there is a lovely spot for a fire and the grass is always lovely and green. But Dave’s not happy. What if there might be an even better cave out there?

Written in hilarious caveman speak (PERFECT for reading aloud), this a stylish, witty picture book with a heart-warming message – while there’s no place like home, and the grass isn’t always greener, sometimes you just have to find out for yourself…

Here’s a look inside the book:

Dave’s Cave will be out in April – if you’d like to be kept up to date with all of our book news, you can sign up to our books newsletter here, or with the form below.

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The next Nosy Crow Reading Group is almost here – we’re discussing Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

The Nosy Crow Reading Group will be back next week – we’ll be discussing Pugs of the Frozen North, the third illustrated-fiction collaboration between Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre.

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

We’ll be meeting on Wednesday, February 24 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).

As usual, we have a few questions prepared for discussion – here’s some of what we might talk about on the evening:

How successfully do you feel the text and artwork combine in Pugs of the Frozen North? What does each element contribute to the book?
Who do you think the book is “for”?
How well do you think the book balances humour and plot?
What did you make of the book’s ending – and the outcome for Sika’s grandfather?

If you’d like to come along, just register for one of the last places with the form below, or at this page.

You can order Pugs of the Frozen North online from Waterstones here.

We hope to see you there!

Nosy Crow’s very first app, The Three Little Pigs, is five years old!

Nosy Crow is celebrating its fifth birthday this year (you can see some of the photos from our birthday party here), and today is another milestone: it’s exactly five years since the release of our very first app, The Three Little Pigs.

It’s an app that we’re ENORMOUSLY proud of, and one that we think looks and feels as innovative, beautiful and interactive as it did on the day that it launched.

Here’s a look at the app:

And to celebrate The Three Little Pigs’ fifth birthday, we have some very exciting news!

We’ve dropped the price of the app for one week only: you can get The Three Little Pigs for just £1.49/ $1.99 from the App Store until next Wednesday (February 24th) – better than half price!

Download The Three Little Pigs here at our special sale price.

And that’s not all!

We are incredibly happy to announce that we’ll be releasing a major update for The Three Little Pigs in the coming weeks: it, and our second fairytale app, Cinderella, will soon be available in special new trilingual editions, featuring Spanish and Chinese language versions of each story. We’ve translated the text and recorded brand new audio, using native speakers – and we’re very proud to have kept one of the most popular features in our apps, and used children to record the Spanish and Chinese audio. We’ve also optimised the artwork in both apps for new iPhone devices (released since the initial launches of the The Three Apps and Cinderella). The apps look and sound incredible – we cannot wait to share them with the world, and introduce brand new audiences to our fairytales.

If you’d like to be the first to find out when these new trilingual versions of the apps become available, sign up to our apps mailing list below:

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Happy Birthday, Three Little Pigs – here’s to the next five years!

There’s a Bear on my Chair has been longlisted for the Greenaway medal!

The longlists for the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway awards have been announced today, and we’re incredibly proud that There’s a Bear on my Chair by Ross Collins has been longlisted for the Greenaway Medal!

The Greenaway Medal is, along with the Carnegie prize, the UK’s oldest and most prestigious children’s book award. Established in 1955, for distinguished illustration in a book for children, and named after the popular nineteenth century artist known for her beautiful children’s illustrations and designs, the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded annually for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

It’s an incredible honour to be longlisted – we are so thrilled for Ross’s incredible book.

There’s a Bear on my Chair is a joyously illustrated picture book – with a clever single rhyme echoing Dr Seuss, it’s perfect for sharing.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

You can also buy beautiful, limited edition, signed and numbered giclee prints featuring artwork from There’s a Bear on My Chair exclusively from the Nosy Crow shop – here’s a look at the prints on offer:

Buy this print.

Buy this print.

Buy this print.

Buy this print.

The Greenaway shortlist will be revealed in March – and the eventual winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in June. Congratulations, Ross – and good luck!

There’s just under a week to apply for a Senior Designer position (maternity cover) at Nosy Crow

We’re currently looking for a senior designer for maternity cover for our picture book and novelty lists – and there’s just under a week left to apply for the role!

This is a fantastic opportunity for a highly creative, talented, hardworking and bright Senior Designer to join our design team for maternity cover, looking after part of our incredible, award-winning picture book and novelty list.

Ideally this is a full-time role and the successful applicant will be based in the London office of Nosy Crow in Borough (near London Bridge, Borough and Southwark tube stations, and 15 minutes’ walk from Waterloo). We would consider an exceptional candidate who was not able to work full-time, but we’re looking for an absolute minimum of 4 days per week in the Nosy Crow nest.

Candidates will have experience in children’s publishing, and ideally will have worked on both picture books and novelty titles. We are looking for someone who is bursting with ideas and creative energy.

Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator programmes, excellent proven book design and typographic skills, and a love of children’s book illustration are essential, along with good written and spoken communication skills, and the ability to work to a deadline.

The successful candidate will manage illustrated book projects from initial layouts all the way through to production, supporting the illustrator or the author/illustrator throughout the creative process. The designer will report to the Head of Design but will work closely with other members of the Nosy Crow team, particularly the editorial staff, to produce child-focused, parent-friendly, high-quality books.

We are a small, close team here at The Crow’s Nest working in a friendly, highly creative and professional environment and we need a team player who is willing to muck in, particularly during busy times.

If you would like to apply for the role, please send a CV and application letter, along with digital samples of your design work, to Stephanie Amster via email (stephanie@nosycrow.com).

Candidates will have the right to live and work in the UK.

The closing date for applications is 21 February 2016 at midnight (UK time).

We’re also looking for a Designer to join us in a permanent role – you can find out more here.

There’e just under a week to apply for a Senior Designer position (maternity cover) at Nosy Crow

We’re currently looking for a senior designer for maternity cover for our picture book and novelty lists – and there’s just under a week left to apply for the role!

This is a fantastic opportunity for a highly creative, talented, hardworking and bright Senior Designer to join our design team for maternity cover, looking after part of our incredible, award-winning picture book and novelty list.

Ideally this is a full-time role and the successful applicant will be based in the London office of Nosy Crow in Borough (near London Bridge, Borough and Southwark tube stations, and 15 minutes’ walk from Waterloo). We would consider an exceptional candidate who was not able to work full-time, but we’re looking for an absolute minimum of 4 days per week in the Nosy Crow nest.

Candidates will have experience in children’s publishing, and ideally will have worked on both picture books and novelty titles. We are looking for someone who is bursting with ideas and creative energy.

Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator programmes, excellent proven book design and typographic skills, and a love of children’s book illustration are essential, along with good written and spoken communication skills, and the ability to work to a deadline.

The successful candidate will manage illustrated book projects from initial layouts all the way through to production, supporting the illustrator or the author/illustrator throughout the creative process. The designer will report to the Head of Design but will work closely with other members of the Nosy Crow team, particularly the editorial staff, to produce child-focused, parent-friendly, high-quality books.

We are a small, close team here at The Crow’s Nest working in a friendly, highly creative and professional environment and we need a team player who is willing to muck in, particularly during busy times.

If you would like to apply for the role, please send a CV and application letter, along with digital samples of your design work, to Stephanie Amster via email (stephanie@nosycrow.com).

Candidates will have the right to live and work in the UK.

The closing date for applications is 21 February 2016 at midnight (UK time).

We’re also looking for a Designer to join us in a permanent role – you can find out more here.

Nosy Crow is shortlisted for five IPG Independent Publishing Awards!

We are pleased and proud today.

We found out that we have been shortlisted for five 2016 IPG Independent Publishing Awards – more than any other publisher shortlisted.

We’ve been shortlisted for IPG Children’s Publisher of the Year. Barrington Stoke, Bloomsbury Publishing, and Quarto Publishing Group were also shortlisted. We admire every single one of them and have been watching them all year, so we’re not surprised. The IPG said, “Nosy Crow, winner of this Award in 2012 and 2013, grew its sales once more in 2015. As well as strong front and backlist sales, it promoted itself vigorously via apps, masterclasses and free children’s book groups. ‘Nosy Crow clearly has huge passion for its books, and it has been very good at building services around its publishing,’ judges said. They also admired its partnerships with the National Trust and British Museum, its care of staff and charitable work.”

We’ve been shortlisted for The Bookseller International Achievement Award together with Accent Press, Pavilion Books, and Walker Books. The IPG said, “Nosy Crow, a two-time winner of this Award, had another year of intense international sales activity, wrapping up hundreds of coedition and rights deals and scouting out more new partners at book fairs. It hiked its export turnover too, and sold apps in translation. Non-UK markets now account for nearly half of the publisher’s turnover. ‘Nosy Crow is exceptionally good at building partnerships all over the place—international is at its core,’ judges said.”

We’ve been shortlisted for Ingram Content Group Digital Publishing Award. The others shortlisted were Bloomsbury Publishing and Faber & Faber – formidable competition. The IPG said, “Nosy Crow’s place on the shortlist is earned by its in-house apps and Stories Aloud project that uses digital audio to enhance print picture book content. It added more fairy tale apps and several dozen Stories Aloud streams in 2015, and grew its iBooks list too. ‘Stories Aloud has taken the much-maligned QR code and turned it into a very useful application,’ judges said. “Nosy Crow goes on pushing the boundaries and digital is having a big impact on sales.”

We’ve been shortlisted for Nielsen Digital Marketing Award, as were Accent Press, Faber & Faber and How2Become. The IPG said, “Nosy Crow is seeking to win this Award for the third year in a row. In 2015 it relaunched its website to provide ecommerce and mobile optimization, and harnessed all its digital marketing elements to generate big sales for a debut novel, My Brother is a Superhero. ‘Nosy Crow has been great at social media from the start, but it has taken its online activity a step further now. It engages its readers brilliantly and is totally professional in everything it does’, judges said.”

And last but far from least, because apart from being a well-deserved recognition for Ola herself, it’s a sort of indication of how much the whole Nosy Crow team contributes to our success, Ola Gotkowska, our rights manager has been shortlisted for IPG Young Independent Publisher of the Year, as have Joshua Brown from How2Become; Sam Richardson from SPCK, and Rachel Williams from Quarto Publishing Group. The IPG said, “Ola Gotkowska of Nosy Crow has risen up the ranks to rights manager over four years at the company, and has played a pivotal role in its burgeoning co-edition and rights business. She constantly unearths new publishing partners around the world and manages international activity with meticulous precision. ‘She finds an exceptional number of new customers and brings something unique and significant to Nosy Crow,’ the judges noted.” Tom Bonnick, our business development manager and commissioning editor, won last year.

So houpla! for Nosy Crow today. Wish us luck for the awards themselves, which will be announced on March 3 at the IPG conference dinner. We know that the competition is really stiff in every category, and the shortlists are, as always, a tribute to the vibrancy of the UK’s independent publishing community: membership of the IPG recently topped 600 companies.

Two Nosy Crow titles on the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize shortlist!

Well, we are feeling as happy and proud as anything today.

The shortlists for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize have just been announced, and there are Nosy Crow books in two categories.

Cinderella’s Sister and the Big Bad Wolf, written by Lorraine Carey and illustrated by Migy Blanco, has been shortlisted in the Best Illustrated Book category (previously won by Open Very Carefully in 2014).

In this hilarious laugh-out-loud picture book, nothing is what it seems. Did you know that Cinderella wasn’t actually very nice? And that there were THREE ugly sisters? And that the youngest sister, Gertie, was absolutely the nicest person you could ever hope to meet? Surprising, isn’t it? Come and make friends with Gertie, and find out if she will EVER get to the ball … and, watch out, you might just meet a few favourite fairy-tale characters along the way, too.

Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

And My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons has also been shortlisted in the Younger Fiction category!

Luke is a comic-mad eleven-year-old who shares a treehouse with his geeky older brother, Zach. Luke’s only mistake is to need a wee right at the wrong moment. While he’s gone, an alien gives his undeserving, never-read-a-comic-in-his-life brother superpowers, then tells him to save the universe. Luke is massively annoyed about this, but when Zach is kidnapped by his arch-nemesis, Luke and his friends only have five days to find him and save the world…

This is an absolutely amazing story: super-exciting, laugh-out-loud funny, and with enough heart to fill an entire galaxy. Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

We are completely thrilled for both Cinderella’s Sister and My Brother is a Superhero – they are two absolutely BRILLIANT books, and to see them recognised by Waterstones in particular is a huge honour.

The winners of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize will be announced next month – you can find out more about the awards, and read the full shortlists, here.

Good luck Lorraine, Migy and David!

Book your ticket for the next Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon, with Sarah Warburton

There are only a few tickets left for our upcoming Nosy Crow Illustrator Salon – the third instalment in our new programme of evening events, dedicated to celebrating the importance of illustration, and featuring the incredible Sarah Warburton, the highly-acclaimed illustrator of the Princess and the… picture book series and the brand new Invincibles illustrated fiction series, written by Caryl Hart.

The Salon will be taking place on Monday 18th April, at The Book Club in Shoreditch. Doors will open at 6.30pm for drinks and conversation, and the main event will begin at 7.00pm.

Once again, our host and salonnière for the evening will be Nosy Crow’s founder and managing director, Kate Wilson. After an interview with Sarah, there’ll be a Q&A with the audience, followed by a book signing and drinks.

Booking in advance is essential – you can book your place with the form below, or at this page. And you can save money on a signed copy of any of Sarah’s books by buying one now with your ticket! General admission costs just £7. £11 will include entry to the salon, PLUS a signed paperback copy of either a Princess picture book, or the first book in the Invincibles series, Piglet Pickle. Or for £14, you can get a signed hardback copy of any Princess picture book.

You’ll also be able to buy copies of any of Sarah’s books on the night itself.



If you don’t want to miss out on any of our future salon events, sign up to our mailing list below. We hope to see you there!



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