Ruth Whenham's Blog, page 4

July 1, 2014

The Day My Teacher Came to Tea – Published in China!

Picture I am excited to announce that one of my books has been selected for publication as an ebook in China. 

Erik Abrahamsson from the publishing company Chinofy explained why he thought that my book, The Day My Teacher Came to Tea, is a fantastic fit for the Chinese market. 

He said, “The Confucian tradition of teaching is often incredibly strict and stressful for students and this story will appeal to parents who want their children to feel more relaxed around their teachers. Secondly, this book can be read by both children and parents together, which is becoming the norm of bonding in Chinese families. And finally, we should not forget that drinking tea is an even older and more prevalent habit in China than even in the UK, so the title is sure to entice Chinese readers!”

The link to my ebook on the Chinese website, taobao is: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=39...

The Day My Teacher Came to tea is also available in paperback, hardback and as an interactive ebook.

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Published on July 01, 2014 07:52

June 8, 2014

SpaSpa Book Awards - I'm on the list!

Indie Book Bargains Picture SpaSpa Book Awards 2013 have listed my book, Birthday Cake Disaster, as a contender for their Children's Fiction Award. The illustrations for the book have also been nominated in the 'Best illustrations' category - well done on that achievement to Emma KL Hunt.

I had no idea about this at all until I was contacted tonight. It has been a lovely end to a perfect sunny Sunday! 

Do take a look and wish me luck at the next stage!
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Published on June 08, 2014 13:09

June 3, 2014

Parrots, mice, monkeys and now...

In the first Captain Sillyvoice adventure we included a parrot for readers to find in each scene, not to mention the mischievous mice popping up all over the place. In the next story we added the cheeky monkeys. In the new book, Captain Sillyvoice and the Sea Monster (coming soon!), we will be introducing a fantastic little frog.

Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band

Picture Picture Captain Sillyvoice Takes to the Stage
Picture Picture Picture Captain Sillyvoice and the Sea Monster
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Published on June 03, 2014 08:04

May 27, 2014

New Review

Very happy to see my book, Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band, featured in the “Saturday Book Review” section of “Children’s Books Facebook” 

Here it is:
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Published on May 27, 2014 10:17

May 24, 2014

Preview a sample of Birthday Cake Disaster (Interactive touch book)

Easy to download to iPad

Animations, sound effects and narration (optional!)

Includes recipe for pink party cake

Only $1.99/£1.49

Currently selected in the 'featured' book list on ITB

Loads of other great interactive books also available at ITB, including My Crazy Purple Pen and The Day My Teacher Came to Tea .

I would love to hear from any readers, so please do get in touch.
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Published on May 24, 2014 08:27

May 18, 2014

Captain Sillyvoice and the Sea Monster

There is more trouble ahead for Captain Sillyvoice and his awesome pirate crew.

The next adventure in this series is coming soon...
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Published on May 18, 2014 09:30

May 15, 2014

An interactive reading experience for young children

If you own an iPad or iPhone, and have young children to entertain, then the Interactive Touch Book (ITB) store is a great resource. It features a wide range of interactive books, most of which are priced at $1.99 (£1.49) or less.

Birthday Cake Disaster is now available from ITB. This new version of my book features narration, simple animations, touch screen interaction and sound effects.  The recipe for pink party cake is still included too!

My Crazy Purple Pen and The Day My Teacher Came to Tea are also available from ITB in this format.

As always, I would love to receive feedback on any of my interactive touch books.

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Published on May 15, 2014 10:17

May 6, 2014

Why do authors give their books away?

Through an Amazon programme called KDP select, authors can offer their ebooks for free download for up to 5 days (every 3 months). Friends who are not in the business of being an indie author wonder why I would do this; giving books away for free does seem counterintuitive, that's for sure.

The fact is that the biggest challenge for me and other indie authors is how to get discovered amidst huge competition, and also how to persuade new readers to take a chance on an author they haven't tried before. Offering free ebooks from time to time is one way to raise your profile. Many book recommendation sites will feature your book if it is available for free (without charging for advertising, just so long as they think their readers will be interested of course), and for a few days you are discoverable. The reader has nothing to lose in giving your book a try! 

The idea is that new readers will enjoy your book and consider purchasing other ebooks that you have written or invest in a paperback copy. In addition to this the indie author hopes that readers will post reviews on Amazon or other sites such as Goodreads . Reviews are really important to indie authors. We need genuine feedback to help us showcase and sell our books.

I have just finished a free ebook promotion with my book, Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band. This is the third time I have offered one of my books for free and the results have been the best yet. The ebook was downloaded by UK, American, Canadian and Japanese customers. I was particularly delighted by the number of Japanese customers.

It is now a waiting game to see whether readers post reviews, make other purchases or even do both!

If you downloaded a copy of Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band, please do post a review .
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Published on May 06, 2014 12:37

April 27, 2014

Free eBook for young children available now

Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band is currently free to download from Amazon. Why not take a look!

Offer ends 1 May 2014.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GKR1MO0

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Published on April 27, 2014 11:01

April 23, 2014

... and a scrumdiddlyumptious time was had by all.

Picture So, here I am, seated upon Roald Dahl’s writing chair – a wonderfully comfortable way to write I must say – enjoying a fantastic visit to a little museum in Buckinghamshire (The Roald Dahl Museum). By this point I had already meandered my way happily through a couple of rooms, each jam packed with photos, interview footage and other fascinating archive materials.

My family were with me and so a break for refreshments in the Cafe Twit was a must-do. We ordered a couple of deliciously naughty drinks; a swishwiffler and a whizzpopper if I recall correctly! The cakes were scrummy too.

Fully sugar-loaded after our break, we were ready for the story time workshop. My daughter was given the role of Little Red Riding Hood; only in Roald Dahl’s version, she is a wonderfully wicked character! If you’ve never read his book, Revolting Rhymes, then I urge you to do so. It really is a master class on how to write in rhyme. The rhythm throughout is superb and the stories are so clever and funny.  Needless to say that my daughter had much fun acting the part, especially when she was required to pull a pistol from her knickers to shoot the nasty wolf.

It was time to round off the day with a bit of exercise and so we set off on a walk around the village but not just any old walk. Roald Dahl lived and worked for 36 years in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire and there are places and scenes all around that are said to have inspired his stories. We particularly enjoyed the countryside route that took us through woodlands that were the inspiration for the setting of Fantastic Mr Fox and then through to another wood, said to resemble those described in Danny, Champion of the World.

...and a scrumdiddlyumptious time was had by all.

Time for me to get my own thinking cap on now and get writing.
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Published on April 23, 2014 06:51