David Maybury | Blog

International bestselling author John Grisham is crossing the great divide into children’s literature.

Hodder & Stoughton announced the creation of Theodore Boone – a 13-year-old boy “who knows more about the law than most lawyers do” who becomes unwillingly caught up in a local murder trial. The book will be aimed at 9-12 year-olds but plans are afoot for marketing across older age groups.

It is thrilling to see John Grisham at the beginning of a new venture and Theo is a delightful example of his range and capabilities. We have exciting plans to introduce Theodore Boone to the widest possible audience. – Tim Hely Hutchinson, Hachette UK

Julia Damassa and Meg Jones have done it – they have invented the write-by-numbers (shapes really) to teach anyone how to create/share stories. Introducing Storyshaping.

The idea uses shapes that represent different elements of a story: place, time, character, question and idea – all of which are built into a story. (It being scholastic there are all shorts of multimedia, interactive and technologically immersed elements to go along with it)

Sound interesting? Have a look. G’wan.

Publishing Perspectives are going to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. And they’re hunting stories from publishers, authors, agents and booksellers – the more sensational, triumphant the better.

And they’ll be in Bologna too – covering each day of the fair. So are you going to sell a book? An illustrator looking for your next gig? Let ‘em know over at Publishing Perspectives.

The Staffordshire Library Service’s Young Teen Fiction Award have revealed their top six teenage book titles – whittled down from almost 900 nominations.

And the choices?

• Angel Cake – Cathy Cassidy
  
• Grass – Catherine MacPhail
• Brigands MC -  Robert Muchamore
• Wings – Aprilynne Pike
• Black Heart – Justin Somper
  
• Blood Hunters – Steve Voake

There is a bit of a wait for the winners – while book loving teenagers across Staffordshire – they have until 5 July to vote online for their pick.

The folks on the HarperCollins marketing team have some fun in the run up to the new Skullduggery Pleasant!

BBC Oxford featured Kate Brown and the DFC’s The Spider Moon (the narrator calling it the ‘DCF’… bothered me far more than I expected)

Click to have a watch

And of course there is the increasing excitement around the impending launches for the rest of the DFC Library – Mezolith (April) and Good Dog, Bad Dog (March). Fun times!

I came across First Second Books over the weekend – reading Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim’s brilliant The Eternal Smile.

And Zahra’s Paradise is another great effort – a graphic novel about Iran – both political and social – being serialized as a web comic (in seven languages).

There are easy comparisons to Satraapi’s Persepolis too and it will be interesting to see how the story is affected as that likeness in style develops (or doesn’t).

The series is written by Amir and drawn by Khalil who have both been forced into hiding their names to protect anonymity. Updates are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and First Second books will published next year.

Enjoy!

If twitter has passed you by – or you just missed Patrick Ness’ tweeting – Waterstones have the entire twinterview online:

Question: does patrick ness believe in the loch ness monster ?! From @spritneybeers
Answer: A little early for the pub isn’t it? After a lifetime of loch ness jokes, nope.

Question: Have you ever been Asked a question you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, Answer? #patrickness From @Girlyougotstyle
Answer: I’m sorry I can’t Answer that.

Question: Do you worry that people wont enjoy the next book you write as much as they do the one they are reading? #patrickness From @Coistycat
Answer: You really can’t worry about that or you’ll definitely write a bad book. You have to please….yourself first because if you don’t like it, absolutely no one else will.

Question: After your books have been out for a while do you read them? x #patrickness From @Coistycat
Answer: No they really are like sending your children out into the world, you never want to see them again!

And there are PLENTY more where those came from – well worth a read.

The Dublin Book Festival launches its full programme later today – and there is plenty to look forward to for children (two workshops!) a reading or three and a chat about Children’s Book Laureate.

Running from 6 – 8 March the festival will include a writing workshop (for 11 – 13 year olds) with Siobhán Parkinson (as gaeilge) and Conor Kostick. (Deadline for the workshops is 1 March – get the names in soon!)

Sarah Webb will be talking to Gordon Snell – who has more than forty books under his belt. Gillian Perdue and Anne O’Hara will be around (with Sarah Webb) to celebrate the O’Brien Press Panda series.

And if all that wasn’t enough – Monday will see the first public chat about the Children’s Book Laureate (to be announced in May)

Head over to the festival site for lots more.

In case you missed it. The Guardian has asked some of the brightest sparks of the book world for 10 snippets of advice (or as close to ten as they could get).

With all editing, no matter how sensitive – and I’ve been very lucky here – I react sulkily at first, but then I settle down and get on with it, and a year later I have my book in my hand. – Michael Morpurgo

Prayer might work. Or reading something else. Or a constant visual isation of the holy grail that is the finished, published version of your resplendent book. – Margaret Atwood

Do spend a few minutes a day working on the cover biog – “He divides his time between Kabul and Tierra del Fuego.” But then get back to work. – Roddy Doyle

Only bad writers think that their work is really good. – Anne Enright

Try to think of others’ good luck as encouragement to yourself. – Richard Ford

Laugh at your own jokes. – Neil Gaiman

Never forget, even your own rules are there to be broken. – Esther Freud

Go read them all - and then get back to work. That story isn’t going to write itself!

Action Comics #1 (featuring the first appearance of Superman) sold for $1 million dollars yesterday.

The comic is one of only two of the same issue in near pristine condition (less than 100 copies are left – not all of them in great condition)

They said it couldn’t be done. They said that no comic book–no matter how rare–would ever sell for $1,000,000. This week, they were proven wrong. And in the midst of a recession, no less!

The 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalists have been announced – and includes the first year that graphic novels have been given their own category:

Young Adult Literature Finalists

James Cross Giblin – The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy
Frances Hardinge – The Lost Conspiracy
Deborah Heiligman – Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith
Elizabeth Partridge – Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary
Shaun Tan – Tales from Outer Suburbia

Graphic Novel Finalists

Gilbert Hernandez – Luba
Taiyo Matsumoto – GoGo Monster
David Mazzucchelli – Asterios Polyp
Bryan Lee O’Malley – Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe
Joe Sacco – Footnotes in Gaza

Marcus Zusack will be around the web (live) talking up a storm about his new book Fighting Ruben Wolfe today.

Fancy joining in? G’wan – put the kettle on and settle in for a natter!

I cheated a little for this weeks Book with a View… The Guardian featured the work of Michael Foreman yesterday and I pilfered the pics and links.

I’m really enjoying the series – looking at books/authors I haven’t read for a long time (in some cases at all!)

Check out scamp.ie for more.

Nicolette Jones asks an interesting question in her BookBrunch column – Publishers are finding new talent – but are booksellers?

Jones is looking at the rake of new picturebook talent being published this year (including our own Chris Haughton and Kevin Waldron and of course the unstoppable Sarah McIntyre).

But will bookshops stock any of them? Book buyers look for picturebooks with sales records – but to get that you need books on shelves… Heller would be proud.

Perhaps Waterstone’s might consider a best new picturebook prize alongside its much-appreciated new children’s fiction award. Perhaps all booksellers should consider offering their customers a ‘Best New Talent’ picturebook range, and creating a sense of discovery and surprise, of diversity and novelty. Perhaps this is the moment to look to build illustrators for the future. Otherwise, as one publisher puts it, “How are you ever going to find another Gruffalo?” – Nicolette Jones.

THose very clever folks in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries have some interesting events coming up – the Library Voices series has phenomenal bestseller Alexander McCall Smith, the brains behind the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, in town this Saturday. (THIS Saturday! In the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire – box office: (01) 2312929.

Tickets are a mere €8 – get your name down. G’wan!

The Bookseller reports that Kate Wilson (former head of Macmillan Children’s Books,  Scholastic UK and Headline) has launched her own children’s publisher – Nosy Crow.

Nosy Crow will feature a picture book and novelty list as well as children’s fiction and non-fiction – with titles for ages 0 to 14 years as well as publishing apps for iPhones and other devices through its Appiness division.

Curious to know more? Check out the Nosy Crow site – there’s plenty to enjoy – and lots to look forward to!

Michael Morpurgo and Gregory Maguire are championing the relaunch of what used to be the WH Smith’s Young Writers’ competition (it stopped running in 1990). The Wicked Young Writers’ Award is open all British young people aged from 5 to 25 with four age categories – and they are free to choose what they write about and whether to write it as prose or poetry:

• 5-7 years
• 8-10 years
• 11-13 years
• 14-16 years

And there’s more – the fifth category is open to 16 to 25-year-olds and is where the award picked up its name – after Gregory Maguire, the man behind Wicked. The older category is seeking entries that reinterpret well-known stories in an original way. Think you are up to the task? Deadline is July 23rd – plenty of time to get the creative juices flowing! (Entries are closed to folks outside of the UK and Northern Ireland)

All children are born with a sort of spark of genius. What growing up should be doing is to fan that spark into a flame. Very often it does the opposite. It stifles it.

More shortlists – this time for the Red House Childrens Book Award:

Younger Children

A Very Strange Creature Ronda – Armitage & Layn Marlow

Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch! – Paul Bright & Mike Terry

The Baby Dragon-Tamer – Jan Fearnley

Bottoms Up! – Jeanne Willis & Adam Stower

Younger Readers

Angel Cake – Cathy Cassidy

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw – Jeff Kinney

Mondays are Murder – Tanya Landman

Older Readers

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
Ausländer – Paul Dowswell
Love, Aubrey – Suzanne LaFleur

The Red House is one of my favourite UK awards  – and a great gauge of what readers are really enjoying – it’s judged entirely by children from shortlist to final overall winner. And they want your votes!

John Mullan lists his top ten monsters – including the Kraken, Shoggoth and of course – the terrifying Gruffalo.

No mention of Dracula, the monster from Pan’s Labyrinth, the cast of The Hills Have Eyes or the horrors that lurk in June Rogers’ plughole though…

Are there any other memorable monsters?

Starting with a heavyweight review, Marcus Sedgwick reads Diana Wynne Jones’ Enchanted Glass -

Wynne Jones belongs to an elect clan of the most treasured of British children’s authors, creating her own unique brand of fantasy, in the same manner as Alan Garner and Susan Cooper, and it’s surely this experience that breeds the confidence to write with such subtle depth. Blissful.

Jan Penkowski writes the Guardian Obituary for Waldo Hunt while Amanda Craig reviews Philip Womack’s The Liberators and Zizou Corder’s Halo in the Times UK -

What is so rewarding about Womack’s book is that the quality of the writing is good enough to slow you down. From the “pall of fear” that “hung over London as its citizens mobbed around, uncertain of the dangers that hid in their midst” to the conversations between children and adults, the pace and mystery are underscored by a poet’s imagination. This is a proper, copper-bottomed magical story of the kind once written by Alan Garner and John Masefield, and it uses the sinister side of Greek myth with brio.

David Walliams meets Simon Mills to talk cycling, fame, comedy and life.

Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein is pushing for a cinema debut – while Guillermo Del Toro is working on his own Frank opus.

Stephen Armstrong looks to the skies – and the oncoming Angel revolution pegged to over throw vampires and werewolves. (Including James Cameron’s plans to film Battle Angel)

The fallen angel is a vastly more complicated being than even the most sophisticated vampire. Vampires have their hunger, their sexuality and their byzantine daylight/crucifix/garlic-related restrictions thrust upon them. They are human, they are bitten, they awake, and they must satisfy their cravings or die in the attempt. Angels, conversely, are created pure. They choose to sin.

The Irish Independent has the news that Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210 fame) is writing for children.

JLS, Alesha Dixon and Michael Owen are to all make guest appearences in the Beano (in aid of Sport Relief)

How to write – some of the best known names in literatiure give their own top 10 tips.

The Independent (UK) has a list of important literary dates – things not to be forgotten include the international release of Mr Nobody on 1 March.

Rocco Satino talks up the winners of this year’s Children’s and YA Bloggers’ Literary award (Cybils) in the School Library Journal.

Oddest Title Competition gets a mention in a few of the papers – Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich has to be a winner…

Everything you could ever need to know about Alice, Wonderland, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson and Lewis Carroll. The Alice in Wonderland A – Z.

The Telegraph has the headline – Half of children don’t read fiction. (More) | The Times UK features the best interactive book apps. | Who is your favourite Monster? John Mullan looks at 10 of the Best.

Enjoy the weekend.
via Nerdist

The Nebula Awards are voted by members of  the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The awards will be announced at the on May 15. There are some heavy hitters in the run for gongs – including John Scalzi and China Miéville as well as Up and Coraline nominated for Bradbury Awards.

And, of course, there is the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. The shortlist looks like this:

• Hotel Under the Sand, Kage Baker
• Ice, Sarah Beth Durst
• Ash, Malinda Lo
• Eyes Like Stars, Lisa Mantchev
• Zoe’s Tale, John Scalzi
• When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
• The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente
• Leviathan, Scott Westerfeld

My money is on Rebecca Stead – but Zoe’s Take, Leviathan and Ice are all candidates too. I haven’t read some of the others – plenty of time between now and 15 May! Check out the full nominations list.

Ever heard of Helena Duggan? No? Well you might hear all about her very soon – except she needs your votes now to get her there.

Helena has a book in the running for consideration with Harper Collins through authonomy.com.

(Authonomy is run by HC to spot new talent – at the end of each month the top 5 books on the editors list are put forward to editors in Harper Collins USA and UK for consideration)

There are over 6000 books on authonomy.com and Helena is currently no.7 – inches from the holy grail. Read the synopsis on Helena’s blog and if you like what you’re reading – get voting!

You know you are famous when:

Pigeon has never look so hardcore. via Mo Willems

Walker Books are to launch on mobile devices – including phones – after signing a partnership with Mobcast.

Mobcast Services will distribute the e-books to wireless devices through its digital book service GoSpoken.com.

(GoSpoken.com distribute titles across app stores for Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Blackberry)

At Walker, we are constantly evaluating new ways to take our first-class content to new audiences – GoSpoken’s unparalleled reach in the mobile sector coupled with their understanding of the publishing landscape makes them perfect partners for our venture into this exciting and emerging new market. – Paul Rhodes, head of digital at Walker

The Bookseller has more.

James Patterson is no stranger to the best-sellers list. He is a newbie when it comes to graphic novels – though not for long.

Patterson has agreed a deal to work on two series of comic books (both based on published books) as well as an original comic based on a story concept, Beer Belly and Fat Boy.

The first comic adaptation, Witch & Wizard – part of a five-volume series – will be on the shelves in May.

NYT for more – including quote from James Patterson Entertainment.

JK Rowling is in the centre of anther plagiarism row – originally started back in 2004. The Guardian and Times UK report this morning that Adrian Jacob’s estate are taking Bloombury to task for plagiarism.

The complaint claims that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire copied substantial parts of Jacobs’ 1987 book The Adventures of Willy the Wizard – No 1 Livid Land. And that many other ideas from Willy the Wizard were copied into the Harry Potter series.

Bloomsbury have already said that the allegations are unfounded, unsubstantiated and untrue. And that an intital approach was made to the company in 2004 but was unable to identify any text in the series that copied from Willy the Wizard.

The Telegraph reports on a new London University study claiming that three-year-olds who are read stories every day tend to have significantly better reading abilities by the age of five than those who are not.

It also covers the National Literacy Trust story that less than half 9 – 14 year olds read fiction more than once a month – with magazines and blog/online reading being the two most popular.

While the Telegraph piece cites the University College London research:

Such a shift could be rewiring’ young people’s brains and making them less able to study properly. Prof David Nicholas, director of UCL’s Department of Information Studies, said the hyperlinks of the internet encouraged youngsters to “skip over the virtual landscape” rather than concentrate on one source of information.

“Nobody seemed to be staying anywhere for very long.”

The NLT has a somewhat different outlook -

People tend to view young people’s online activities as a waste of time but the research suggests that we need to validate different ways of writing, just as we needed to validate different forms of reading. Writing skills and experience should not be confined to report or essay writing. – Dr Christina Clark, NLT Head of Research

To celebrate their 10th anniversary the folks at Chicken House have opened up a new competition – for Creative Writing Postgrads to win a book deal.

But that’s not all – 10 of the best will attend an all expenses paid workshop with Barry Cunningham, a top children’s author and the Chicken House publishing team for a day of book editing, designing, printing and marketing expertise.

You need to be 18 – and be studying, or have studied, as part of a post-graduate writing course since 2000. Full length manuscripts are expected – fiction 7-10 (40k) and fiction 10+ (80k)

Best part? Entering the competition does not exclude you from entry to the Times/Chicken House competition.

Sound like you cup of tea? Click to find out more.