Nosy Crow's Blog, page 82

There are just a few days remaining to apply for three positions at Nosy Crow

We’re currently recruiting for three different positions at Nosy Crow, and there are just a few days remaining to apply to each position: the closing date for applications for all three roles is Monday, April 23rd.

We’re looking for a Senior Publicity Manager who will shape and lead the PR strategy for our authors, illustrators and books – you can find out more about the position here.

We’re hiring a Production Executive who’ll be responsible for delivering great-looking books, on budget and on time – you can find out more here.

And we’re looking for a Digital Marketing Executive who will work across all of Nosy Crow’s digital programme – audio, video, online and more. You can find out more here.

Good luck!

Our new app, Don’t Wake Up Tiger, is out now!

Our newest app, Don’t Wake Up Tiger, is available on the App Store now!

Based on the internationally best-selling and award-winning picture book by Britta Teckentrup, Don’t Wake Up Tiger! features a beautifully animated and interactive story, a song, and two fun games – Matching Pairs and Spot the Difference.

And all for just 99¢/ 99p!

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

And if you like the app, you’ll love the book! Don’t Wake Up Tiger is also available as an absolutely stunning, wonderfully interactive print picture book – with a charming text, stylish art, and bright, shiny spot UV balloons throughout, its perfect for the very young. Here’s a look inside the book:

Buy the book.

We hope you enjoy Don’t Wake Up Tiger!

Maisie Day explains… The Big Bang

Today we’re delighted to share the first in a brand new series of science explainer videos, 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.

And in the first of these explainer videos, Maisie Day explains The Big Bang!

You can watch the video at the top of this post – and if you’ve not yet discovered The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, you can take a look inside the book below:

Buy the book.

A mind-bending mystery for 9+ readers combining cutting-edge science, gripping adventure and real heart, The Times named The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day their Children’s Book of the Week, writing: “Wow, I wish Christopher Edge had been my science teacher. The writer, who in timely fashion nods to Stephen Hawking early in this gripping story, has a magical way of distilling difficult concepts for the very young: relativity, gravity, time and space, infinity. It helps, of course, that he weaves these ideas into a high-energy thriller about virtual reality, black holes and strained sibling relationships.”

You can watch our trailer for the book below:

We’ll be sharing the next of these science explainer videos next week – keep an eye on this blog!

Drawing (for) Europe

Today’s blogpost is by The Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler, on the Drawing (for) Europe project.

I remember the day after the EU Referendum very well. My first encounter of the day was on the school run where I met a British mum at the German school who was in tears about the outcome. Later that day I traveled to Germany to take part in a Brexit discussion on the radio and had dinner with a journalist and Markus Weber, children’s publisher at Moritz Verlag, and we were all completely devastated. We all felt strongly, and still do, that a united Europe is the greatest guarantee for peace and prosperity in Europe, and so that evening we wondered what we could we do to convey this idea to children, as it’s predominantly their future that is at risk.

A year later, Markus had the idea to ask the illustrators he has published to create a picture for Europe… the brief was very open. He works with illustrators from many countries and 16 of us responded to the task. The illustrations were presented one evening at the Frankfurt Book Fair. A minister in the German Government, Katharina Barley (herself a fervent European with grandparents from four different nations), happened to hear about the project and suggested exhibiting it at the Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs in Berlin. The exhibition was shown there in December and advertised on the German Government website.

In November 2017, The Guardian published a feature about the project, and this gave Sophie, my editor at Scholastic, the idea that the exhibition should also travel to London. The Institut Français very kindly offered to show the exhibition at its premises. We then thought it would be a good idea to extend the exhibition and to ask some British illustrators to draw a picture for Europe, thus creating a kind of visual dialogue in drawing. The response was great and I’m thrilled that the exhibition has now grown with contributions from UK illustrators . A sign that there is hope for international cooperation, common European values and that we do care about the future of our young readers. I hope that many children will be able to come and see the exhibition and that it will make them think about Europe.

The Drawing (for) Europe exhibition will run at the Institut Francais in London from Friday 20 April – Friday 11 May, with the original exhibition complemented by drawings by British artists, including Quentin Blake, Benji Davies and Bridget Strevens Marzo. Join Axel Scheffler on Europe Day, on 9 May for a special tour of the exhibition, followed by a talk on European citizenship with Alexander Freiherr Knigge (Pulse of Europe) and Kalypso Nicolaidis (Centre for International Studies, Oxford University).

Take a look inside So You Think You Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life in Ancient Egypt

This April we were thrilled to publish So You Think You’ve Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life in Ancient Egypt written by Chae Strathie and illustrated by Marisa Morea – the first book in a new non-fiction series, published in collaboration with The British Museum, with plenty of hilarious and highly accurate facts about Ancient Egypt and what your life might have been like if you were a kid way back when.

And today you can take a look inside the book!

A kid’s life in ancient Egypt might sound like fun with all the cool pyramids and glorious sunny weather, but actually it was rather tough! In this hilarious book, written by award-winning author Chae Strathie, children will learn exactly how difficult life really was, from dodging Deathstalker scorpions and cleaning up cow dung, to fetching water from the well, eating roast hedgehog and being slammed in the stocks for being naughty at school! Probably the first book about ancient Egypt that involves bubble wrap and skateboards!

Engagingly written and hilariously illustrated throughout, this is perfect for fans of horrible histories, and anyone who loves fascinating historical facts, especially when told with a heavy dollop of humour.

Here’s a look inside the book:

So You Think You Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life in Ancient Egypt is available now in all good bookstores and online – you can find out more about the book here.

Keep a look out for more books in this amazing and hilarious historical series – coming soon! The second book is all about the ins and outs of Ancient Greece, and the third book will dive into the fascinating world of Ancient Rome.

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

The Production team at Nosy Crow is hiring, and we have an opportunity for a Production Executive to join our small and friendly team. This is an exciting and fast-paced 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 an email of no more than 500 words outlining why you think that this is the right job for you to Alex Dickinson (alex@nosycrow.com). The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 23rd April. Please also tell us where you heard about this position.

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 Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

The Nosy Crow Reading Group is back in a couple of weeks – we’ll be discussing Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, by Jessica Townsend, recent winner of the Younger Fiction category of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

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

We’ll be meeting on Monday, April 23rd 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 Nevermoor online from Waterstones here.

We hope to see you there!

Come and work for Nosy Crow: we’re hiring a Digital Marketing Executive

Nosy Crow is growing! We have an incredible opportunity for a hardworking, bright individual with the right to live and work in the UK to join our team at Nosy Crow as a Digital Marketing Executive on a full-time basis, working in our London office near London Bridge.

Purpose of the Job:

The role of the Digital Marketing Executive is to work across all of Nosy Crow’s digital marketing programme (including social media, audio, video, and other online platforms) and across the full Nosy Crow publishing list – including novelty, picture book, fiction and non-fiction titles. The Digital Marketing Executive may be expected to work on a range of projects at every stage of development, from concept through to delivery, and is expected to work within an agreed timeframe.

The Digital Marketing Executive reports to the Business Development Manager and Senior Commissioning Editor, and will also work closely with Nosy Crow’s sales, PR and marketing teams to maximise the success of Nosy Crow’s books.

Key responsibilities and tasks:

Planning and delivering digital marketing campaigns across the Nosy Crow list and analysing campaign results
Content creation and audience engagement across the Nosy Crow blog and other social media and digital marketing channels (including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Mailchimp and issuu)
Updating and managing the Nosy Crow website and other online platforms
Working on Nosy Crow’s audio publishing programme at every stage, including scheduling, planning, production, editing and publication
Working on Nosy Crow’s events programme at every stage of development

 

Key skills, characteristics and capabilities:

A keen interest in children’s books, and in digital publishing and marketing
An enthusiastic user of social media
Comfortable using content management systems (e.g. WordPress, Mailchimp)
Able to produce great copy
A strong eye for design (experience with Photoshop and InDesign would be desirable)
Comfortable using audio and video editing and production tools
Excellent attention to detail
Excellent communication and presentation skills
Resourceful and able to demonstrate initiative – a self-starter

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

To apply, please email your CV and a cover letter to Tom Bonnick (tom@nosycrow.com), with details of your current salary.

The closing date for applications is Monday 23rd April 2018 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.

The Phantom Lollipop Man is Scottish Book Trust’s Children’s Book of the Month!

Earlier this year we published The Phantom Lollipop Man, the latest book in the award-winning and bestselling Baby Aliens series, written by Pamela Butchart and illustrated by Thomas Flintham. And we’re absolutely delighted that Scottish Book Trust have recently named The Phantom Lollipop Man their Children’s Book of the Month!

To celebrate the book, Scottish Book Trust have five copies of The Phantom Lollipop Man to give away, and an interview with Pamela – you can find out more on their website, here.

Here’s a look inside The Phantom Lollipop Man:

Buy the book online.

Watch our new April 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 April 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.