HOW DO I GET MY FIRST BOOK PUBLISHED?

 It’s the question I dread, coming from any hopeful new author or illustrator. I know how painful and lonely the route can be via the Writers' and Artists' Year Book when precious manuscripts are sent off into the ether to elusive agents and publishers. So instead of sending anyone down that route, I prefer to tell them about a far more pleasant and companionable way to get published: join SCBWI. On the International SCBWI website there are resources like the Writers' and Artists' Year Book that can be downloaded and on the British SCBWI website there's information about the master classes and opportunities throughout the year to meet people in the UK publishing industry.

    Then there’s the annual conference in Winchester with so many pleasant ways of feeling part of the world of children’s books:

you can feel inspired by meeting an author at the pinnacle of it all; here, the Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman – you can even go to one of her writing workshops.

Or, if you're an illustrator, you can see how it is possible to get published at a young age like Catherine Rayner

and then be nurtured through the first years of your career by a friendly editor like Jude Evans.

There are opportunities to have your work noticed in one-to-ones with agents, show your portfolio to the industry professionals, or exhibit a picture in the Illustrators Show Case run by Bridget Strevens-Marzo

and Anne-Marie Perks. 

There’s a relevant workshops for everyone – whether inspired fun at Visual Story Telling with renowned author/illustrator Alexis Deacon

or serious getting to grips with publicity at Navigating Social Media with Nicola Morgan.

And SCBWI has competitions too, like Undiscovered Voices, that help newcomers on their route to becoming published authors.

Then, when eventually your book is published there's the Crystal Kite Award, won this year by Dave Cousins. It's a peer nominated book award that will make you an 'award winning' author.

And even if you don't win it,  there will be many friends to cheer you on and celebrate with you at the Mass Book Launch Party 

and share with you a slice of the wonderful book cake.

SOUTH SHOUT FESTIVAL

I was asked, at short notice, to stand in for Nicholas Allen and run an illustration workshop for the South Shout Festival, organised by a group of South London authors and illustrators - CWISL. It was an extraordinary event not just because of its outcome but also the enormous amount of voluntary work done by the CWSL group.

Here are some of the things I really enjoyed about the two days I took part in:

First, was meeting up with friends and colleagues I’d not seen for some time; Gillian Cross and Bridget Strevens-Marzo at the warm up session on the Friday morning, 

I enjoyed working again with children from this area of London. I used to regularly come to St Martins-in-the-Fields High School and work with pupils Shadowing the Kate Greenaway Medal. At the South Shout Festival there were different aged pupils from different schools, primary and  secondary. Here they act out emotions they will later explore in their stories and illustrations.

There were four big cat groups. I was part of the Panthers and I enjoyed working alongside authors I hadn’t met before. Patricia Elliott led the Mad, Moody and Murky writing session with our group of Panthers.

Perhaps the thing that most impressed me was the how kind and helpful the older pupils were to the younger ones from different schools.

This was a festival that broke down barriers and encouraged creativity.

Then there was the inspired work my group produced, the effort they put into their drawings and the fine results. They did quick line drawings of their story settings as if seen through a binocular frame. They explored cross hatching,   

shadow and silhouette.

They added captions 

and drew a moment of action.

The boy who drew this picture thought he couldn’t draw but, with pencils and rubbers removed, found he enjoyed the freedom of a sharpie pen.  

Impressive too was the voluntary turn-out on the Saturday; 70% of the pupils returned, the younger ones bringing along their parents and siblings. They had come to complete their stories and pictures. I helped the Panthers with their covers

and alongside me, illustrator Ann Marie Perks, helped children work with clay. 

There was a real atmosphere of celebration at the end of the Festival, with the bookshop, Under the Greenwood Tree - 

 -  Panthers photographed here have bought books by Sara Mussi - 

 

the delicious food and, finally, a story telling session with Margaret Bateson-Hill and an awards ceremony.