Publisher's Insider: The Perfect Author

I need to begin by saying that there is no such thing as the ‘perfect’ author, in just the same way as there is no perfect publisher, no perfect editor, no perfect designer — we’re all human, after all.

However, in over 20 years of publishing, I can say there are certain traits that all the very best authors seem to have in common. And these apply whether they are writing a children’s picture book aimed at 5 to 8 year olds, a self-help book aimed at adults, or a cookbook intended to tantalise the family’s tastebuds. I call them ‘the Three Cs’.

1. Curiosity. Good authors are relentlessly curious … about everything! They’re constantly exploring the world, researching new subjects, and asking questions. I always feel a sense of joy when a first-time author bombards me with questions about the publishing process — it’s usually a sign that they’ll be great to work with. Conversely, silent apathy inspires fear.

2. Commitment. Writing a manuscript is hard. It’s often a long, drawn-out process that tests even the most committed writers. So I guess it’s understandable that some authors seem to switch off the second their manuscript is delivered, believing it now to be the publisher’s responsibility.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however. It’s vital that authors remain actively involved for every single step of the production process — right through to the sales and marketing of their title once it’s published.

For those authors who choose to self-publish, their commitment needs to be even greater as they will need to be on top of every aspect of publication if they’re to be successful.

3. Confidence. This has nothing to do whether an author is shy or an extrovert and everything to do with whether or not they have a deep, unshakeable belief in the quality of their work and its worthiness to be published. They need to truly believe it has something to offer the reader that will enrich their life in some way — even if that’s just with a good belly laugh!

The life of an author is often one of rejection — manuscripts get knocked back far more often than they get accepted — so it’s that confidence that will keep them contacting publishers and putting themselves out there. It’s also what will keep their book selling once the initial media attention has passed and booksellers have moved on to the next thousand new releases.

There you have it: my Three Cs for a Perfect Author! Something to aim for, at least …

Anouska Jones is our KBR Editor. Mum to a gorgeous little girl, she has nearly twenty years' experience in the book publishing industry. A publishing consultant and editor, Anouska is obsessed by all things to do with words, writing and books. 

Review: Hedgehugs

When I opened a delivery today to discover a copy of the gorgeous Hedgehugs, I couldn’t resist publishing a review straight away. A book about hugs seems like the perfect subject for a Valentine’s Day review.

Hattie and Horace are the very best of friends. They love to do things together, but there is one thing that they just can’t share. Hattie and Horace are hedgehogs and they can’t hug. They try all sorts of solutions to their prickly problem, but no matter what the season or what they try, the hugs just don’t work properly. What will they do?

Guest Post: Behind the Scenes of the Bookworld Pop-Ups

Kids' Book Review is delighted to welcome Kim Noble from Bookworld to share with us about the story behind the Bookworld Pop-up Book Shelves and your chance to nominate the next pop-up bookshelf location. Make sure you watch the video clip - we love the way a shelf full of books brought strangers together and started conversations.

We have a bookshelf in the Bookworld office that gets a lot of attention. Mostly because all the latest and greatest books end up there way before they’re released to the public, but I don’t think the rainbow sorting harms things!

One day we started talking about how cool it would be to take this bookshelf outside of Bookworld, where people least expected it, and see what would happen.

And so we did. We created pop-up bookshelves in bus shelters in Sydney and Melbourne, filled them full of books, hid some cameras so we could keep an eye on things, and then let the passerby’s help themselves. You can take a look at what happened in this Bus Stop Bookshelf video.

KBR Short Story: The Little Rainbow

by Arna Radovich

My granpa’s face is round and brown and wrinkly, like a walnut. Mum says it’s because he’s spent his life outdoors.

His hands are gnarly and knotty like a tree branch, but they are still strong. When my granpa sees me, he always lifts me up in the air and says, "How’s my little rainbow today?"

He always calls me his little rainbow.

When my granpa comes over to look after me, he tells me stories about when he was a boy. He tells me about wild horses and howling dingoes, mad rabbits and boxing kangaroos. He tells me about the stars and the moon and about trees that look like ghosts in the bush darkness. He tells me about spitting spiders and sneaky snakes and crocodiles that look like they’re asleep when they’re not. My granpa has so many stories to tell.

"Did I ever tell you about the day that you were born?" he asks. And even though I’ve heard this story a hundred times, I always want to hear it again.

"‘On the day you were born," my granpa says, "I was very sad. A few days earlier, I'd said goodbye to Flick, my horse. Now, as you know, Flick and I had been mates since way back. But he was very old and I couldn’t ride him any more. I just let him wander around in the back pasture, eating grass. He was what you call ‘retired’ - a bit like me. He’d worked hard all his life and now it was time to take it easy."

I knew exactly what Granpa was going to say next.

"Flick was the smartest horse I ever met; we spent years working together and he knew what I was thinking before I did."

Then Granpa would give a big sigh and say, "I loved that horse, I really did," and he would just sit quietly for a while before he went on with the story.

"Then – one day, when I went down the paddock to give Flick a carrot or two, he was lying down in the long grass. His eyes were closed. He couldn’t get up. He was very sick. Not long after that, he went to the place that old horses go, and I was very sad."

Granpa looked at me. "The day you were born, it rained all day. The sky was grey, the wind was cold and then the phone rang. And who do you s’pose it was?"

"Dad!" I shouted.

"Yes," he said, "It was your father. He was ringing to say that you were born. When I went outside, the rain had stopped. A huge and perfect rainbow stretched across the sky. I drove straight to the hospital and when I saw you – and you were absolutely perfect – I forgot to be sad, because now I had my very own special little rainbow to brighten up every day."

And that’s why Granpa always calls me his 'little rainbow’. 


About Arna
Arna Radovich has always loved writing stories, but it's only now her three boys are all grown up, that she has more time to write. Arna was recently shortlisted for the CBCA Aspiring Writers' Award and has a story, Pierre the Peacock, in Sally Odger's new anthology, Charms (Volume 1). www.arnaradovich.com.au


KBR Short Stories are a way to get your work ‘out there’—and to delight our KBR readers. Stories are set to a monthly theme and submissions are due by the 25th of each month. Find out more here.

Review: Doomed

It's Pandora Walker's seventeenth birthday and she's alone at home. Her mother is away working in Alaska and is unimpressed when Pandora calls — but Pandora's used to that. Then she logs onto her email and finds a message from her long-lost father together with a link to twelve photographs from her childhood.

It's been years since she had any contact with him, so despite her mother's warnings that he's bad news, curiosity wins out and Pandora clicks on the link … in the process unleashing a computer virus that shuts down the global power grid.

Review: Australia's Greatest People and Their Achievements

Celebrating people who have made their mark on our country and the world, author Linsay Knight says in her introduction to Australia’s Greatest People & Their Achievements, “Being ‘great’ is quite different from being famous or being a celebrity. It is hard to define …. Greatness is something to do with making a special, lasting contribution that everyone remembers and appreciates - and always will. So it’s about achievements and success, but it’s also about character, perseverance and uniqueness.”

There is much more that could be said about each of those chosen for inclusion in this book. Some biographies are just a paragraph in length, while others are a page. However Australia’s Greatest People & Their Achievements offers brief snapshots of their lives that remind us of how these Australians have stood out from the crowd (some literally, others figuratively) and made a difference.

International Book Giving Day 2014

International Book Giving Day--14 February--is a day dedicated to getting new, used and borrowed books in the hands of as many children as possible.

Here are some simple ways to celebrate International Book Giving Day!

1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative
Celebrate International Book Giving Day by giving a child a new, used or borrowed book.

2. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby
Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.

3. Donate a Book
Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids, such as Books for Africa.

4. KBR's Recommendation
Our favourite way to give a book is to leave one anywhere, in public, with a note saying "Today is International Book Giving Day. This book is for you. If you like it, consider leaving a book you've loved for someone else to find. Happy reading!"

Head to the website now to pledge how YOU will be giving or donating books this Feb 14th.

Review: Felt Dogs

Laurence King produce the most stunning books, and Felt Dogs, by consummate arts-and-crafter Mitsuki Hoshi is yet another stunner.

By the very achievable (and very relaxing!) process of felting, even very young kids can enjoy creating a entire kennel of poochy pals from Miniature Schnauzers to Pugs, Welsh Corgis, Toy Poodles, Beagles, Miniature Daschunds and more--adding their own personal touches, colours and details.

Guest Post: Sherryl Clark - Writing Behind Your Back

Kids' Book Review is delighted to welcome experienced author and teacher Sherryl Clark to share her thoughts on writers' 'hidden' motivations. Sherryl has extensive experience as both a published author and instructor of classes in a variety of writing-based topics including children's and YA fiction, poetry and short stories.

One of the wisest writing teachers I have been privileged to work with (at Hamline University’s MFAC program) was Jane Resh Thomas. In my first workshop with her, we had to reveal a secret. Rather than being deliberately confronting, Jane wanted to introduce to us the notion of “writing behind your back”.

Why do we write about the things we do? It’s true that plot ideas come from everywhere. Writers carry notebooks, they cut out newspaper articles, they eavesdrop. It’s like a bird collecting bits for a nest. I once wrote a novel that came entirely from a short paragraph in a feature article. My obsession with pirates started with accidentally finding a story in a book about a pirate called Stede Bonnet, who nobody had heard of because he was such a failure. Dying to Tell Me began with interviewing a police dog handler and meeting his dog.

But these are plot ideas. Along with characters, they propel the story into being. We write outlines or draw diagrams, or just write until we can see the story.

Review: Princess Academy

Miri lives in a mountain village known for its linder quarries. Preparing for the final visit of the traders for the season, the last thing Miri and the other girls of the village are ready for is a messenger from the King. Miri and her friends are to attend the Princess Academy and when their training is complete, the Prince will choose one of them to be his wife.

At the Academy, Miri and the other girls must deal with strict rules and harsh punishments dealt out by Olana, their teacher. Bitter rivalries develop and Miri is almost overwhelmed by homesickness and a desire to return to her father and sister and her mountain home. Things seem so bleak, but Miri and the other girls are about to discover that if they work together, they can overcome the most daunting of challenges.

SCBWI's New ACT Chapter Opens

Top: Sarah Steed, David Murphy, Phil Kavanagh, Harry Laing, Grace Bryant, Tracey Hawkins, Deb Abela. Bottom: Leanne Barrett, Tania McCartney, Gina Newton, Jennifer Bradley, Pauline Deeves

Last night was my kind of night--a bunch of children's book-addicts gathering together to natter, nibble and talk books, writing, illustrating, literacy and the brand new ACT Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Deb and Tracey lead the way

Let's just say, it's about time! The group may be small (so far) but it's already dynamic, with real movers and shakers [read: people impassioned by books and know their stuff!].

Attended by author and assistant regional advisor for SCBWI NSW and the ACT,  Deborah Abela (who is in town for her May Gibbs Fellowship), the meeting was opened by local SCBWI coordinator Tracey Hawkins, who spoke about her hopes for the local chapter, and the exciting SCBWI Sydney Conference in July.

Deb updated everyone on the brilliant new SCBWI site and also spoke of the LA and New York SCBWI Conferences. We then discussed our hopes and dreams for our local chapter, which was incredibly inspiring. Oh--and we did a lot of laughing.

SCWBI is definitely a warm, inclusive, level playing field of both big industry players and newbies. It's an amazing way to network, share, learn and hone your craft. You can learn more about SCWBI Australia/NZ right here. We like to have a lot of fun - it's worth joining!

- KBR Founder, Tania McCartney

12 Curly Questions with author Michelle Morgan

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I used to have a pet sheep called George who thought he was a dog.

2. What is your nickname?
Shelley - that's what my family have always called me.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Not being able to conquer fear.

4. Describe your writing style in ten words.
Free flowing stories with interesting characters.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Determined, hard-working, passionate, playful, visual.

Review: The Chicken Thief

Bear, Rabbit and Rooster live happily in the woods with three hens and a bunch of chickens, but everything changes when a fox steals one of the chickens.

Bear, Rabbit and Rooster race through the woods, deep into the darkness, determined to rescue their beloved Chicken. Day turns into night and night to day, but the distance between the Chicken Thief and his pursuers remains. Along the journey, we see how tenderly Fox cradles Chicken in his arms.

Review: George's Marvellous Medicine

The archetypal crone is someone who features frequently in Dahl's children's books, and the 'witch' is a classic literary antithesis to the kindly grandmother who doles out cookies and kisses.

Alas, young George Kranky doesn't have the latter style of grandmother. His grandma is indeed a crusty old crone who makes life pretty miserable for the Kranky family.

When Mrs Kranky leaves the house to go shopping, she reminds her son to be sure to give Grandma her medicine--on the dot of 11 o'clock. But after one too many snide asides, George is left wondering if perhaps old granny needs another sort of medicine.

Event: Library Lovers' Day

It's time to show that you love your library!

14 February isn’t just Valentine’s Day, it’s also Library Lovers’ Day.

Library Lovers’ Day is an initiative of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), and an opportunity to celebrate and support libraries, and remind everyone how loved they are. Why not make a special trip to the library on 14 February and borrow some books? Tell the staff what it is you appreciate about the library, send an email, or post on Facebook about how great libraries are.

This year ALIA wants to find Australia’s Favourite Library. What’s your favourite and why? Nominations start today!

Click here to nominate your favourite library now, then watch out for information about voting which will open 14 March and close 22 April. Australia’s Favourite Library will be announced during Library and Information Week in May.

You can also share the #librarylove and what it is you love about your library online through the Library Lovers’ Day channels:

•    Instagram
•    Twitter
•    Facebook
•    Pinterest
•    Storify

Review: Jonathan!

It’s weird to read a story written by Peter Carnavas that is illustrated by someone else, but Amanda Francey is well and truly up to the task. Her use of delicately outlined characters with a minimum of background makes the story’s actions take centre stage.

Jonathan lives to scare someone in the family, but everyone has the same answer: ‘Not scary, Jonathan.’ That is, until Jonathan climbs a bumpy mountain that turns out to be a DINOSAUR!