Nosy Crow's Blog, page 80

There are just a few days left to apply for a Rights and Contracts Assistant position at Nosy Crow

A little ago we announced that we were recruiting a Rights and Contracts Assistant at Nosy Crow – and there is just over a week left to apply for the position: the deadline for applications is Monday, May 28th at midnight.

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 as a Rights and Contracts Assistant. Impressive rights sales were a key reason we won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018 and The Bookseller International Achievement Award at the 2018 IPG 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
Co-ordinating 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
Perfect written and spoken English as well as competence in at least one foreign language – Chinese Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese are particularly sought after
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 Kate Wilson (kate@nosycrow.com) with the subject heading Rights Assistant, telling us where you heard about the job.

Nosy Crow is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe that employing a diverse workforce is an important factor in success and make recruiting decisions based on applicants’ experience and skills.  We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief.

The next Nosy Crow Reading Group is almost here – we’re discussing The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

The Nosy Crow Reading Group is back next week – we’ll be discussing The House with Chicken Legs, by Sophie Anderson.

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

We’ll be meeting on Monday, May 21st at 6.30pm, at the Nosy Crow offices – 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row, SE1 1YW – 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 buy The House with Chicken Legs online from Waterstones here.

We hope to see you there!

“No Room on the Broom”: Axel Scheffler’s acceptance speech for the inaugural Illustrator of the Year Award at the British Book Awards

Last night, Pip and Posy illustrator Axel Scheffler received the inaugural Illustrator of the Year Award at the (otherwise known as the Nibbies). Today, with Axel’s permission, we are publishing the speech that he gave upon accepting the award.

I am very grateful to receive this inaugural Nibbie for illustration. I’d like to thank my three main publishers: Macmillan, Scholastic and Nosy Crow; Kate Wilson, who has published me for thirty years; Julia Donaldson, with whom I have forged an extraordinary – and extraordinarily successful – partnership; and I’d like to thank readers – the parents and the children who have grown up with the books I have illustrated; and The Bookseller and the judges who chose me, an foreign EU citizen in Brexit times – that’s a nice gesture.

But I also accept it with a heavy heart and maybe even a slightly bitter feeling – it feels like a consolation prize. Or even a farewell gift. I know that this is not the place for long speeches, but as you are all gathered here, I can’t pretend it’s business as usual. I’ll take only a few minutes, and then the party can go on.

It’s just ten months until “Freedom Day” – next March – and I – and my fellow EU citizens, many working in the UK book industry – are still living in uncertainty. We have, so far, no guarantee that we can still live and work here in the future. In a worst-case scenario, I might not be allowed to stay here by the time my next book with Julia Donaldson is launched.

Michael Morpurgo wrote movingly, “My uncles fought for peace, not for Brexit”. He wrote that Britain doesn’t really like the rest of Europe. And he’s right. That hurts and it makes me angry every day.

The UK has been my home for 36 years. There would have been no Gruffalo without the EU facilitating my study here. And, even if I had, somehow, studied in the UK, I would have had to leave after my studies ended in 1985. So there would never have ben the successful Anglo-German joint venture Donaldson-Scheffler.

I know that my contribution is acknowledged here tonight, and, once again, I am grateful.

But I would like to mention another person who came from Germany under completely different circumstances who is here tonight: my friend, Judith Kerr. Here, in this room, you have a refugee from the Nazis and a peace-time EU immigrant giving something for the families and the economy of the UK. But after the Brexit vote it feels, despite our contribution, as if this country is saying, “It was all a mistake! We don’t really want you after all.” A Brexiteer would, of course, say, “Of course we want them when they make money for us.” But how can you gauge the future contribution of a young girl, as Judith was when she came here, or a 25 year-old student, as I was.

It makes me sad, and I worry when I think of a post-Brexit future for the UK families, especially the children, who are growing up with our books. What went wrong? What did they miss, the parents and grandparents who were reading Room on the Broom with its message of the importance of solidarity, partnership, friendship and kindness? The book wasn’t called No Room on the Broom.

So beware, Brexit Britain – if you have no friends in a hostile environment – the dragons may come and get you.

Take a look inside My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar – the brand new book by David Solomons

Next month we’re absolutely thrilled to be publishing My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar – the fourth incredible book in the award-winning, best-selling My Brother is a Superhero series by David Solomons.

Finished copies of My Arch-Enemy have just arrived in the Crow’s Nest, and look STUNNING – and today you can take a first look inside the new book!

Luke and his brother have swapped bodies by accident. Zack’s got Luke’s weird feet while Luke has Zack’s SUPERPOWERS! Now he needs another world-threatening adventure to try them out. Could a family mini-break at Great Minds Leisure Park be his chance? Probably, because that’s where his super-clever arch-enemy lurks, fermenting dastardly plans and bubbling gently…

Exciting, hilarious and heart-warming in equal measure, this is another fantastic instalment in the My Brother is a Superhero series.

Here’s our exclusive preview of the new book:

My Arch-Enemy is a Brain in a Jar will be in shops from June 28 – you can pre-order 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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The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is now available as an audiobook

Today we’re delighted to share a new audiobook edition of The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day by multi-award-winning author Christopher Edge – a mind-bending mystery for 9+ readers combining cutting-edge science, gripping adventure and real heart, from the author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and The Jamie Drake Equation.

Beautifully narrated by Adjoa Andoh, you can buy the audiobook of The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes now.

You can watch our trailer for The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day at the top of this post – and here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

Our new app, Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Dinosaurs, is out now!

Our newest app, Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Dinosaurs, is available on the App Store now!

This is the seventh app in the brilliant, award-winning Flip Flap Animal series, with incredible new artwork from Axel, new funny poems, 121 new silly animal hybrid names and creatures, and the same wonderfully intuitive interface – swipe any part of the screen to create new animals and hear the poem read aloud, with original sound effects, music, and text highlighting.

It is INCREDIBLY satisfying (and addictive) – you’ll be swiping for hours – and all for just 99¢/ 99p!

What do you get if you cross a mighty Tyrannosaurus rex with a fearsome Triceratops? It’s a Tyrannotops, of course! And how about a giant Diplodocus with a soaring Pterodactyl? Why, that’s a Diplodactyl!

Here’s what to look for on the App Store:

And here are just a few of the brilliant combinations you can make:

 

 

And if you like the app, you’ll love the book! We’ll be publishing a print edition of Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Dinosaurs later this year, in a wonderful split-page, spiral-bound board-book format – you can find out more here.

We hope you enjoy Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Dinosaurs!

Six Nosy Crow books on the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Awards longlists!

The longlists for the 2018 North Somerset Teachers’ Book Awards have been announced, and we’re delighted to see six Nosy Crow books recognised across the different categories of the awards!

A part of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, and founded by the ‘Just About Books’ teachers’ book group, the North Somerset Teachers’ Book Award was born out of a desire to celebrate the very best in children’s literature.

This Zoo is Not For You, written and illustrated by Ross Collins, is longlisted in the Picture Books category – here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

Welcome to Our World, written by Moira Butterfield and illustrated by Harriet Lynas, is longlisted in the Information Books category – here’s a look at the book:

Pre-order the book online.

You Can’t Make Me Go To Witch School!, written by Em Lynas and illustrated by Jamie Littler, is longlisted in the Read Aloud category – books which lend themselves to being shared with an audience – whether big or small. Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book online.

And Ella on the Outside, by Cath Howe, Running On Empty, by S.E. Durrant, and HerStory, written by Katherine Halligan and illustrated by Sarah Walsh are all longlisted in the Moving On category – aimed at children who feel the need for a more challenging read, but are (perhaps) not ready for older teen/ YA fiction, and supporting them to find a satisfying read appropriate to this stage.

Here’s a look inside Ella on the Outside:

Buy the book online.

Here’s a look inside Running On Empty:

Buy the book online.

And here’s a look inside HerStory:

Buy the book online.

The shortlists for the awards will be announced in September, and the winners in November – congratulations to all of our longlisted authors and illustrators!

Watch our new May books video!

We’ve got some wonderful new books out this month – and a beautiful new video to showcase them all! You can watch our May Books video at the top of this post – and you can find out more about all of the new Nosy Crow books out this month here.

If you like the video, subscribe to our YouTube channel and you’ll be the first to find out about new content – including author Q&As, readings, live-drawings, and more.

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

We have 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 as a Rights and Contracts Assistant. Impressive rights sales were a key reason we won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018 and The Bookseller International Achievement Award at the 2018 IPG 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
Co-ordinating 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
Perfect written and spoken English as well as competence in at least one foreign language – Chinese Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese are particularly sought after
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 Kate Wilson (kate@nosycrow.com) with the subject heading Rights Assistant, telling us where you heard about the job.

The closing date for applications is Monday 28 May at midnight (UK time).

Nosy Crow is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe that employing a diverse workforce is an important factor in success and make recruiting decisions based on applicants’ experience and skills.  We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief.

Maisie Day Explains… Black Holes and Mobius Strips

Today we’re very pleased to share the final two videos in our series of science explainers, narrated by Maisie Day, hero of The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, the new book by Christopher Edge, award-winning author of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and The Jamie Drake Equation – Maisie Day explains Black Holes and Maisie Day explains Mobius Strips!

You can watch the Black Holes explainer video at the top of this post – and here’s Maisie’s Mobius Strips explainer:

If you’ve not yet discovered The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, you can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book.

And here are the previous two videos in our explainer series – firstly, Maisie Day explains The Big Bang:

And Maisie Day explains Entropy: