Maurice Lyon is Editorial Director for Children’s Books at Frances Lincoln, now part of the Quarto Group. He has had a long career as a children’s books editor, working for Puffin and Hodder Children’s as well as freelancing for the likes of Scholastic and Simon & Schuster Children’s. Authors he has worked with range from Philip Pullman, Paul Stewart and Jan Mark to Michelle Harrison and Keren David.
All I want for Christmas…
1 That the government will take on the Evening Standard's campaign to fund Volunteer Reading Help throughout not just London but the whole country as one of the most effective ways of ensuring that every child becomes a reader and is able to access all the benefits that literacy bestows.
2 A market for inspiring children's and teen fiction that reveals the extraordinary lives of ordinary people overcoming situations of deprivation and conflict around the world. The news is full of seemingly insoluble economic, political and environmental problems that young people want to engage with, and fiction has an invaluable role to play in enabling readers to experience what it is like for those living in circumstances less advantageous than themselves. For this reason I applaud the attention gained by Jason Wallace's powerful novel Out of Shadows this year, and also by our own titles Far From Home by Naima B Robert, Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy and next year's debut Ibarajo Road by Harry Allen.
3 And finally, I wish for funny, original and clever young fiction submissions to build on the success we have achieved with the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club selected There's a Hamster in My Pocket by Franzeska Ewart. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is reinvigorating the market for younger readers and we are particularly excited to be publishing Randa Abel-Fattah's brilliant The Friendship Matchmaker, already a big hit in her native Australia.
1 That the government will take on the Evening Standard's campaign to fund Volunteer Reading Help throughout not just London but the whole country as one of the most effective ways of ensuring that every child becomes a reader and is able to access all the benefits that literacy bestows.
2 A market for inspiring children's and teen fiction that reveals the extraordinary lives of ordinary people overcoming situations of deprivation and conflict around the world. The news is full of seemingly insoluble economic, political and environmental problems that young people want to engage with, and fiction has an invaluable role to play in enabling readers to experience what it is like for those living in circumstances less advantageous than themselves. For this reason I applaud the attention gained by Jason Wallace's powerful novel Out of Shadows this year, and also by our own titles Far From Home by Naima B Robert, Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy and next year's debut Ibarajo Road by Harry Allen.
3 And finally, I wish for funny, original and clever young fiction submissions to build on the success we have achieved with the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club selected There's a Hamster in My Pocket by Franzeska Ewart. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is reinvigorating the market for younger readers and we are particularly excited to be publishing Randa Abel-Fattah's brilliant The Friendship Matchmaker, already a big hit in her native Australia.
Slushpile note: submission guidelines for Frances Lincoln can be found here.
Fab list, Maurice! And Frances Lincoln has had a stonking year, congratulations on all your brilliant successes - so well deserved.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrific! Exciting times ahead for Frances Lincoln!
ReplyDeleteYay for Francis Lincoln - I have such great respect for what you all do. Here's to another successful year in 2012!
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a 'Think Big' list. I'd better get my 'Think Big' SCBWI conference badge on, it may help!
ReplyDeleteMaureen
I'm a HUGE Frances Lincoln fan (though possibly just a little bit biased!)
ReplyDeleteTell us why, Wendy!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks so much to Maurice for taking the time to share his wishlist with the Slushpile.
Another great post. I hope Maurice gets all his wishes this year!
ReplyDeleteAn ambitious list! I like it :o)
ReplyDelete