Nosy Crow's Blog, page 151
July 23, 2015
Our next fantastic speaker for the How to Write Children's Fiction Masterclass - and you can win books!
Last week we announced the first confirmed speakers for our upcoming How to Write Children’s Fiction Nosy Crow Masterclass – and today we are extremely pleased to reveal another of the brilliant authors who’ll be taking part!
We are thrilled to announce that Helen Peters will join us on the day to talk about debut writing (or, in her own words, “how to turn an unpublishable novel into a publishable one”). Helen is the author of the INCREDIBLE children’s novels The Secret Hen House Theatre and The Farm Beneath the Water, and her invaluable session will cover self-editing, using feedback, rewriting, and the most helpful pieces of advice she was given along the way.
If you’ve not yet discovered Helen’s wonderful writing, here’s the opening chapter of her Waterstones Children’s Book Prize-shortlisted debut, The Secret Hen House Theatre:
Buy the book online.
And today we’re giving you the chance to win a set of Helen’s fantastic books!
To be in with a chance of winning a copy of both The Secret Hen House Theatre AND The Farm Beneath the Water, just re-tweet this message – we’ll pick a winner at random next week!
Joining Helen for the masterclass will be our other brilliant speakers:
The day will begin with an overview of the children’s fiction market from Nosy Crow’s Managing Director, Kate Wilson, setting a context for children’s fiction in 2015.
Our fiction editor, Kirsty Stansfield, will lead the first part of the morning: a practical, editorial session, filled with essential lessons for writing fiction.
Hubble Bubble fiction series author Tracey Corderoy will talk about creating chapter books for young and newly-independent readers.
Louise Lamont, literary agent at LBA Books (and co-host of the fantastic Down the Rabbit Hole radio series), 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, all of our attendees will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one editorial feedback on their own work. Our advisors on the day will include Kate Wilson, Kirsty Stansfield, and Tom Bonnick.
David Solomons, author of the hilarious My Brother is a Superhero, will lead a session on writing funny books.
Kate Wilson will close the masterclass with a session on the importance of thinking internationally, and writing for a global audience – followed by a glass of wine at the end of the day.
This will be an intensive, all-day writing masterclasses with practical suggestions, advice on every aspect of writing, as well as guidance about what comes after – finding an agent, understanding a contract, and international selling. As part of each masterclass, there’ll also be one-on-one manuscript critiques for every attendee (for anyone who has sent along writing samples in advance).
The masterclass is taking place here at the Crow’s Nest – 10a Lant St, London, SE1 1QR – on Saturday October 10th.
Ticket price includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea and coffee breaks, a glass of wine (and homemade cake) at the end of the day, and our manuscript critique sessions.
And there are just a couple of tickets left!
If you’d like to book one of the final places on the masterclass, you can do so with the form below, or at this page.
We hope to see you there!
July 22, 2015
Little Bits of Sky
A little while ago we received a submission from an agent – a debut novel for 9+ year olds.
This was one of those rare manuscripts that, when it arrived, EVERYONE in the office had to read, immediately (in many cases, in a single sitting). We all fell in love with the book’s unique, beautiful voice and incredible story.
And we are enormously proud and happy to say that next year we’ll be publishing Little Bits of Sky by S. E. Durrant a brilliantly imagined novel, with a brother and sister at its heart who only, to begin with, have one another – and an uplifting story of loss, love and finding your place in the world.
Here were some of our reactions on reading the book for the first time:
“This is the only time a book has ever made me sob in a hairdressers. The voice is so strong and so immediate, I couldn’t stop reading, even with Grazia so near to hand. It gave me that tingly ‘we must have this’ feeling which was why I sent it to everyone else at Nosy Crow immediately. And I started reading it to my ten-year- old, who loved it too, and finished it on his own. It’s a very special book.”
Kirsty Stansfield, editor
“This book, for me, has all the makings of a modern classic, a prize-winner, and is one of the very few books to move me to a stream of tears. It left a lasting impression, a physical ache… totally beautiful.”
Catherine Stokes, head of sales and marketing
“I can’t get this book out of my head: it is so beautifully written, tender and moving without being sentimental, with such a distinctive, unique voice.”
Tom Bonnick, business development manager
“I loved Little Bits of Sky from the first page to the last, and for so many reasons: the story was heart-wrenching, the language was beautiful and most of all, every page was so full of emotion. It’s such a universal story of abandonment… and of love and hope, in spite of the circumstances.”
Ola Gotkowska, rights manager
“There are some phrases in this book which stay with you, possibly forever. They are SO right and apt and perfect, I can’t imagine any other words in any other order working as beautifully. I think it’s the ideal blend of naiveté and worldliness (that, very cleverly, never becomes cynicism and never stops piercing your heart a little).”
Dom Kingston, head of publicity
“Absolutely beautiful and delicately written. The sheer tenderness and heart-breaking truth had me captivated immediately. Lovely too to have a happy, but in no way saccharine, ending.”
Frances Sleigh, sales executive
“I was utterly seduced by this book. I loved the simple authenticity of the voice, I loved the heartbreaking story and I loved the miraculous, uplifting resolution, which made my heart sing and my eyes weep. AGAIN. It’s a book I will be giving to my Jacqueline Wilson-obsessed 9-year old who, I know, will also adore it. She probably won’t cry as much as I did, because 9-year olds are tough little things, but she will be transported, as I was, into the shoes of one of the most endearing, inspiring heroines I’ve encountered for a long while.”
Camilla Reid, editorial director
“Simply put, I loved this story. The voice was small but perfectly formed, and seemingly innocent sentences brought a lump to my throat. It was captivating, emotionally true and calmly convincing.”
Mary Berry, operations executive
“The best children’s novel I’ve read for years. As a writer, S. E. Durrant is wonderful; the book pulls at the heartstrings without being sentimental, and the pictures it paints linger in the mind.“
Adrian Soar, commercial director
“I really like the quiet simplicity of the voice, but also how it can be surprisingly funny. I also think the depiction of the older sister- younger brother relationship is lovely and heart-breaking and realistic, and reminds me of when my little brother and I were younger. It is exactly the kind of thing I would have devoured when I was younger.”
Ellie Corbett, publishing assistant
Little Bits of Sky will be published in May 2016. It’s a book we are hugely proud to publish on the Nosy Crow list: we cannot wait to share it with you.
If you’d like to stay up to date with all of our books news, be the first to hear of new titles and authors, and find out how to win early copies, sign up to our books newsletter here.
July 21, 2015
Come and work for Nosy Crow: we're hiring a Junior Designer
We are hiring!
We have a fantastic opportunity for a highly creative, talented, hardworking and bright Junior Designer to join our design team at Nosy Crow. 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).
Candidates will have the right to live and work in the UK and will have a minimum of between 18 months’ experience in graphic design, mostly if not exclusively in children’s publishing, and will have worked on picture books, and, ideally, on novelty books too. Proficiency in Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator programmes, excellent proven book design and typographic skills, and an understanding and love of children’s books and children’s book illustration are essential. We’re also looking for good written and spoken communication skills, and the ability to work efficiently to a deadline.
The successful candidate will work on illustrated book projects (currently picture books and novelty books, but who knows what we might do in future?) from initial layouts all the way through to production, supporting the illustrator or the author/illustrator throughout the creative process. The junior 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 [at] nosycrow [dot] com).
The most important thing is that we find the right person, so if you feel that you are, or will soon be, at designer level, then please contact us too: it may be that we can adapt the role to fit your level of experience.
The closing date for applications is Sunday August 9 at midnight (UK time).
July 20, 2015
My brother is a Superhero - out of this Galaxy!
No one goes into publishing for the material rewards, lord knows, but sometimes, just sometimes, someone chucks you a bone. Or in this case, a bespoke chocolate bar. At the very jolly launch of David Solomons’ top notch book, MY BROTHER IS A SUPERHERO, the other week, he gave a great speech and then handed out gifts! He can come again. Thank you, David, for such a thoughtful gesture, and I very much hope that the gannets in the crows’ nest will leave one in the fridge for me…
My Brother is a Superhero is out now! If you’ve not yet discovered this out-of-this-world funny debut, you can read the first two chapters below:
Buy the book online.
And there’s an app, too! You can download the free My Brother is a Superhero game from the App Store here – and here’s a quick preview:
July 17, 2015
Announcing the line-up for our How to Write Children's Fiction Masterclass
In case you missed the news, the Nosy Crow How to Write Children’s Fiction Masterclass is back – and today we are very pleased to announce the first of our speakers for the event!
This will be an intensive, all-day writing masterclasses, with sessions from authors, editors, agents, staff at Nosy Crow, and more – with practical suggestions, advice on every aspect of writing, as well as guidance about what comes after – finding an agent, understanding a contract, and international selling. As part of each masterclass, there’ll also be one-on-one manuscript critiques for every attendee (for anyone who has sent along writing samples in advance).
And here are the first of our speakers!
The day will begin with an overview of the children’s fiction market from Nosy Crow’s Managing Director, Kate Wilson, setting a context for children’s fiction in 2015.
Our fiction editor, Kirsty Stansfield, will lead the first part of the morning: a practical, editorial session, filled with essential lessons for writing fiction.
Hubble Bubble fiction series author Tracey Corderoy will talk about creating chapter books for young and newly-independent readers.
Louise Lamont, literary agent at LBA Books (and co-host of the fantastic Down the Rabbit Hole radio series), 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, all of our attendees will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one editorial feedback on their own work. Our advisors on the day will include Kate Wilson, Kirsty Stansfield, and Tom Bonnick.
David Solomons, author of the hilarious My Brother is a Superhero, will lead a session on writing funny books
Kate Wilson will close the masterclass with a session on the importance of thinking internationally, and writing for a global audience – followed by a glass of wine at the end of the day.
And we have more brilliant speakers yet to announce!
The masterclass is taking place here at the Crow’s Nest – 10a Lant St, London, SE1 1QR – on Saturday October 10th – and there are just a few tickets left!
If you’d like to book one of the final places on the masterclass, you can do so with the form below, or at this page.
We hope you can join us!
July 16, 2015
Win copies of our new books!
It’s time for our monthly book giveaway! Next week our August titles will be published, and if you’re a resident of the UK or Ireland, you can win any of them simply by subscribing to our Books Newsletter and sending us an email with the book you’d like to win. Here’s what’s out next month – and what you can win:
We’re publishing two new books in the fantastic Sing Along With Me nursery rhyme board book series illustrated by Yu-Hsuan Huang. Each book comes with five slider mechanisms, and both an instrumental and vocal version of the nursery rhyme – simply scan the QR code on the first page for little ones to listen and sing along! Here’s a look at our next two Sing Along With Me books, The Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star:
You could win Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Jungle – the third book in the fantastic Flip Flap series, illustrated by Axel Scheffler. With its sturdy, split pages and spiral binding, 121 possible combinations, silly names and animal noises to make you giggle, this hilarious rhyming flip-flap book in a fun format is perfect for pre-schoolers. Little readers will adore flipping Axel’s animals again and again to see what crazy creatures they can create – and to find out what strange noises they make too!
Who Woke the Baby?, a BEAUTIFUL new picture book written by Jane Clarke and illustrated by Charles Fuge, is up for grabs – irresistible illustrations, coupled with an incredibly satisfying cyclical text and repeated refrains, make this an unforgettable, read-along romp of a book, by the creators of the Gilbert the Great series. Here’s a look inside the book:
Pre-order the book online.
You can win a copy of the first paperback edition of Pip and Posy: Look and Say by Axel Scheffler – an engaging picture book with richly-detailed scenes, a conversational, friendly text and Axel’s characteristic touches of humour. Here’s a look inside:
Pre-order the book online.
There’s also a new paperback edition of Alison Murray’s fantastic picture book Princess Penelope and the Runaway Kitten out next month – a tactile treat of a book with glitter on every page! Follow Princess Penelope as she runs through the palace and the palace grounds, including a maze, garden and the royal stables, chasing her naughty runaway kitten – the kitten is all tangled up with wool, which makes a crazy pink glitter trail of shapes behind her as she leaps and jumps through the book. Here’s a look inside:
Pre-order the book online.
And finally, you could win My Great Success and other Failures, the fourth hilarious book in Catherine Wilkins’ brilliant series. Jess’s cartoons are actually beginning to take off. A local comic store wants to use them in a campaign and she is in danger of becoming really rather famous (at school). This leads to some tensions with her friends. Why can’t people be happy for her? It’s not as if success is going to her head, or anything. Or actually that it’s anything like success at all… Here’s a look inside the book:
Pre-order the book online.
To win any of these books, all you have to do is subscribe to our books newsletter (if you’ve already subscribed you’re still eligible for this competition) and send an email to tom at nosycrow dot com with “Newsletter competition” in the subject heading and the title of the book you’d like to win, and your address, in the body of your email. So have a good think about which book you’d like to win (we can only accept one entry per person), and good luck – we’ll pick the winners at random next week.
July 15, 2015
My Brother is a Superhero: "It reminds me of Horrid Henry"
For the last couple of months we’ve been sharing videos made by a class of 10 year olds from Netley Primary School who were given special proof copies of My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons – and today we’ve posted three more to our YouTube channel!
At the top of this post you can watch some of the children from Netley revealing their favourite character – and here are a couple of their individual reviews:
Super-exciting, laugh-out-loud funny, and with enough heart to fill an entire galaxy, this is perfect for fans of Frank Cottrell Boyce.
You can read the opening of the book for yourself below – and you can find it in shops now!
Buy the book online.
We’d love to see your own reactions to My Brother is a Superhero – so if you buy the book and read it with a child, there’ll be prizes for anyone who sends us their videos. If you have a video that you’d like to share, send an email to tom at nosycrow dot com or tweet to @NosyCrowBooks.
July 14, 2015
Can you beat Ed's top score?
A couple of weeks ago we launched our new free game app, My Brother is a Superhero, to celebrate publication of the fantastic, hilarious debut novel of the same name by David Solomons.
It’s an incredibly addictive arcade-style asteroids game: the aim of the game is to prevent incoming asteroids from reaching the earth with the help of different superpower icons – and the longer you last, the higher your score!
And we’ve been thrilled by everyone’s response to the app! It’s been promoted by Apple as one of the Best New Games on the App Store, received some great reviews…. and most importantly, there’s been a LOT of competition to see who can achieve the best score.
So far, the top score that I’m aware of belongs to Ed (who has the slight advantage of having helped make the app…): a massive – and frankly UNBELIEVABLE – 651. My highest score is currently languishing at 562 (and it took longer than I am proud to admit to get that far).
We’ve loved seeing everyone share their own scores on Twitter – even if some of us are a bit better than others:
ipadkids</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidSolomons2">DavidSolomons2 Dont know how my 5yr old got to know of this but he sure is enjoying it. #starlad pic.twitter.com/YEiyNoFQpL
— Arvind Narayanaswamy (@arvindnswamy) July 10, 2015
Goodness, the new NosyCrow</a> app for My Brother is a Superhero is ridiculously addictive. Great stuff! (And it's FREE!)</p>— Lisa Davis (LisaLibros) July 11, 2015
mingellasfella</a> BOOM 100!!!!! <a href="http://t.co/EhdaqmrswQ">pic.twitter.com/EhdaqmrswQ</a></p>— Joggingkangaroo (joggingkangaroo) July 12, 2015
My brother is a súperhero pic.twitter.com/h397GGuVdS
— Bay (@joaquincervant1) July 6, 2015
NosyCrowApps</a> Still a way to go before I reach that best score! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Starlad?src=hash">#Starlad</a> <a href="http://t.co/L6l46ii0b9">pic.twitter.com/L6l46ii0b9</a></p>— James Stant (JamesStant) July 3, 2015
mingellasfella</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NosyCrowApps">NosyCrowApps the kids will easily whip me! Getting a little better :) pic.twitter.com/mlN9MWY3Gx
— #fourlittletesters (@4littletesters) July 2, 2015
mingellasfella</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NosyCrowApps">NosyCrowApps axxxj</a> ok guys now I'm off to bed, but the bar has been set ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/competivedad?src=hash">#competivedad</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/starlad?src=hash">#starlad</a> <a href="http://t.co/Fr3dkcMyjI">pic.twitter.com/Fr3dkcMyjI</a></p>— #fourlittletesters (4littletesters) July 2, 2015
Meanwhile, I think our rights manager Ola needs a bit more practice:
Well, well, well… I think we've got our champion CodingCrow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NosyCrowApps">NosyCrowApps! pic.twitter.com/eAwOuqNqmE
— Ola G (@OlaPolaBear) July 2, 2015
The app is completely free to download and play – and we’d love to hear what you make of it! Tweet to @NosyCrowApps and tell us your own high score with the #starlad hashtag – and there’ll be a special My Brother is a Superhero-related prize for anyone who can beat Ed’s 651!
Here’s a quick preview of the app:
If you do download the app, we’d be incredibly grateful if you’d consider leaving a review and rating on the App Store – it makes an enormous difference.
You can find My Brother is a Superhero on the App Store here.
And you can take a look inside the brilliant book below! Here are the first two chapters:
Buy the book online.
Enjoy My Brother is a Superhero!
July 13, 2015
Witchmyth is coming soon!
This September we’re incredibly excited to be publishing Witchmyth, by Emma Fischel – the second book in a bewitching series that delivers an ingeniously imaginative twist on witch fiction. The first finished copies of the book have just arrived in the Crow’s Nest – and they look incredible!
Witchmyth sees Flo, the hero of Witchworld, pitched into battle with a dire creature the inhabitants of her world have long thought to be extinct – the terrible Haggfiend! Armed only with Old Magic, can Flo stop the dreadful threat to Witchworld? There’s only one way to find out. Let battle against the scary, hairy hag commence…
This is perfect for 9+ readers who like imaginatively-written fantasy – and with fantastic cover and character illustrations by Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell, and stunning neon-orange sprayed edges, it is a simply IRRESISTIBLE book.
And today you can take a look inside Witchmyth for the first time! Here are the opening three chapters of the book:
You can pre-order Witchmyth here – and if you’d like to hear about all of our new and upcoming books, and find out how to win copies, you can sign up to our books mailing list here.
July 10, 2015
There's just over a week left to apply for a Sales and Publicity Assistant position at Nosy Crow
Last week we announced that we’re hiring a Sales and Publicity Assistant – and there’s just over a week left to apply for the position: the closing date for applications is a week on Monday (July 20th).
Our new, rapidly growing sales, marketing and publicity department needs a Sales and Publicity Assistant whose key function will be to assist the Head of Sales and Marketing, the Head of Publicity and the Sales Executive with the following:
Sales:
Order processing/invoicing
Maintaining Nielsen title editor
Creating/maintaining AIs
Devising look and copy for monthly customer e-newsletter
Providing support for UK/Ireland and Export Agents
Maintaining a master presentation/grid for sales/marketing
Producing specific powerpoint presentations
Attending key customer meetings and taking minutes
In-house design of simple sales flyers
Publicity:
Booking travel and accommodation and arrange tech for events and festivals
Creating Powerpoint presentations for author events
Managing press clippings
Sending publicity material to festivals, librarians, press etc
Creating publicity slides for sales presentations
Assisting Head of Publicity as and when required, including prize nominations and attending author events on an ad hoc basis
We would like you already to have had some experience in a publishing marketing environment – preferably in a children’s department – although this is not essential. A basic knowledge of design would also be preferable in order to produce simple flyers and powerpoint presentations.
This is a key job in a fast moving young company which enjoys and is successful at what it does. You’ll need to be flexible, determined, and good at getting on with a tightly knit team and its external customers. You’ll report to the Head of Sales and Marketing.
Applications (stating salary expectation) to Catherine Stokes (catherine@nosycrow.com) by Monday 20th July.
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