An ode to the power of reading, The Bush Book Club, written by master of children's stories Margaret Wild and illustrated by Ben Wood (who can draw an Australian marsupial like no other), this is one for all the young readers in your life.
11 June 2014
The Bush Book Club
Bilby, like lots of new readers, can't sit still long enough to enjoy reading a book. And yet he feels lonely and left out when his friends are meeting at the Bush Book Club headquarters. One night after they have all gone home Bilby sneaks in and discovers a book that makes his heart sing. And then he discovers the sequel ...
An ode to the power of reading, The Bush Book Club, written by master of children's stories Margaret Wild and illustrated by Ben Wood (who can draw an Australian marsupial like no other), this is one for all the young readers in your life.
An ode to the power of reading, The Bush Book Club, written by master of children's stories Margaret Wild and illustrated by Ben Wood (who can draw an Australian marsupial like no other), this is one for all the young readers in your life.
06 June 2014
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22 May 2014
CBCA 2014 Canberra
The CBCA celebrated itself last weekend with its conference in Canberra. Well done to all the organisers - it is a truly gargantuan, herculean job to pull all those people and events together. Especially wonderful was the dinner in the War Memorial which stunned us all. The War Memorial in Canberra is a very extraordinary place in the day time but at night as I entered in front of the darkened pool of remembrance with the eternal flame flickering at the far end and then walked past those silent cases of medals and uniforms and photographs it made a chill run up my spine. War is not splendid, it is not glorious; it is sombre and sad and it relies on the deaths of men and women and children. I believe it can never be celebrated but it must be remembered.
We watched a light and sound show from above the Lancaster Bomber, G for George, which had flown in WW11. An enormous machine it dominated the very large space and around it the caterers had set the tables. We sat, dwarfed, under a wing and enjoyed a very fine dinner. In fact I would go so far as to say this was the best CBCA dinner I have attended.
What would publishing in this country do without the CBCA awards? When I was first publisher at Omnibus a shortlisting could add as much as 20000 to a book's print run, sometimes even more. Now we are lucky to get an extra two or three thousand copies but in this age of diminishing book sales these extra copies are so very important. So I thank them all, those judges whose opinions I might argue with are doing a wonderful, important job and it is through their consistent and devoted efforts that Australian children's publishing is stable.
Here I am at the national Library with Mark Mcleod. Mark is the tall chap in the front. I am the dwarf behind him. Photography is clearly not the talent of Ann James who took this image. Thankfully she is awash with other talents. Books Illustrated put on an exhibition of Bob Graham's work - wow. I was speechless and not because I had drunk two glasses of champagne. Or three. The man is a talent so big he ought to have a special award all for himself.
Curated so very well by Ann James and Anne Haddon - well done ladies.
Omnibus slipped a book into each of the conference bags and already we have had some wonderful feedback - this from an attendee:
Just finished reading Catherine Norton's book, CROSSING. Published with Omnibus Books, it's a fabulous read - a true 'couldn't put it down' sort of book, with many insightful explorations of the human condition; about how brainwashing takes away empathy; and the institutional terror of a repressive regime told matter-of-factly through the voice of an (almost) accepting child. Thoroughly recommended for ages 10-100 (or thereabouts). Even though specific places or time-frame are not told, anyone old enough to be aware of the tragedy of the Berlin Wall and the heroics of many who fought against it will thrill at this story told through the observant Cara's eyes. It will also work for a generation of younger readers (and thinkers). '12 year-old Cara has grown up in the shadow of the Wall, in a closed world of food shortages and high security. Her parents are dedicated to their secret work for the government, and it’s only a matter of time before her gifted younger sister follows in their footsteps. It’s all Cara has ever known, until the summer she meets Ava and Leon. Ava doesn’t care about rules. Nothing will ever be the same."
Happy days!
I was really pleased to chair a session with our own marvelous Michael Bauer.
Michael is possibly the most versatile author we have in our list - his talent extends to just about every genre - he hasn't yet written detective fiction but hey! Who knows? Michael shared the stage with his good mate and almost-as-talented friend Barry Jonsberg. Those two were seriously funny.
Micheal's newest series is the spin off from Eric Vale - Derek Danger Dale. This cartoon within the Eric series was so funny we wanted the character to have a life of his own - Michael has invented the wackiest story lines I've ever seen.
And lastly it was really really lovely to catch up with all my mates from publishing; Erica, Laura , Maryanne, , Zoe, Stephanie, Rochelle, Margrete...all women who work tirelessly to support, defend and grow Australian children's publishing.
here's to our wonderful industry and all the extraordinary people in it!
We watched a light and sound show from above the Lancaster Bomber, G for George, which had flown in WW11. An enormous machine it dominated the very large space and around it the caterers had set the tables. We sat, dwarfed, under a wing and enjoyed a very fine dinner. In fact I would go so far as to say this was the best CBCA dinner I have attended.
What would publishing in this country do without the CBCA awards? When I was first publisher at Omnibus a shortlisting could add as much as 20000 to a book's print run, sometimes even more. Now we are lucky to get an extra two or three thousand copies but in this age of diminishing book sales these extra copies are so very important. So I thank them all, those judges whose opinions I might argue with are doing a wonderful, important job and it is through their consistent and devoted efforts that Australian children's publishing is stable.
Curated so very well by Ann James and Anne Haddon - well done ladies.
Omnibus slipped a book into each of the conference bags and already we have had some wonderful feedback - this from an attendee:
Just finished reading Catherine Norton's book, CROSSING. Published with Omnibus Books, it's a fabulous read - a true 'couldn't put it down' sort of book, with many insightful explorations of the human condition; about how brainwashing takes away empathy; and the institutional terror of a repressive regime told matter-of-factly through the voice of an (almost) accepting child. Thoroughly recommended for ages 10-100 (or thereabouts). Even though specific places or time-frame are not told, anyone old enough to be aware of the tragedy of the Berlin Wall and the heroics of many who fought against it will thrill at this story told through the observant Cara's eyes. It will also work for a generation of younger readers (and thinkers). '12 year-old Cara has grown up in the shadow of the Wall, in a closed world of food shortages and high security. Her parents are dedicated to their secret work for the government, and it’s only a matter of time before her gifted younger sister follows in their footsteps. It’s all Cara has ever known, until the summer she meets Ava and Leon. Ava doesn’t care about rules. Nothing will ever be the same."
Happy days!
I was really pleased to chair a session with our own marvelous Michael Bauer.
Michael is possibly the most versatile author we have in our list - his talent extends to just about every genre - he hasn't yet written detective fiction but hey! Who knows? Michael shared the stage with his good mate and almost-as-talented friend Barry Jonsberg. Those two were seriously funny.
Micheal's newest series is the spin off from Eric Vale - Derek Danger Dale. This cartoon within the Eric series was so funny we wanted the character to have a life of his own - Michael has invented the wackiest story lines I've ever seen.
And lastly it was really really lovely to catch up with all my mates from publishing; Erica, Laura , Maryanne, , Zoe, Stephanie, Rochelle, Margrete...all women who work tirelessly to support, defend and grow Australian children's publishing.
here's to our wonderful industry and all the extraordinary people in it!
29 April 2014
Win a copy of 'Crossing' and a prize pack of books for your school!
To celebrate the May 2014 release of Crossing, the new novel by Catherine Norton, we're having a competition! What can you win?
Three winning entries will receive a prize pack of books valued at $50 plus a signed copy of Crossing.
To enter, go to the author’s website, read an excerpt from Crossing and imagine in 25 words or less what you would do in Cara’s situation with ninety-two eggs. Cook an omelette for a giant? Start an easter bunny franchise? The longest egg and spoon race ever?
Entries close Tuesday 10 June 2014. (Open to all residents of Australia aged between 10 and 18.) So get cracking! (Oops, sorry.)
Twelve-year-old Cara has grown up in the shadow of the Wall, in a closed world of food shortages and high security. Her parents are dedicated to their secret work for the government, and it’s only a matter of time before her gifted younger sister follows in their footsteps.
It’s all Cara has ever known, until the summer she meets Ava and Leon. Ava doesn’t care about rules. Nothing will ever be the same.
07 April 2014
Indignant but anonymous authors
I know, better than most, how dispiriting it is to not have your work accepted for publication. I feel for the many, many authors and illustrators who send their work to us and hear nothing back. In the past Omnibus religiously responded to every single submission - we kept all rejection letters, we entered names addresses and manuscripts into a database. It was a huge amount of work. Then our office staff was reduced and we had no choice but to stop doing those things because if we tried to we were all going to lose our minds. We put up new guidelines. We encouraged anyone who rang us to read them. We explained that if an author had heard nothing in three months they could safely assume their work had not been accepted. We updated the guidelines regularly to inform people about which month's submissions had been finished - we worked harder at clearing the unsolicited pile so that people didn't have to wait as long to find out the status of their work.
Apparently this is not enough for some. We have had a handful of bitter letters from people telling us how horrible we are for not responding - always anonymous of course in case they ever send anything again. Telling us how little it would take to send a rejection or (what most appear to want) information as to why their submission was rejected. Some of these made me very sad - some made me laugh. All of them made me realise that these people really haven't a clue about the work involved in reading the slush pile and are not cognisant of the fact that Omnibus is one of a very few remaining publishers that offer the opportunity. This week I had one - anonymous of course, that someone had gone to some trouble with. I apologise for the lack of copyright permission for the cartoon.
It was sort of funny but mostly sad because it does take a long time to write a novel and of course a writer wants some acknowledgment of their work. So to all those frustrated and indignant writers out there here is our blanket apology for work that isn't publishable in our list. We do hope you will all find homes for your work. We encourage you all to write what you must. We are sorry we cannot please everyone all the time. And we wish, when you tell us off, you would tell us who you are at the same time...then you might get a letter back.
I know, better than most, how dispiriting it is to not have your work accepted for publication. I feel for the many, many authors and illustrators who send their work to us and hear nothing back. In the past Omnibus religiously responded to every single submission - we kept all rejection letters, we entered names addresses and manuscripts into a database. It was a huge amount of work. Then our office staff was reduced and we had no choice but to stop doing those things because if we tried to we were all going to lose our minds. We put up new guidelines. We encouraged anyone who rang us to read them. We explained that if an author had heard nothing in three months they could safely assume their work had not been accepted. We updated the guidelines regularly to inform people about which month's submissions had been finished - we worked harder at clearing the unsolicited pile so that people didn't have to wait as long to find out the status of their work.
Apparently this is not enough for some. We have had a handful of bitter letters from people telling us how horrible we are for not responding - always anonymous of course in case they ever send anything again. Telling us how little it would take to send a rejection or (what most appear to want) information as to why their submission was rejected. Some of these made me very sad - some made me laugh. All of them made me realise that these people really haven't a clue about the work involved in reading the slush pile and are not cognisant of the fact that Omnibus is one of a very few remaining publishers that offer the opportunity. This week I had one - anonymous of course, that someone had gone to some trouble with. I apologise for the lack of copyright permission for the cartoon.
28 March 2014
The gem in the pile
I have been remiss. Nothing to blog about? No - just no time to blog, but I want to share with you a new author whose unsolicited manuscript has been such a joyful discovery that I am delighted to announce its appearance in June 2014.
Tamsin Janu sent us her first novel, Figgy In The World and it completely caught us unawares. The writing is wonderful, the character so appealing we want to adopt her ourselves, and the setting, Ghana, about the most far-flung setting we have ever had for a realistic novel.
Take a look at her website and while you are there you should definitely look at the trailer for her book.
I am even more encouraged by the fact that at this year's Bologna Fair there has been a lot of interest in this little book. Fingers crossed now that this translates to overseas sales. What you can learn from Tamsin's experience is that a writer who is writing about a subject dear to their heart often stands a much better chance of creating a story that will resonate with readers.
Another new work coming up for Omnibus in June is a book we have been excited about for some time. It is by the super talented Elise Hurst whose award-winning work is rather too long to list but if you take a look at her website you will see the extraordinary range of the artwork she creates. You can also view the trailer of her new book with Omnibus, Imagine A City here.
If you have a wonderful junior novel tucked away somewhere do send it in. All of February's unsolicited work has now been dealt with - if you haven't heard then sadly you are unsuccessful, but don't despair. Perhaps it will be the next book that will make its mark.
Meanwhile I should remark on the very successful Adelaide Writer's Week that was held in March. Kid's Day has become a vibrant and important part of this adult literary festival and the organisers are to be congratulated on the effort they put it. For years children were deemed too unimportant to be included - so to see kids everywhere among the throng enjoying the dress-ups and talks and fun is just wonderful.
Tamsin Janu sent us her first novel, Figgy In The World and it completely caught us unawares. The writing is wonderful, the character so appealing we want to adopt her ourselves, and the setting, Ghana, about the most far-flung setting we have ever had for a realistic novel.
Take a look at her website and while you are there you should definitely look at the trailer for her book.
I am even more encouraged by the fact that at this year's Bologna Fair there has been a lot of interest in this little book. Fingers crossed now that this translates to overseas sales. What you can learn from Tamsin's experience is that a writer who is writing about a subject dear to their heart often stands a much better chance of creating a story that will resonate with readers.
Another new work coming up for Omnibus in June is a book we have been excited about for some time. It is by the super talented Elise Hurst whose award-winning work is rather too long to list but if you take a look at her website you will see the extraordinary range of the artwork she creates. You can also view the trailer of her new book with Omnibus, Imagine A City here.
If you have a wonderful junior novel tucked away somewhere do send it in. All of February's unsolicited work has now been dealt with - if you haven't heard then sadly you are unsuccessful, but don't despair. Perhaps it will be the next book that will make its mark.
Meanwhile I should remark on the very successful Adelaide Writer's Week that was held in March. Kid's Day has become a vibrant and important part of this adult literary festival and the organisers are to be congratulated on the effort they put it. For years children were deemed too unimportant to be included - so to see kids everywhere among the throng enjoying the dress-ups and talks and fun is just wonderful.
14 January 2014
2014 is here.
Happy new year, fellow commuters!
- Catching my eye this morning is a co-recommended reading list by current favourite feminist/TV producer/writer and reading nerd Lena Dunham with past favourite feminist/children's rights advocate/writer and reading nerd Judy Blume (via The Wheeler Centre). I'm looking forward to reading Dunham's novel which she says will be out later this year. Is she Judy Blume for the 2010s maybe? Let's hope so.
- And to start the year on a positive and inspiring note, this article by Danielle Binks on the Kill Your Darlings blog in support of YA authors and publishing. We agree. Wholeheartedly.
- Catching my eye this morning is a co-recommended reading list by current favourite feminist/TV producer/writer and reading nerd Lena Dunham with past favourite feminist/children's rights advocate/writer and reading nerd Judy Blume (via The Wheeler Centre). I'm looking forward to reading Dunham's novel which she says will be out later this year. Is she Judy Blume for the 2010s maybe? Let's hope so.
- And to start the year on a positive and inspiring note, this article by Danielle Binks on the Kill Your Darlings blog in support of YA authors and publishing. We agree. Wholeheartedly.
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