Books are too expensive, or so I’ve been told


What can you do? You hear something like, I really love your books but this one is too expensive. Why is so pricey? You explain; all the expertise, time and hours that have gone in to making the book, the production in China, the… You realise that your fan has glazed over, dipped out, you’ve…… Continue reading Books are too expensive, or so I’ve been told

Teams


Publishing is a team effort with each person playing a specific and vital role in the development of a book. It is also a space where one person with one idea can change everything. Take diversity in Western publishing organisations. It has been discussed and argued for decades that a more diverse industry will be…… Continue reading Teams

“Cowboy Come home”


Working with text and pictures. The text is written and the layouts are nearly done. The working tittle is above. Here are sketches showing the treatment of the text which, to me, should be almost illustrated. The final exploration will be to bring type and image much closer together. Recently, agents and publishers have asked…… Continue reading “Cowboy Come home”

We like cowboys- sketches


I worked up some sketches and colour test pictures and am quite happy with the results. I normally do things in waves  (if I have the time), preferring to let things sit for a few days before deciding if they work or not. Here are the two main characters from the story. It was a…… Continue reading We like cowboys- sketches

What about other cultures?


I spent time in book shops over the festive season.  I realised it is still a better experience than being online. I also noticed the lack of contemporary stories for children about other cultures. Most, if not all publishers have an anthology of folk tales from ‘the world’. Then, most publishers have the obligatory ‘multicultural’ collections, or a…… Continue reading What about other cultures?