Notes from the Slushpile is a team blog maintained by eight friends who also happen to be children's authors at different stages of the publishing journey.
It is Independent Bookshop Week, 20th June - 27th June!
We at Notes from the Slushpile LOVE bookshops in all shapes and sizes. Both as readers and writers, they are an essential part of what we're about. Ordering a book online doesn't give the same thrill as browsing and finding 'the one', and taking it home, and probably reading it on the way.* Writers are huge book buyers; we have the power to make a difference. You might think you need to save a little, whether it be time or money. But don't you want that thrill of seeing your own books on the shelves of your local one day? So today is the day for us - and some friends - to tell you about some of our favourites.
*not advised if you are driving
I'm going to start things off with not one, but TWO. I've always been a bit greedy.
The Book House, Thame, Oxfordshire - by moi (Teri Terry)
Lovely, inviting children's section
This is my local.I love the quirky shop, the friendly, knowledgeable staff, and it really has one of the BEST children's sections. Plus - the teen section is elsewhere, not cosied up to early readers. This is good. And when I told lovely Luise that we were dropping in - there was a table of our books ready to sign when we got there!
From left - Lee Weatherly, Paula Harrison, Teri Terry
SilverDell Books, Kirkham, Lancashire - also by moi (Teri again)
On the Mind Games tour!
SilverDell Books is Elaine and Sue's baby, and they really know how to run author events. Nothing ever goes wrong: it wouldn't dare! They've been stuck with me a number of times, from my very first publicity tour - when I was absolutely terrified - and my last one for Mind Games, when I was less so. It really felt like coming home to see them again. I hope I'll be back in Lancashire soon!
Lindum Books, Lincoln - by Addy Farmer
Lindum Books sits on Bailgate in Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter. It's a gem of a bookshop; compact and inviting and run by the knowledgeable and enthusiastic Gill Hart and her team. The books here are CHOSEN for their excellence as well as their ability to sell. No bargains or specials. There's even a room at the top for our SCBWI group to meet. It's more than worth the (often) sweaty climb up Steep Hill to reach it. (Addy, is that you in the window on their Twitter image?!)
The Children's Bookshop, Muswell Hill, London - by Candy Gourlay
THE Jacqueline Wilson visits The Children's Bookshop
As a young mother, one of my favourite things was to take the latest baby up to Muswell Hill on the 43 bus to visit the Children's Bookshop on Fortis Green Road. I'd read to the toddler at the far end of the little shop, then browse the rows of shelves that displayed only the best and the most wonderful of children's books. Later, I queued with my daughter to meet our idol Jacqueline Wilson, whose ring-laden fingers made a big impression. Years later, as an author, I was amazed to see my own books given prominence on the book cases. The Children's Bookshop opened its doors more than 40 years ago, and its current owner Kate Agnew remembers visiting as a young girl and chatting about books with the then owner Helen Paiba, as blogged here. Kate's mum, Lesley, bought the shop and Kate has now taken over the business - literally taking children by the hand and introducing them to the books and authors they will love forever. Thank you to The Children's Bookshop, you've added joy to many a childhood (and motherhood).
Tackle and Books of Tobermory, Island of Mull, Scotland - by Debi Gliori
Photo by John MacPherson
My favourite indy bookshops tend to be heavily influenced by how welcome I feel crossing their thresholds. So, my choice is always going to be purely subjective and based on emotion rather than the excellence of the bookseller's range of titles or exquisiteness of display. That said, I love the diversity of approaches to bookselling, the influence that the location has on the stock and the general vibrancy and quirkiness of indy shopkeeping. Currently, my all-time favourite is Tackle and Books of Tobermory on the beautiful island of Mull. Duncan Swinbanks is the front-of-house/ owner and is a champion of small presses and indy publishers and lately, of my own Tobermory-based titles, which pass through his capable hands at an unbelievable rate ; who knew there were that many book-loving, cat-adoring, children's-book-purchasing tourists and locals in Tobermory? Duncan is affable, knowledgeable, full of brilliant ideas for more titles he'd like to see written and illustrated, suggestions for the perfect book for the season, the place and its history, and is a fount of many intriguing stories about the island and its people, past and present. One of my happiest moments was arriving in his shop on a freezing November afternoon and being told - quick, get your pen out, we've delayed the ferry back to the mainland so that these tourists could get their books signed! He also organised the absolutely Best Ever launch for The Tobermory Cat and somehow managed to finagle BBC Scotland to come along and film us all launching the book.
Tales on Moon Lane - by Mo O'Hara
Have you seen the new window at Tales on Moon Lane?” You hear that a lot in Herne Hill. Maybe not quite as much as , ‘The trains are delayed.’ Or ‘The cash-point at Sainsbury’s is out again.’ But it’s pretty common all the same. That’s because Tales on Moon Lane, Tamara Macfarlane’s fab independent children’s bookshop in South London, has a reputation for absolutely beautiful and enticing window displays. Currently it’s a Mad Hatter’s Tea! When I first moved to Herne Hill ( before I even had kids of my own) the window lured me inside to a treasure trove of kids’ books and gifts. Tereze, Leah and the amazingly knowledgeable staff make it a perfect place to shop and to just talk books. One of the best things about Tales on Moon Lane though is their events! My daughter’s first ever Author Event was at TOML with the hilarious Steve Hartley and his giant knickers. And we have been to many, many , many more over the years. Chris Riddell to Judith Kerr, TOML is where the stars come out in Herne Hill! Come and see for yourself!
Formby Books - by Jonathan Mayhew
I remember sitting in the foyer of the high school where I launched my first book, Mortlock, wondering what I’d let myself in for. Tony Higginson came barrelling through the doors with a trolley stacked with boxes. The rest of the morning was a blur of talking, signing, watching enthusiastic children clutching books and Tony’s irrepressible, non-stop banter. Over the years, I’ve watched the storm that’s hit independent bookshops nearly drown poor Tony too but somehow, he’s bounced back. Sadly, his shop, Formby Books is no more but I know Tony will still be promoting the joy reading in the area and a new venture Write Blend, run by writer Bob Stone has opened its doors in nearby Bootle. Good luck to all.
Blackwells, Oxford - by Candy, and me!
Finally, Candy said you must include Blackwells at Oxford. She was very taken with the way they run a book launch: they put together a table of books written by people coming to the book launch! I had my launch for Mind Games there, and this is the photo of books of friends.
Please, please, please: support your local independent bookshop!
Every time you buy a book online, a fairy cries (it's true). Imagine a world where you can't go to lovely places like the ones we've highlighted here today? Where you can't touch and feel and smell new books, and pick up something you've never heard of before that becomes a new favourite - either because it caught your eye, or a bookseller who knows you knows that you'll love it and guides it into your hands? This is one dystopian future that I don't want to contemplate. So go there, and find a new treasure.
You can find out more about Independent Booksellers Week here. Find your local indy - and IBW events in your area - here. Think before you click!
Here's a report from the AFCC's first retreat for writers and illustrators on Bintan Island in Indonesia, which I attended as a mentor.
'I hope this retreat will help you to get to the truth within the lie,' Sarah Odedina told a roomful of writers and illustrators at a retreat in Indonesia last week. 'I think all good literature has message and meaning. But the message and meaning is hidden in the story.'
It was an interesting beginning to her talk on publishing. I don't think I'm making crazy generalisations when I say that, while there are exciting developments in children's publishing in Asia, many educators and parents in the region still regard reading and books as educational tools.
Many educators and parents still regard reading and books as educational tools
It was a constant refrain from publishers, writers, illustrators, and teachers I met last week at the Asian Festival for Children's Content that followed the retreat in Singapore. Far too many educators and parents in this region believe that reading for pleasure -- comics, funny books, books with farts in them, magic, fantasy -- should take a back seat to moral and other lessons.
The job of the editor, Sarah said, is to help authors get the story from inside their heads into books. Never mind the moral lessons. Focus on the story.
'Children are our future. Literature can give them confidence about being part of the world around them,' she said. ' Literacy is not just about being able to read the words on the page but being able to decipher the meaning of a story. The message of a story can be immense but expressed in the lightest way.'
Retreat members and faculty in Singapore before boarding the ferry to Bintan, Indonesia
It was the first retreat ever organised by the Asian Festival of Children's Content. It was as diverse a group as I've ever seen - twenty-six people representing Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Canada, Macau, India, the United States, England, Australia and Portugal, ranging from beginners at the craft of children's books to experienced, multi-published authors.
Held at an Indonesian resort just an hour's ferry ride from Singapore, the retreat was led by mentors that included Sarah, illustrator Catarina Sobral and writer-agent Andrea Pasion-Flores and me. Here's the view from one of the lecture rooms, just to make you jealous:
I remember meeting Sarah Odedina more than five years ago at a talk at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. I'm sure she doesn't remember me as I was one of the cowering unpublished then.
At the time she was editorial director of Bloomsbury Children's Books and famously part of the Harry Potter publishing team.
In those days I had no idea about her Harry Potter connection. What thrilled me was the fact that Sarah had edited Witch Child by Celia Rees. A gazillion writers discover the audience they want to write for through books like How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and Witch Child was one of those breakthrough novels. I would count it as one of the books that spurred me to write for young people.
More recently Sarah was editorial director of Hot Key books where she published Carnegie winning Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner before moving to One World, where she's overseeing its Young Adult and children's publishing.
Sarah's retreat presentation ranged from tips for aspiring authors to a thorough explanation of genres in children's books.
SARAH'S TIPS FOR WANNABE AUTHORS
Complement don't mimic a publisher's list. Don't look at the publisher's list and say they published Harry Potter therefore they will want another magical boarding school book. Research publishers, try to get a real sense of what they publish. "What publisher publishes the kind of work you want to be associated with?"
Smaller publishers vs big publishers? Big publishers have clout in distribution and marketing terms but small publishers will be far more flexible.
Get an Agent. Literary agents have their foot in the door. Publishers will look at submissions from literary agents first on the basis that they have already been filtered from the vast sea of manuscripts.
Be Professional. Follow the stated guidelines. If the publisher's website says send the outline and the first three chapters, that is what you do. Don't say, 'I showed it to my grandchildren and they loved it.' Include any practical information that reveals your seriousness and professionalism (eg. you've been a member of a critique group for several years, you are a paying member of a respected organisation like the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators).
Sorry, reading submissions takes time. Send material ... then be prepared to wait. Don't expect an immediate response. Sometimes it could take many weeks. Don't badger the publisher, don't call every week - wait maybe three months before following up. "We can't cope with feeling that we are keeping people in suspense."
Know your genre. It's not enough to write a story and say that it's for a ten year old. Go into a bookshop and see what is being sold on the shelves, and how they are being categorised. "Read, read, read. Become familiar with publishing in the children's book world ... children of a certain age can take information in a particular way."
Think of how you present yourself to the public. Websites. Social Media. Look at how others do it and note when things are done well. Do you have another persona incompatible with your children's work? Create a strong presence.
Take part in the conversation. The children's book world is very conversation driven. Get involved. It would be a terrible mistake to only go out on social media when you're selling books. "On Twitter I have not chosen for you to sell me something. I am there to talk to you."
"The process of getting published involves different levels of commitment at different points of the journey," Sarah says.
Choosing a book involves a team. Commissioning editors will commit first. Then the sales team must commit, having decided that yes, they can sell this book. "Every step of the way, it's about faith. It's about trust. There's no golden rule."
Every step of the way, it's about faith. It's about trust. There's no golden rule
If you'd like to submit to Sarah. Here's what she says about her acquiring philosophy:
I am looking at books as a reader.
I read everything that comes in.
I am looking for a good relationship with an author.
It's about not losing faith, it's about us doing our best for you. Like a close friendship, your relationship with your editor/publisher should be guarded.
I like plot-driven books
I acquire really simply. If I like it, I will take it to the sales team.
So there you have it. As authors we must be skilful liars, our essential truths concealed in our fiction. Meanwhile editors are just readers who must like our lies in order to publish them.
Candy Gourlay's latest book is Shine, an atmospheric ghost story whose heroine is a hidden away girl who lives her life on the Internet. Nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2015. www.candygourlay.com@candygourlay
Candy Gourlay chats with author Cliff McNish, whose new book My Friend Twigs is out now.
CANDY: Hey Slushpile people, meet author Cliff McNish. Back in 2013, Cliff talked to us about Deepening Character - it was one of our most popular blog posts of that year. Lucky us, he's agreed to come back to talk to us some more. Cliff, you're known mainly for your creepy teen fantasies and ghost stories but recently, you've written two tender and funny animal stories for 8-12 year-olds. Why the change?
CLIFF: Actually, it all started when my wife passed away three years ago. We’d been together for twenty-two years, and I couldn’t find any peace of mind. I’d been commissioned by my published, Orion, to write another ghost story, and I just felt weighed down by it. I kept trudging on, but day after day I wrote less and less until finally ... I just stopped. I didn’t want to be in this dark place. I had enough darkness going on in my life.
CANDY: What did you do?
CLIFF: For about two months I was just numb, writing nothing, doing nothing. Or at least I can’t remember what I did. The first sign that anything was changing was when I started to get these strange little funny ideas in my head – imagine a rabbit who lost his nose, or a polar bear that got tired of fish. Picture book territory, I guess. I didn't know where this stuff was coming from. But it wouldn’t go away. I kept pushing it back, but sillier and sillier ideas continued coming into my head.
CANDY: Which leads us to your current extraordinary authorial character change.
CLIFF: Yes. My wife, Ciara, had forever been asking me to write a warm story. 'How about one involving dogs stuck in a rescue home,' she’d said many times. 'You know, something heartfelt and funny. You can do that, can't you?'
Since we'd spent over two years fostering rescue dogs I had plenty of stories to use, though I never took the suggestion seriously. Other people wrote those sort of poignant, funny stories much better than me, didn't they?
But now the idea returned. And once I remembered it was her idea the characters took on an instant, vivid life. I could see Ralph, Bessie, Mitch and Fred barking away. I knew exactly what their stories were.
CANDY: I loved Going Home ... it's a real about face to write a book for seven to 12 year olds after your last scary thriller, The Hunting Ground, which has an age warning on the back. And now, you've done it again for the same age group as Going Home, with a mad cockatoo and a girl. What made you write an animal story about a bird?
CLIFF: I was trawling the internet when I came by chance across film of a pet moluccan cockatoo screeching non-stop. Moluccans are huge birds, and so noisy that I wondered how anyone could stand them.
And then I wondered what would happen if a girl ended up having to look after such a bird? What would their friendship be like? And, if that friendship became deep enough, what if her father decided he couldn’t live with the bird any longer? How strongly would she fight for him?
Moluccan cockatoos are fascinating creatures, actually. They’re not suited as pets at all, but many of the ones that get shackled that way end up with characteristics more human than those of cats and dogs. They can dance, for a start. They sing and talk. And, unlike dogs and cats, they live almost as long as us. Even their hearts beat at the same slow steady rate as a human heart. With their endless noisiness, their constant chatter, to me Moluccan cockatoos seem very human indeed. So it was fun to write a warm-hearted and hopefully funny story with a bird at its heart.
CANDY: And here, my dears, is the cover of Cliff's new book: My Friend Twigs. Ready ... steady ... AWWWWWWWW!
Cliff’s fiction is full of memorable ones, and I wanted to pick his brains about how to create one. After all that warm-heartedness, here's what he offered me.
Enemies, opponents, antagonists, villains. Whatever you like to call them, we love to hate them! Try to imagine your favourite books or films without the evil guys. How about Harry Potter without Voldemort or Draco Malfoy?
Or Lord of the Rings without Sauron and the orcs? Where wouldTwilight be without the James Coven? Or the Baudelaire children without Count Olaf?
Readers adore enemies in stories because it’s a secret pleasure to explore the darker side of our imaginations. But the reason we DEMAND them is because the nasty things they do to our heroes and heroines help us to love them so much more.
A good villain makes you sympathise with the hero so completely that the reader becomes desperate for them to succeed. Below are 18 top tips on creating great enemies in your own stories.
TIP 1 - Make your villain cause pain and suffering to characters we either like or who are innocent or defenceless.
This is the easiest and most effective way to make your reader hate a character. The more sadistic/merciless they are, the more we despise them. Voldemort attacks the defenceless Harry Potter when he’s just a tiny baby, instantly achieving villain status. Darth Vader destroys an ENTIRE PLANET.
As world-leading novelist Stephen King says: ‘To create a great opponent, make them hunger for other people’s suffering. That way they become the embodiment of pure evil.’
Tip 2 – Make them strongly want something the reader will hate them for.
In the Lion King, Scar wants to be head of the Pride. In Stormbreaker Herod Sayle can’t wait to kill as many school children in England as possible. In Lord of the Rings Sauron wants to enslave the world. We automatically detest him for it.
Tip 3 - Give the enemy control over your hero’s life.
Miss Trunchbull in Matilda locks kids away in the vicious ‘chokey’. Put your own villain in charge where no one can stop them.
Tip 4 - Make them appear more powerful than your hero.
Harry Potter is just a school boy wizard, but Voldemort is a master of the dark arts. The reader becomes consumed with fear for the hero.
Tip 5 – Ensure they break promises.
In Stormbreaker, Nadia Vole pretends she’s going to free Alex – then dumps him into a tank with a giant jellyfish. ‘When a character breaks a promise or betrays a trust, the audience takes that betrayal personally,’ says Orson Scott Card, award winning SF writer. ‘The villain has achieved true villain status, and readers will be longing for their downfall.’
Tip 6 - Make them a coward.
Malfoy’s always hiding behind Crabbe and Goyle or the influence of his family name. A hero never does that.
Tip 7 - Make them stuck up and condescending towards others.
We hate characters who think they are superior to us, people who sneer or treat powerful, influential, rich people better than the poor and powerless.
Tip 8 - Make them boast.
A hero remains modest. When things go right for villains they take all the credit whether they deserve it or not.
A heroine retains a sense of humour. When things go wrong for opponents, have them whine. Or, if they do joke, always make it at someone else’s expense.
Tip 10 - Have them blame everyone but themselves.
When things go wrong, villains always accuse and criticize others. Ensure yours do the same.
Tip 11 – Emphasise their vanity.
We automatically dislike anyone who brags about their looks, strength, deeds or the amount of money they have. Think of Moriarty.
Tip 12 - Make them cheats and liars.
Heroes are honest. Villains can’t be trusted.
Tip 13 - Give them no regard for other people’s feelings.
A hero is self-sacrificing and considers other people. Villains don’t care what happens to anyone else. They only help themselves. Think of the contempt the James clan in Twilight have for all humans.
Tip 14 - Make them petty instead of noble.
When Harry meets Ron on the train to Hogwarts he shares his food with him – he’s generous and warm-hearted. But what does Malfoy do? Cracks jokes about Ron’s poverty and talks about his ‘useless’ family. We despise him for it.
Tip 15 - Make them ugly OR exceptionally handsome.
We tend to distrust both. Think of the lovely but cruel step-mother in Snow White. Or Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.
From Disney via Giphy
Tip 16 - Villains rarely doubt themselves.
In Twilight hero Edward is constantly worried that he cannot trust himself with Bella. That makes him more human. In Hercules, Hades is only looking out for Number One. Himself. Villains just pursue their own interests and don’t question themselves or care who they step on.
Tip 17 - Build up the suspense by not revealing the villain too soon.
Sauron in Lord of the Rings is just a vast eye – and all the more alarming because we never really know what he looks or sounds like. To create real fear, keep you reader guessing for as long as possible. In Toy Story 3, cuddly Lotso Huggin Bear turns out to be a megalomaniac.
Tip 18 – Have people talk about your enemy fearfully.
The importance of this final tip is often neglected, but not by great storytellers. Characters are so afraid of Voldemort that they won’t even say his name. Sauron hardly appears in Lord of the Rings, but when you read the novel you always feel his presence. The reason is that even tough warriors like Aragorn never stop talking about him apprehensively. When great and brave characters like Aragorn and Gandalf regard Sauron as immensely dangerous, readers automatically get nervous. Have your own strongest characters do the same. Use them to stoke up the fear of your enemy. It works beautifully.
These tips come from workshops that Cliff performs at school visits. If you are interested in Cliff's Villains Factsheet, you can contact him on his website and he'll be happy to send you one. Notes from the Slushpile thanks you for this brilliant guest post, Cliff!
Have you seen the new window at Tales on Moon Lane?” You hear that a lot in Herne Hill. Maybe not quite as much as , ‘The trains are delayed.’ Or ‘The cash-point at Sainsbury’s is out again.’ But it’s pretty common all the same. That’s because Tales on Moon Lane, Tamara Macfarlane’s fab independent children’s bookshop in South London, has a reputation for absolutely beautiful and enticing window displays. Currently it’s a Mad Hatter’s Tea!
CLIFF: Actually, it all started when my wife passed away three years ago. We’d been together for twenty-two years, and I couldn’t find any peace of mind. I’d been commissioned by my published, Orion, to write another ghost story, and I just felt weighed down by it. I kept trudging on, but day after day I wrote less and less until finally ... I just stopped. I didn’t want to be in this dark place. I had enough darkness going on in my life. 
