Thursday 1 December 2011

Countdown to Christmas: Publisher Kate Wilson of Nosy Crow


Managing Director of Nosy Crow, Kate has 25 years’ publishing experience. She started her career as a rights seller, before becoming MD of Macmillan Children’s Books, Group MD of Scholastic UK Ltd, and then (briefly!) CEO of Headline. She cares about good books, design, literacy and technology.Since starting Nosy Crow, she likes waking up in the morning.In September 2011, she won the title of Inspirational Business Mum of the year at the MumpreneurUK awards.



Kate Wilson
Here's a wishlist for Nosy Crow's first Christmas!

Nosy Crow is a new list, so we are looking for all sorts of things – from apps and ebooks to print – for babies to children twelve years old.

  • We’d love to receive a proposal for a really original iPhone/iPad app with multimedia and interactive potential for children two to seven years old.
  • We’d really like to find a truly original, fully imagined epic fantasy, possibly multi-book, ideally with girl and boy appeal, but with girl appeal if I have to choose, for children of 8+.
  • We’d love to discover a new children’s book illustrator with potential for international appeal who uses paint – I am thinking saturated colours here, not line and wash – rather than working digitally.
  • We always want brilliant picture book texts that either make us laugh out loud or make us feel a bit lumpy-throaty, but that will truly appeal to children and will be read 25 years from now.
  • A book published this year that I admire and would love to have published (and would like to receive if I didn’t have it already) is The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Carl Hunter.

  • A book I admire that I wouldn’t have published (it’s not quite child-focused enough for me, but very witty and beautiful) and would like to receive if I didn’t have it already is I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen.

  • Nosy Crow editorial director Camilla Reid says I should say that the book she wishes she’d published because it’s so spot-on for its audience is Around the World: Sticker Dolly Dressing

  • And Nosy Crow’s head of art Stephanie Amster says, “I’d like to find the 2013 Kate Greenaway medal-winner under the Christmas Tree this year."
  • We wish that lots of three to six year olds get copies of Just Right by Birdie Black and Ros Beardshaw for Christmas, which is, in our first year of publishing, our only Christmas-specific title. It’s a book about the joy of giving, as much as the joy of receiving. But it would be great if children received any of our books or apps for Christmas!

  • And looking ahead, we wish that, whatever books children read and whether they read on the printed page or digitally, the importance of children reading for pleasure is recognised, celebrated, supported and properly funded by parents, teachers, policy-makers and governments.



Submission guidelines for Nosy Crow can be found here.
Slushpile note: We especially love Nosy Crow for publishing friends' debuts next year:

Paula Harrison's Rescue Princesses series, the first of which - The Secret Promise - is out in April 2012.

Helen Peter's The Secret Henhouse Theatre, also April 2012.

We can't wait!

15 comments :

  1. Great list - and Paula's books look just beautiful!

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  2. We are so proud of our "slushpile" authors... and of the fact that we are willing to look for talent in among the many, many unsolicited manuscripts we receive.

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  3. Hurrah!
    I couldn't resist slipping them in: gorgeous covers indeed.

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  4. Oh yes! Hurrah for Paula and Helen! ... and thanks, Kate!

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  5. There must be something more satisfying about finding something from the slushpile, surely - albeit a lot more work! Yay for Paula and Helen - I'm loving these covers.

    Nick.

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  6. Thanks for popping my first cover up, guys! I couldn't believe my eyes when I got to the end of the article. Sharon Tancredi has done such a fantastic job with the Rescue Princesses covers.

    Slushpilers take heart. Nosy Crow looks through their slushpile and you never know what's round the corner!

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  7. This is a great list, it's so good to know what people are looking for.
    Congratulations to Paula and Helen.
    I'm relieved to hear you stir the slushpile to see what bubbles under there.
    I'm adding a few more elements to my wip but once it's finished, and matured, I'm looking forward to sending it along.

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  8. I love this publishers wish list and what they do !!

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  9. This is very interesting, thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
    Emily

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  10. Wow, this is much better than opening my advent calendar!
    Love the covers, can't wait to see the books!

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  11. How great to find Nosy Crow as your first advent post! And thank you so much for putting my cover up here - what a wonderful surprise! Hurrah for Nosy Crow and their willingness to take on debut authors.

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  12. Absolutely brilliant, Paula and Helen!

    I feel Christmassy already.

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  13. I like this insider knowledge. Nosy Crow are definitely Kindred spirits.
    Also, love the blurb for The Secret Henhouse Theatre and The Rescue Princesses looks like one of series that could run and run- what a brilliant idea:o)

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  14. I'd definitely be submitting to Nosy Crow if I hadn't got a publisher already, love their ethos.

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  15. oo - 'Just Right' looks like a 'lumpy-throaty' picture book - great cover, the petal red is just perfect. Helen & Paula - so good to see your titles up here too!

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