Using Story Apps for Inspiration

Hello, my name is Helen, and I'm a bit of an iPad app addict. And shhh, don't tell anyone but 95% of the apps I own are for children! I really enjoy sharing them with my son (6) and daughter (4). So much so that since 2012 I have been writing reviews on and off at my blog CAppTivated Kids. (I've just started blogging again, if you fancy a visit.)

This month the Words and Pictures theme is Motivation and Challenge. There's been a growing debate about the challenge apps might pose to physical books. I've joined in, blogging about it on CApptivated Kids and also on Picture Book Den earlier this year.

But I wanted to take a different angle for Words and Pictures. So here's a writing challenge I took on earlier this year - to use story apps to feed into writing "traditional" picture books.

I haven't (yet!) tried to write a story suitable for an app. Writing apps is a comparatively new discipline, and there is so much to think about. It's not simply a question of adding a few beeps and animations to an existing 500 word text. Kate Wilson of stand-out app publishers Nosy Crow explains it very well in this blog post. It's a real challenge to create significantly more content than your standard picture book, and to marry it seamlessly with the technology. And as Kate says, you need to work with others on "illustration, animation, voice audio and music." Not an easy task!

But on the flip side, I wonder what we as writers can learn from apps and bring back to picture books? This might be a bit of a controversial question, to which some would answer "nothing!" After all, as the upstart younger brother, apps have taken a lot of what they know from physical books. But I think apps represent an exciting new branch of storytelling. Even if you might have reservations about their place in children's reading, it's worth seeing what we can learn from them.

Choice is such a big part of apps, much more so than many physical picture books, allowing the child to really take control of their reading experience. 

In particular, the early childhood reading experience is slowly changing. What will under 7s expect from books when more and more of them use story apps? I think they might look for some of the fluidity and interactivity which exists in apps, particularly in playing around with story structure. And I think the key word in identifying their new experiences is probably choice. Choice is such a big part of apps, much more so than many physical picture books, allowing the child to really take control of their reading experience.

And so, feeling inspired and challenged by this, I've been working on an idea for a picture book (even a potential series, let's be ambitious!) which allows the reader to choose between several different paths to the end of the story. This is done brilliantly in apps like Nosy Crow's Little Red Riding Hood, which has several ways to reach Grandma's house, including different challenges and games along the way.

I've been having lots of fun with my story of a young, brave knight who sets out to save the princess, but who can take a number of different paths to get there, encountering dragons, jousting matches or hot air balloons depending which path he chooses. And when he's successful, he gets to choose his own reward. It's a big challenge to bring that non-linear storytelling back to the traditional picture book format, but I'm working on it!

Other potential future trends might include more picture books with puzzle-solving elements, a greater emphasis on dialogue (perhaps with technology allowing you to choose different conversation options?), and more links between paper books and apps.

Other potential future trends might include more picture books with puzzle-solving elements, a greater emphasis on dialogue (perhaps with technology allowing you to choose different conversation options?), and more links between paper books and apps. I don't just mean an electronic version of the same story bundled with a book, but an app which works alongside it, unlocking extra content. Perhaps a magic mirror could be persuaded to give up its secrets, for example, when the screen is held above it? I'm not sure whether these sorts of ideas are already trickling through, but I'll be very interested to see where trends lie in the next five to ten years.

I do think it is helpful for picture book writers to get to know the world of story apps, just like television, games or other media. If you haven't yet dipped your toe in these waters, I've shared a few of our favourites here.

App Store also now has a great Interactive Stories section making it much easier to find story apps than it used to be. So have a browse, and who knows, you may find some ideas to kick start your own stories!

---

@aitcheldee @capptivatedkids

Helen Dineen is a Scottish picture book author and mum of two living on the south coast of England. She loves being part of her local Southampton SCBWI goal setting group. Helen is represented by the Anne Clark Literary Agency. She reviews apps for young children at http://capptivatedkids.wordpress.com and has been a Cybils Book App Judge.

How to Make Money from Writing and Illustrating for Children

Discover Story Centre Stratford London

On Thursday 13th March I went to a Masterclass in "How to make money from writing and illustrating for children" at the Discover Story Centre in Stratford, London.

The Masterclasses are run every year as part of their Big Write event and can be a really useful way to learn about publishing. I joined a room full of hopeful writers and illustrators downstairs for this final masterclass of the year.

---

There was a tremendous panel in place including SCBWI's very own Bridget Strevens Marzo, lovely agent Penny Holroyde from the Caroline Sheldon Agency and publishing powerhouse Kate Wilson from Nosy Crow. The panel was  chaired by Guardian Children's Book critic Julia Eccleshare.


The evening began with Bridget talking us through her own long and varied career as a writer and illustrator of children's books. She told us how important it was to be open to all opportunities from picture books to novelty/board books, concept books, covers, magazines, apps, ebooks and games. Being precious about what you will do will not aid you if you want a long career. When things were tough she taught workshops and went on school visits and still struggled at times to earn a living. I'm pleased to say that Bridget has a new book coming out in 2015 called Tiz and Otts Big Draw.

Being open to all opportunities is very important if you want a long career.

Next to talk was Penny Holroyde who's been in publishing for 19 years starting in foreign rights at Walker Books before moving to US publishers Candlewick. As an agent she now receives thirty to fifty submissions a day and spends most of her time managing clients which includes; looking at how to get the best financial deal for their authors, helping to shape ideas, discussing career development and on occasion a little bit of agony aunt advice!

Bridget Strevens Marzo, Penny Holroyde and Kate Wilson

In submissions for picture books Penny likes to see a minimum of three texts and suggests that  illustrators make sure they have pictures of children in their portfolios. She also said that she's generally looking for some sort of qualification for illustrators.
For children's book submissions Penny wants to know who the book will appeal to along with a short blurb and plot summary that gives us an idea of the world and the characters and what triggers the action.

Make sure you know who your book will appeal to.

Kate was up next and she runs Independent Publisher Nosy Crow which publishes books for children up to 14 years old (or 12 for boys). They began in 2011 and have a staff of around 15. In comparison newly merged Penguin Random House has 1500 employees! She presented a wonderful powerpoint presentation of exactly what a publisher does and why you might want one.

•  Money - they pay this to authors as an advance

•  Printing
•  Distribution
•  Storage

•  Access - to consumers, especially the large corporations like supermarkets and Amazon. Nosy Crow only take on books with world rights 

• Credibility

•  Expertise - from creative inspiration to shaping and packaging the book so it fulfils it's true potential.

•  Support

• Trust - without this on both sides the partnership won't work.

 Finishing off the evening was Julia Eccleshare who as a critic for the Guardian gets sent 8 to 10 000 books each year. She is looking for a story that is told differently, has a fresh voice and great characters. She reiterated how important it is to grab readers early on if you want them to keep reading and reminded us all that publishing is full of luck.




Bridget Marzo, Penny Holroyde, Kate Wilson, Julia Eccleshare


This was a very interesting event and all the speakers were helpful in giving us a picture of what life is like for writers and illustrators and how difficult it can be for everyone involved to make money! The tone was definitely hopeful and encouraging however as long as we keep in mind the hard work needed, the importance of flexibility and that ever elusive luck plays a part in everything.

Thanks to everyone involved, including the Discover Centre for hosting the event. It's a wonderful place to stimulate children's imagination. Do pop along with your little ones for their Secret Agent event if you get the chance!

---

Lorraine Gregory has been writing fantasy adventure books aimed at middle-grade boys for the last three years. She's been a chef and a restaurant manager and now works from home as an Antenatal Teacher. She belongs to the Words & Pictures Team and helps Tania to bring joy to our Saturday Celebrations' posts

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Children’s Publishing (But Were Afraid To Ask)

Celia Anderson and Anne Neild

Saturday 21st September was a day of sparkling wit and fascinating revelations for all of us who like to hang around in the world of writers, agents and publishers. It was the first ever Nosy Crow conference, held in the atmospheric St Bride’s Foundation just off Fleet Street. There was wine (but only at the end, or drunken clapping might have spoiled the event) there were home-made cakes and there were speakers who were able to keep the buzz going all day long – even when the PA system took an unseemly nosedive. 


Lucy Mangan, Guardian columnist and champion of the magic of language, began her wryly entertaining talk by telling us how books had provided an enjoyable childhood for a small girl who didn’t enjoy school (a place which turned out to be annoyingly full of children) giving her a dry run at life by letting her experience several more exciting lives at once. She explained that books are the way in which children make sense of their own worlds and begin to understand that life isn’t just a series of random things happening. Reading sets you free – raw power that you can use to improve your life. 

The conference kicks off!

The Editors’ Panel - Camilla Reid, Louise Bolongaro, and Kirsty Stansfield – led by MD Kate Wilson then gave a whistle-stop tour of ways in which your editor – also the midwife of your brainchild - can help you to see your work more clearly; to make it the very best it can be. Kate expertly fielded questions from the audience, as the panel covered topics such as writing an outstanding letter to a publisher/agent, being specific about who you’re writing for and how an editor divides their time fairly and develops an instinctive knowledge for acquisition along the way. 

Whizzing along after a brief break, agent Hilary Delamere gave an eye-opening run through an agent’s day, detailing how a long and happy author/agent relationship can be the key to an equally long and productive writing career. Orchestrating from behind the scenes, an agent can help with an author’s public presence, decision making, facing unexpected challenges, and hopefully bring in huge deals along the way! 

Debut NC authors Paula Harrison, Helen Peters and Sue Ransom came next, and it was heart-warming and hugely encouraging to hear how their highly successful books were discovered on the slushpile. They outlined their individual routes to publication, making it all seem much more accessible to the novice writer – Paula said that the best thing about being published is doing just what you want to do for a living, and all agreed that even when an author hates to admit it, the editor is often right. 

Tracey Corderoy's display

Tracey Corderoy’s talk on live events was full of warmth and hilarity. Ex-teacher Corderoy is now a best-selling author but shows no signs of distancing herself from the coalface - she has undertaken over seventy-five live events in the last year. Corderoy’s view is that these events are about much more than promotion. They offer an opportunity to bring colour and wonder to children, some of whom will have little of either in their lives. At the heart of her visits is the desire to engage every child. The lengths she goes to making story sacks, costumes and craft packs drew gasps from the audience! 

Tracey Corderoy’s tips for authors facing a live event:

• Be prepared 

• Live the story 

• Use puppets 

• Have realistic expectations 

• Always say ‘yes’ - then make a plan! 

Social media guru Jon Reed has a background in publishing so proved well-placed to advise authors/ illustrators on how to build their brand online. Reed emphasised the importance of a unique voice and a consistent hook ie. the brief blurb you use to describe yourself. 

Reed’s top tip: don’t wait for publication – get blogging now.

Writers are in a strong position since building a brand online is all about generating content. Your ‘product’ - your book(s) - should sit at the heart of your brand, with your website and email the first line of promotion. You can signpost people to your podcasts, blogs, videos and photos through what he describes as ‘outreach tools’ – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest etc. Reed’s top tip: don’t wait for publication – get blogging now. 

The cakes went down well!

Melissa Cox, Waterstones Children’s New Titles Buyer, gave a fascinating insight into how she chooses what the chain stocks and where. The average children’s section in Waterstones contains 4,500 titles, 35% of which are new. 6,000 new titles were presented to the children’s buying team in 2013 alone. 

...a strong new male voice in the UK market was hard to find.

Cox takes great care to buy and place the books she thinks will sell. She explained that a large part of her role is trying to strike a balance between what children like and what adults think children ought to be reading. Picture books and 5-8 series reads remain highly competitive areas, with established household names making it hard, though not impossible, for new writers to break through. Although YA still tends to be dominated by US authors, Cox said a strong new male voice in the UK market was hard to find. Unsurprisingly, an award always provides a boost. Sales of Levi Pinfold’s Black Dog increased by 900% after he won the Kate Greenaway this year. 

Nosy Crow’s Kate Wilson wrapped up with a look at future trends. Social media has had a huge impact; Wilson acknowledged the shift in the relationship between the reader, author, librarian and publisher. 

The use of QR codes to allow consumers to access audio versions of books is likely to increase...

There is much more of an open dialogue now and publishers have an opportunity to engage with consumers in a way that was not previously possible. Wilson felt the ease with which anyone could publish a book had resulted in a cluttered, more amateur market. The use of QR codes to allow consumers to access audio versions of books is likely to increase, as are the options for personalisation. Interactivity and ‘gameification’ are also areas likely to see significant growth with publishers like Nosy Crow beginning to produce apps for the smartphone and tablet market that allow interactive reading and learning.
 

---

@CeliaAnderson1

When she’s not marking children’s work, or writing stories involving pants, Celia spends far too much time on Facebook and does a lot of walking to counteract the cooking, eating and drinking which form another of her hobbies. She's a Romaniac  and you can also find her on her own website. Usually sea-starved in the depths of the Midlands, she can often be found wandering happily around Brighton visiting her two daughters pretending to collect ideas for her next book.

@AnnieNeild

Annie Neild is an unpublished picture book author. She joined SCBWI in 2012 and is a member/moderator of their online picture book critique group, EUREKA! Annie has also been part of the Cambridge Writers writing for children group since 2010.

Who was at the Faerie Tarantula book launch last week?

I was truly thrilled to be at the Faerie Tarantula book launch last week. It was a joint affair by Paula Harrison who launched The Crystal Mirror, the first in her new middle grade Faerie Tribes series for girls, and Jackie Marchant who launched I'm Dougal Trump Where's My Tarantula?.

It was held in London's Phoenix Arts Club, in a tiny street where the opening scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. The pictures and theatrical posters crammed on the walls were a great backdrop for a wonderful evening.


Kirsty Stansfield, Paula's editor at Nosy Crow says, about The Crystal Mirror

"It’s got great atmosphere and pace, and I really like the relationship between the characters. They’re very well drawn. But what I like best about it is that it raises the possibility of transformation – one day, you’re on the school bus, thinking about what to have for tea; the next, you’ve got wings and you’re about to fly out the window! I like that."

Paula says: "The story is based on the idea that faeries live among us and look like us in their human form, so humans can't tell them apart. They also belong to five tribes with power over water, air, animals, plants and fire. There's a lot of enmity between the tribes. I just liked the idea of writing about a reality hidden inside our everyday world."

We first gave Paula, a big hurrah a few weeks ago. SCBWI's love to celebrate with cake and wine so I thought I’d share some photos of the evening so you can see who was there and raise your own glasses to Paula and Jackie.

You can see Candy Gourlay’s recording of Paula reading the prologue of The Crystal Mirror on the Nosy Crow blog. Thanks also to Candy for letting me post some of her photos.

Thanks to Paula and Jackie for a fabulous evening and here’s to sparkling success for the Faeries and the Tarantula, hip hip hooray!

Kirsty Stansfield, Editor at Nosy Crow
& Catherine Alport, Publicity Manager, Macmillan

Paula with one of her fab sparkly cakes

Andrew Weale gave a hilarious reading

Anita Loughrey and Joe Friedman

Candy Gourlay, Alice Williams from David Higham Associates
& Odette Williams

Nick Cross and Kirsty Stansfield

Mo O'Hara

Heather Kilgour, Paula Harrison and Bridget Strevens Marzo

Lucy Van Smit

Tim Collins

Jeannie Waudby and Jo Franklin

What's escaped from Jackie?

Teri Terry and Jo Franklin

Heather and Bridget with the earlier books...

Mo O'Hara with scary hat and Jackie

Quick! The tarantula's escaping!

The last sparkly fairy cake...

---

Tania Tay is an ex-advertising copywriter and has been published in Sable LitMag. She is writing MG and YA fiction, and is on the editorial team at Words & Pictures.

London Professional Series - Apps Night

By David Richardson

There was a definite 21^st Century feel to the latest London Professionals Series evening. The theme was Apps and Digital Publishing. There were a good number attending and the subject was especially of interest to illustrators.

The panel were an excellent cross section in this area. We had Tom Bonnick – Digital Project and Marketing Manager of Nosy Crow; Caroline Osborn  - Head of Finance at Me Books and SCBWI’s own Nick Cross – Digital Product Manager at OUP.

All agreed that the App and Digital Publishing world is still in a developmental stage, or as Nick put it, there is still a definite ‘rounding of the wagons’. It means at times it is tough.

Tom described the App functionality of non-linear story-telling. This allows the App user to have a control on how the story gets told. He highlighted an App from Nosy Crow of the Little Red Riding Hood story, that gave ‘forks in the road’, choices that ‘led to different outcomes’ for the reader.

Apps... still in a developmental stage

There is still a debate on this way of story-telling though. When is an App a story device or a game?

Caroline spoke about the two models to Apps, the pay App and the ‘Freemium’ App. It was the conversion rate that was more significant. ‘It’s not that people download the App that is important,’ she explained. ‘It’s how much they use it.’ That’s why she feels creating a community of regular readers is essential, something that Me Books are doing.

The subject of Digital Rights was also discussed. Caroline advised writers and illustrators to become ‘savvy when it comes to digital rights’. Nosy Crow would hold the rights for their people, but elsewhere there is a complete mix with the way publishers approach this issue.

Illustrators and writers were encouraged by the panel to think about working for the Apps market. Publishers don’t necessarily expect a complete App outlined, but a good proposal could be taken up.

A good proposal could be taken up

There was a good Q&A throughout the evening and more could have been said when things were called to a halt. But, judging by the amount of chatting that went on until the close at 8.30, this is a subject where there is still a lot to talk about.

This is the fourth series meeting at our new St James venue and it’s proving to be very successful. The room is a good size and it’s good to have complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits. Early arrivals are able to meet up in the Costa Coffee next door, and return there later to extend the evening.

The next meeting is September 17 for our Industry Professionals night. Go to What's On for details.

---

When David isn’t busy with his SCBWI roles, including SCBWI Events Editor for Words & Pictures, he’s working hard to complete his novel for the Undiscovered Voices competition. To pay the bills, he teaches English Language & Literature, and Creative Writing to adults.

SCBWI Members Sparkle with Publications, Prizes and Popularity!

Paula Harrison
@P_Harrison99

This week we celebrate Paula Harrison going from strength to strength, Linda Lawlor coming top of the class, Paul Morton hitting download success and Mike Brownlow winning a surprise prize!

Paula Harrison, who lives with her husband and children in Buckinghamshire, wanted to be a writer from a young age but spent many happy years being a primary school teacher, gazing at cloud shapes and listening to snippets of other peoples conversations. Nosy Crow publish Paula’s The Rescue Princesses series - book six, The Magic Rings, was released in March and book seven is due out in May. In addition to this amazing success, Paula has sold a second series to Nosy Crow, Faerie Tribes for older readers. This brand new series launches in May. In between packing her family into the car to find a sandy beach where she can paddle in the waves, Paula clearly is finding plenty of time to write. Fantastic news Paula – well done!

Linda Lawlor

Linda Lawlor is celebrating a first prize win in the Writers' Advice Centre story competition for the first chapter of a book with a connection to the Olympics. Her entry was a humorous adventure for 8 – 12 year-olds about a boy who tries to get himself out of trouble by kidnapping the Olympic Flame. Linda gave up teaching to write a couple of years ago, and has written a couple of fantasies for readers aged 8-12 and 12-14. . Linda reviews for  Bookbag and is busy with a new book about a girl detective. Her two favourite questions are "What if?" and "Would you like some more chocolate?" An excellent base from which to launch a writing career I’d say. 

Paul Morton
@paulhotfrog

Conference attendees will well know writer and illustrator Paul Morton's work, his badge designs are always among the best in our annual competition. Paul also produces picture book aps. Ga Gunk and Beeble and Blink have sold around 1000 copies. Due to the marvellous reporting ability of technology Paul knows his stories have actually been read a total of 11,046 times – not a bad return rate!

Mike Brownlow
@mikebrownlow1

Mike Brownlow, writer and illustrator of Little Robots which was turned into an animated TV series, has several books coming out this year with Orchard, OUP and Piccadilly Press. This week, however, Mike is celebrating winning his very first engraved pewter plate. To be specific, The Highlights High Five 2012 Pewter Plate Award for best cover of the year. Highlights is the longest running and most prestigious magazine for children in the USA. It's been going for over 60 years and has sold over a billion copies since it started. Mike’s delighted with his unexpected win saying ‘I’ve never won a pewter plate before.’ It’s good to know even the most established writers amongst us still get a thrill from celebrating a success. 

 Well done all of you, your achievements inspire us all. A pewter plate would look perfect above my desk…

---

Kathy Evans is Celebrations Editor for Words & Pictures. She is South East Network Coordinator with Mariam Vossough and is represented by Sophie Hicks at Ed Victor.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 26th March

Hello and welcome to the inaugural Ten-Minute Blog Break. This weekly feature will give you the low-down on the week's essential blog posts by our very talented SCBWI bloggers, as well as highlighting the hot topics in children's writing and publishing from around the web. You can see our list of bloggers on the SCBWI Blog Network page.


Let me quickly introduce myself. I'm Nick Cross, and as well as being a children's writer and SCBWI-BI Webmaster, I'm also a blogger. My blog Who Ate My Brain has been running for over three years, covering both the serious and the silly sides of writing and publishing. Do pop over if you get the chance.

OK, on to this week's blogs.

I was engaged by the glimpse that Sally Poyton offers into her scrapbooks, which accompany the process of writing her latest novel. Writing is (inevitably) such a word-heavy task, and it's great to see her bringing a graphical perspective to bear. Not content with that, Sally then turned up again, guest posting on the Nosy Crow blog about her daughter's imaginative Rescue Princesses party, based on the book series by SCBWI British Isles' very own Paula Harrison.

Moving into the world of illustration, I loved Maria Puy Pinillos's drawing of a fox who "got lost in my sketchbook." There are clearly lots of problems with mislaid animals at the moment, because Jane Heinrichs was joined in her studio by a rhino on a bicycle. Have the RSPCA been informed?

This week's SCBWI Professional Series meeting in London was entitled Making a Living as a Writer. It was a fascinating session and Caroline Hooton provides a comprehensive summary. I'm definitely thinking of running a follow-up session called Making it as a Part-Time Writer - How to Keep Your Day Job and Your Sanity ;-)

Elsewhere on the web, I spotted this post on the New York Times site that raises some excellent questions about the use of computer games in the classroom. While not strictly about children's books, the article is food for thought for teachers or anyone considering the creation of an educational book app.

Thanks for joining me and I'll be back next week to fill your tea break with more great blog posts. Save me a biscuit.

Nick.

---

Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round digital guru. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.
Nick blogs every Friday about writing and publishing at www.whoatemybrain.com