<![CDATA[Jacqui Brown Creative Writer

<![CDATA[Jacqui Brown Creative Writer - BlogContent]]>Mon, 18 Apr 2022 16:21:00 +1000Weebly<![CDATA[James Layton on the Humour and Heart of Larrikin House]]>Sat, 02 Oct 2021 02:34:31 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/james-layton-on-the-humour-and-heart-of-larrikin-house

If you're interested in writing for kids and you love writing stories that are funny, this Q&A with publisher James Layton from Larrikin House is an absolute must!

Hi James, Can you tell me about why you started Larrikin House?
Our schools business Learning Discovery was looking for fun, quirky Australian picture books to add to our book packs for schools. I was finding so many were so heavy & serious, mostly books that adults wanted kids to read, as opposed to books kids wanted to read for themselves. I saw the gap in the market and decided in that moment to start publishing.

What made you want to specialise in quirky, original and humorous kid-focussed books?
I believe the love of reading is up against some tough competition right now. There’s loads of great entertainment options other than reading, so unless we’re publishing kid-focussed books, we’ll lose them as readers.

'If we want to engage kids in reading, then we need to stop trying to teach morals... kids don’t always want to learn. They want to get absorbed in stories that are fun.'

How important do you think humour and quirkiness is in engaging kids in reading?
Two words… Andy Griffiths! I first watched Andy in action with kids 20 odd years ago at school events. The kids were 100% engaged!

Humour is universal. If we want to engage kids in reading, then we need to stop trying to teach morals and make them better people in all the stories. There’s no fun in that. Kids don’t always want to learn. They want to get absorbed in stories that are fun.

Have you always wanted to be in publishing and education? How did you get into it?
I got into bookselling nearly 30 years ago by accident. I thoroughly enjoyed the business craft, and have been with it ever since. Publishing is way more creative and fun than selling books, so I wish I started publishing earlier.

'The love of reading is up against some tough competition right now.'

What does your usual day look like?
Emails, zoom meetings, more emails, more zoom meetings. Actually, it’s quite fun. I wrestle new story submissions, brainstorm stories with my team that are good in concept but need help, go over illustrations, and do manuscript assessments.

I see you’re expanding from picture books into chapter and middle grade – what’s your vision for Larrikin in the Australian marketplace?
Long term I would like to publish across all the genres. If it’s quirky humorous, then we’ll go there eventually. Next stop for us is junior fiction.

'If you're are bit bent, then write into that space. Go big, take risks, observe the funny side of life.'

How many books does Larrikin publish in a typical year?
At the moment we’re committed to 20 picture books a year. I need 80 titles a year for our school market, so there’s room to publish more. Just need some more money.

What’s your process for finding new stories to publish?
Our submissions portal runs pretty hot, so we get the odd story from that. I get the best ones through our assessment service because authors take on my feedback and come back with better stories.

From the last 100 assessments, I’ve signed about 8 stories, whereas I’ve probably only signed one story from the last 250 general submissions. Our greatest source of new material now comes from our existing author pool.

Can you talk a little about authors sharing their work with Larrikin and other publishers through editor assessments at conferences as opposed to submitting through a publisher’s website?
I think assessments are incredibly helpful in the crafting of a story. Assessments from a publisher are even more vital because, from my experience most budding authors don’t really understand how publishers think, and what they need to make a book financially viable.

We’re the ones investing up to $20,000 to produce a book, so our opinion matters most. The best part of my assessments is the zoom meeting where I can answer questions, and help an author understand what makes a book work for me.

What’s your best advice for authors who want to write humour?
If you’re not funny as a person, writing humour will be difficult. If you are a bit bent, then write into that space. Go big, take risks, observe the funny side of life.

'Spend 90% of your time crafting a great story, and 10% on everything else... story is king!! Get your hook in the first 20 seconds of reading.'

What’s your best advice for aspiring authors who want to get their first book into the marketplace?
Spend 90% of your time crafting a great story, and 10% on everything else. It’s surprising how many cover letters are better written than the story submitted. I can’t publish a cover letter. Story is king!! Get your hook in the first 20 seconds of reading.

What do you like to read in your spare time?
I read bits and pieces of everything. Wilbur Smith, Trent Dalton and Chopper Read. Haha I love autobiographical humour the most.

Anything else you'd like to add?
When writing for kids, ask yourself: What's the buy in for the kid? Why would a kid want to read your story?

Thanks for talking with me, James!

You can find out about Larrikin House, its ethos, authors and publications here.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2021 issue of Women's Ink!

]]><![CDATA[Your own personal Yoda? All about mentoring with Jane Messer]]>Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:00:00 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/your-own-personal-yoda-everything-you-need-to-know-with-writer-and-mentor-jane-messer

If you've ever wondered if you should get yourself a writing mentor, then say hello to Jane Messer. Writer, mentor, and former course director of the post- graduate creative writing programme at Macquarie University, Jane has stopped by to answer all your mentoring questions!

Hi Jane, Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’ve been writing about my family background for my book Raven Mother which is a part-memoir, part-biography of my father and his mother, and it’s become really clear to me how eclectic my parents were for the times. My father moved from science grant to grant in different countries. I grew up moving around, and hearing my parents’ life stories, listening in when their friends come to the house and regaled them with their adventures — and being read to every night. I had dyslexia and synesthesia, and was slow to learn to read. I think that all combined to me wanting to do my own thing. That pretty much sums up my most significant influences.

How and why did you get into mentoring?
I came to it through teaching creative writing for many years, first at Johns Hopkins University, then UTS, and then for 16 years at Macquarie University where I was the Course Director of the postgraduate Creative Writing programme. Before teaching I’d been working in the community sector and with independent publishers doing marketing and event management work, and sort of slid into teaching at a time when there were more opportunities, after publishing my first novel Night by Night.

'Mentoring, working one-on-one with a writer, working closely with their text, giving feedback about characters, the structure, the language, everything associated with the creative text itself was a favourite part of my university teaching.'

Mentoring, working one-on-one with a writer, working closely with their text, giving feedback about characters, the structure, the language, everything associated with the creative text itself was a favourite part of my university teaching. So it was the obvious thing for me to continue doing after leaving academia.

What do you enjoy about it and why?
It’s very rewarding working with writers to support them to develop a piece of work, learn new techniques, solve creative problems, and so on. I love the close reading part of mentoring, of working with the creative text, and thinking about how the author can make it the best it can be.

I enjoy the listening, watching out for what the writer is needing—often the writer doesn’t know it themself. It’s very rewarding seeing a writer become more skilful, seeing their work simply get “better”.

'I love the close reading part of mentoring, of working with the creative text, and thinking about how the author can make it the best it can be.'

I can get very fond of a particular manuscript too, and really want it finished and published and out in the world! It’s fun to be excited about another writer’s work and to share that excitement with the author in a practical way.

What’s the hardest part about being a mentor?
I always remind myself that for the writer, sharing your work with another person, an expert so-to-speak, can be a terrifying experience. I remind myself how very, very important this experience is for that writer, and that it needs to be a positive one. I’ve also worked with writers who’re coming-out in their writing about their sexuality, or past trauma, or in the case of an Indian writer, coming out as an atheist. Respecting the trust the person has placed in me isn’t ‘hard’, but it’s not something I take for granted.

Does it help your own creative work?
I’m sure it does. Not in a specific way that I can point to and say, I wrote this because of my mentoring. But yes, my writing has been helped immeasurably by the many years of thinking and working with writing ‘problems’ as a mentor, reader, editor, teacher. I’ve been very lucky in my work. There’s a creative symbiosis there for sure.

'...basically a mentor is someone to have deep conversations about the work with.'

Why might it be important for aspiring authors to be mentored? What about published authors?
Well, there’s quite a few reasons. Firstly, you can learn a great deal with a good mentor, about technique and craft, and ideally you take those new skills with you through to your other writing projects. Those delicious ‘aha’ learning moments. You’re working on a specific piece of writing or series of works, but you’re also learning as a writer in more general ways. A writing mentor will help identify problems in the work, or talk with you about issues you’ve raised and you can canvas ideas, solutions, basically a mentor is someone to have deep conversations about the work with.

I’m working with a published author currently, but she’s working in a totally new genre. The difference for her is that when we’re talking about the work, or we’re going through my comments on the page, she understands the issues more quickly and is more confident in her rewriting and revisions.

Deadlines: a mentor will hold you to them. It’s great to have a deadline that isn’t one you just made up for yourself. It gets people going with their work. They write more often, they write more words, and revise more rigorously.

'Agents and publishers are expecting very finished work from new and established authors.'

Once your work is at a potentially publishable stage, a mentor can help direct you to appropriate publishers, agents, journals, competitions and so on. Agents and publishers are expecting very finished work from new and established authors. The industry economic model has changed and there’s not the money or time for a publisher’s editor to work with a writer to rewrite the ‘promising’ text. That’s why the mentoring sector has grown so much in the past few years; writers need to present much more developed work than they did, say, twenty years ago.

Getting a mentor costs money, with no guarantee of being published or earning it back, which can be a block for some writers. Can you comment on that?
It’s true, there are no guarantees of publication. I’ve worked with some incredible emerging writers and manuscripts, but they don’t always get published.

Conversely, most writers who’re published have had other readers working with them on their manuscript, be they professional writer friends, or a writing group, their agent, a mentor, or series of mentors.

If publication is your aim, working with a good mentor will improve your work and thus your chances of publication. You’re also learning skills and techniques that go way beyond that particular manuscript. Mentoring can be an ‘investment’ in your future writing, as well as the manuscript you’re working on right now.

'Mentoring can be an ‘investment’ in your future writing, as well as the manuscript you’re working on right now.'

How would you recommend someone goes about choosing a mentor?
That’s a good question, because how can you be sure? It’s important to choose wisely, and that goes both ways – most mentors will want to see an example of your work beforehand so they can judge if they’re the right ‘fit’ for your work. I was recently offered a military/espionage history novel and said no, because I know nothing about military history and there’s others that do.

Look at the mentor’s testimonials, and how long they’ve been teaching and mentoring. Are they familiar with the genre that you’re writing in? So, if they’re focused on scripts, and you’re a short story writer it’s maybe not the best fit. Ideally, you can have a first conversation at no cost, as it’s important to feel you will get on at a personal level. If you can, ask other writers who they’ve worked with, and why it was beneficial. And get into specifics of how the mentor worked: find out if the mentor reads the text in progress closely, or if they’re more oriented to talking about writing process in general. What are your expectations?

If you’re just starting out, a mentor isn’t the right approach. You should start with just writing, doing some short courses, maybe a university programme, or have some substantial writing already accomplished.

What’s the best way for someone to approach working with the mentor – how does a writer get what they need out of it?
What an excellent question. Sometimes, of course, you’re not sure yourself what it is you exactly want. Giving the mentor information about your writing experience and background is important; any publications you’ve had, writing courses you’ve done, and so on. Explain what it is that you’re working on now, and what you hope to achieve: for instance, maybe you want to finish the manuscript and learn new techniques.

'Writing takes time, it is an art that can be practiced, and must be practised...
It takes time to develop your craft.'

Alternatively, you might be wanting to start a new work, and you’re not exactly sure of its form. Or you might struggle with a regular writing practice, in which case talk about that and devise a schedule together that helps with that. The important thing is to begin by saying what you believe you need and want, and be open to suggestion.

How can the mentor and mentee best work together so it’s a positive experience for them both?
Good communication, naturally and mutual respect, it always works. Send well-proofed copy. Don’t be afraid of your mentor, but don’t pester with thrice-weekly emails. Ask questions, tell them what you want them to know, or ask for what you need. Your mentor will try to read your mind, but it’s not a foolproof method.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Writing takes time, it is an art that can be practiced, and must be practised. It’s also very time-consuming and there just isn’t any way around that, so you need to find a way to enjoy yourself while working hard for many years.

'Read widely and attentively.
Love sentences, understand how to use a comma,
listen to your
doubts, but also

be bold.'

It takes time to develop your craft. While you’re doing that read widely and attentively. Love sentences, understand how to use a comma, listen to your doubts, but also be bold.

Finally, writing can be heart-wrenching and make you feel low, then high, then irritable, then elated. People don’t talk about that roller-coaster much, though all these emotions are all ‘normal’. Embrace them.

More about Jane Messer:
Jane Messer has mentored many writers and student writers over the past thirty years in her work as a creative writing teacher, mentor and editor. She has published novels, anthologies of world literature and new Australian writing; written and produced two radio dramas; and published experimental and realist short stories.
As well as being passionate about her own writing, Jane loves working with writers to help them hone their craft, explore new techniques, become confident about process, and to write the best possible work.
You can find Jane at her website www.janemesser.com, on Facebook , Linkedin, or listen to Jane being interviewed here.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2021 issue of Women's Ink!

]]><![CDATA[A Place to Make a Million Errors of Choice - the Joy of the Library]]>Sat, 17 Jul 2021 03:26:16 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/the-serendipity-of-the-library

'A library is about the surprise, the serendipity of what you might come across, the shared space...'
- Susan Orlean

I heard a fabulous interview with Susan Orlean on ABC Conversations programme recently about the 1986 fire in Los Angeles Central Library which destroyed 400,000 books and damaged another 700,000 – more than half of the 2 million books the library held. Who set the fire is an enduring mystery and the subject of her new book, The Library Book.

In the interview, Susan discusses the enchantment of a library. ‘It’s not the same as simply going and buying a book you want,’ she says.

‘A library is about the surprise, the serendipity of what you might come across, the shared space, the fact that this is something that belongs to a whole community ... you go to look for one book and you notice the book next to it, the sense that you are browsing through this great communal brain... I had forgotten how delicious that really is.’ (You can hear more of Susan on the episode here).

‘In the library you can make a million errors of choice…’
- Ursula Dubosarsky

The freedom to make mistakes

That serendipity of a library comes with a freedom of taking chances, of trying something new, picking out something on a whim, the possibility of what might be discovered - or disliked.

‘Don’t overthink it, just explore, grab!’ says Australian Children’s Laureate Ursula Dubosarsky. She describes the library as a place to make a million errors of choice.

'I’m completely not against people owning books, obviously I’m a writer, please own as many books as possible!' she says. 'But I think it’s more important to tell people to join a library than go and buy a book.’

But what about the authors?

Australia has 1600 public library outlets, lending out excess of 166 million items a year, and the range is far beyond what’s in a physical book shop.

If you’re wondering, yes, authors do receive money when you borrow a book from the library. The Australian Government has a lending rights scheme which provides payments to authors in return for the free access people receive to their work through schools and libraries.

Long live books!

Plus, the library can give a book greater longevity than the bookshop, sustaining them in the circulation long after they are out of print with the publisher. And every author wants their books to be out in the world, being read, being shared, being enjoyed.

So, love your bookshops, and fill your home with all the books you want, but don’t forget the magic of the library and the unexpected delights that are waiting there for you to discover.

My Podcast Recommendation:
ABC Conversations Podcast
Episode Thursday 4 June
‘When the Library Burned’ with Susan Orlean.

]]><![CDATA[Talking Writing with Zena Shapter]]>Mon, 07 Jun 2021 09:51:29 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/talking-writing-with-zena-shapter

A run-in with a street thief seems like an unlikely moment to know you're truly a writer, but that's the way it was for author, teacher and mentor Zena Shapter!

I'm delighted to talk with Zena about her writing, publishing and the value of creativity in the community.

Hi Zena, when did you decide you were truly a writer?
Gosh, that’s a good question! I don’t know if I ever really ‘decided’ I was a writer, but there was a distinctive moment when I could no longer deny it.

I had had a talent for writing since I was a child. I remembered writing a poem about owls and hedgehogs when I was about ten. My teacher was annoyed because the homework was supposed to be writing an original poem and she demanded to know where I’d copied it from – I was thrilled she didn’t believe the poem was mine! When I was about 14, my teacher asked me to read out to the class a 77-stanza epic ballad I had written for fun, she was so impressed.

As my teens continued, creative writing became a daily catharsis. I went on to take a degree majoring in English Literature at Birmingham University, England; and my first ‘proper’ job was in publishing.

'I had my wallet and keys in the bag, but they were replaceable. The poem was not.'

However, it was when I was targeted by a street thief in Birmingham that I could no longer deny that I was, truly, a writer. I was in my early twenties, I’d just finished work at that publishing company, and I was walking to the train station. It was dusk, there was no one else on the street. The thief came from nowhere. He yanked the small backpack off my shoulder and tried to run off. I held on, but he was stronger and easily overpowered me. I couldn’t let him! Why? Because I had written a poem that day and my only copy was in that bag. So I ran after him yelling, “Give it back!”. I had my wallet and keys in the bag, but they were replaceable. The poem was not.

We ran into a housing estate and along its empty streets until, luckily, a car drove past. I flagged it down, shouting out about the thief. I couldn’t believe it – the car did a speedy three-point turn, zoomed after the thief, overtook him, blocked him off and two men jumped out. The thief immediately dropped my bag and ran… back towards me!

I stood as still as a lamppost, staring at his face so I’d be able to identify him later. The men ran past me and… arrested him! They were undercover policemen! They’d been patrolling after receiving reports about a mugger in the area. I was lucky too because, in running alone into a dark housing estate, I could have encountered more trouble than a stolen bag. But a writer will do anything for their writing, and that was when I could no longer deny it: I was a writer! I ran to my bag and held it tight.

I love that story! What was the process for writing and publishing your first book?
Another good question! Acknowledging that writing is your passion, and publishing work for readers to actually read, are two very different things. Plenty of writers dabble endlessly and lovingly with words without ever publishing them. In my twenties, I doubted I had much to say about life, but knew the time to start writing a novel would one day present itself.

That day came when I was asked to commute from London to Reading, every day for six months, as part of my job. The hour and a half journey was the perfect opportunity to tackle a long project. So I started writing.

'I paid for manuscript assessments to improve my craft and spent a year applying myself to each assessment, creating newer and better drafts...'

It was so much fun! It took me about a year to actually finish that first book, a legal thriller, and I submitted it to a few publishers; but I also knew that, as my first book, it probably wasn’t very good. By then, I was also in the process of emigrating and then establishing myself in Australia, and that occupied a great deal of my time.

Still, I had an idea for another book, which incorporated scientific concepts I had explored since my teens about life after death. I went to Iceland, spent years researching the science and exploring my ideas further. As I started writing the book, I had to learn how to incorporate creative writing into my life on a regular basis; then after I completed a first draft, I also knew it needed improvement. I paid for manuscript assessments to improve my craft and spent a year applying myself to each assessment, creating newer and better drafts, learning storytelling tools along the way and about myself as a writer.

Marriage and kids then came along, but I kept writing and rewriting. What started out as a multi-point-of-view third-person novel gradually became a single perspective first-person science fiction thriller.

Then an opportunity arose to write YA and middle grade books collaboratively to raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project. I jumped at the chance and wrote five books over five years, all with different writers, and each book won an award, which made publishing them easy. I then wrote another book collaboratively, ‘Into Tordon’, which was published by MidnightSun Publishing and distributed into over a thousand schools via Scholastic Australia.

Meanwhile, a final manuscript assessment for that science fiction thriller suggested minimal changes. It was ready. I applied to literary agents and got one, the book went to acquisitions at three major publishers, then finally ‘Towards White’ found its rightful home (IFWG 2017), my first solo book.

What other work do you like to do?
I love working with other writers in my Creative Support business! I’ve always had a natural gift for writing and editing, and have used my skills in every job I’ve had. But about 20 years ago now, I established my own editing, mentoring and tutoring business and have been helping writers with it ever since.

I especially love sharing with others what I know about creative writing, and polishing and preparing writers’ work ready for publication, then helping them actually publish and print. I’m a one-stop shop for writers!

I also work with publishers, preparing book layouts; with libraries, councils, schools, colleges, writers’ centres and, well, anywhere really, teaching workshops in creative writing, publishing and author promotion; and I run a series of on-demand courses from my website.

'Once you do commit, there are actually plenty of moments you can use to write – lunchtimes at work, any time spent commuting, and any moment spent waiting.'

You sound so busy! How do you fit in time for your own writing? What do you suggest for people who live busy lives but want to write?
It can be hard to find the time to write for myself. However, since I committed myself to writing on that long commute to work, I learnt to simply write whenever I can. Once you do commit, there are actually plenty of moments you can use to write – lunchtimes at work, any time spent commuting, and any moment spent waiting.

Having children was perhaps the greatest challenge. But when they were younger I orchestrated their daytime naps to coincide so I could write while they slept; then every Saturday my husband would ‘fly solo’ so I could write for a few hours in my local library.

Over the years I grew used to juggling my time, and now it’s simply a way of life. I never go anywhere without a writing tool – at first I carried my trusty PalmPilot everywhere, now it's my laptop! I once wrote a story on my smartphone. Right now I’m sat in the hospital emergency waiting room with my son, who has a broken thumb, and we’ve been waiting to see someone for six hours. That’s a lot of writing time.

'Creating makes you happier and healthier.
There’s no price tag for that.'

Many writers say writing is a compulsion, would you agree?
Absolutely. I write because I have no choice. It’s how I express myself. If a few weeks go by and I haven’t written any creative words of my own, because I’ve spent too many hours writing for or editing other people for example, I start to feel uptight and a little miserable. I need to create, and my natural form of expression is: writing words.

What role do you think creativity plays, not only in people’s lives but in communities?
When you’re creating (in a safe and inclusive environment) it improves your self-esteem, sense of belonging, and self-actualisation. Creating makes you happier and healthier. There’s no price tag for that. All the money in the world isn’t as important as your health or happiness. So I encourage everyone to get creative, whether it’s with words or some other form of creative art.

Happier individuals also make happier communities, so your personal creativity can make the world a better place! Creativity can bring us together as we learn and improve our skills, then share what we create. So communities really should enable creativity as much as they possibly can.

Thanks for chatting with me, Zena!
Thank you for having me, Jacqui, it’s been a pleasure chatting with *you*!

Discover more about Zena on her website.

Zena Shapter

More about Zena:
Zena Shapter writes from a castle in a flying city hidden by a thundercloud. Author of 'Towards White' (IFWG 2017) and co-author of 'Into Tordon' (MidnightSun 2016), she’s won over a dozen writing competitions – including a Ditmar Award, Glen Miles Short Story Prize, and Australasian Horror Writers’ Association Award for Short Fiction.

Her short stories have appeared in the Hugo-nominated 'Sci Phi Journal', 'Midnight Echo' and their Australian Shadows Awarded ‘best’ anthology, ‘Antipodean SF’, and Award-Winning Australian Writing (twice).

She’s a movie buff, story nerd, writing mentor and editor, book creator, short story judge and an inclusive creativity advocate, who’s founded community creativity projects for writers such as the ‘Art & Words Project’ and the award-winning Northern Beaches Writers’ Group. She loves frogs, chocolate, potatoes, and travelling. Find her online via social media @ZenaShapter and zenashapter.com

]]><![CDATA[let's talk Book Covers!]]>Wed, 05 May 2021 14:00:00 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/lets-talk-book-covers-with-kim-lock

When graphic designer Kim Lock’s debut novel ‘Peace, Love and Khaki Socks’ was published with MidnightSun, she found herself in a unique position - being offered the opportunity of designing her own book cover.

Now Kim regularly designs book covers for MidnightSun, and she's stopped by to answer all my questions about the process!

Hi Kim, thanks for talking to me! Can you share the process for designing a book cover.
Firstly I receive a ‘brief’ from the publisher. This is always an exciting day, because it means there is another book coming into the world! The brief includes a little about the book: the premise, the intended readership, the theme or genre.

I generally begin by browsing image libraries, playing with colours and typefaces, bringing elements together on the page. Once I have a good selection of concepts that I’m happy with – anything from half a dozen to 20 or more – I send these to the publisher. Then I wait!

Sometimes a concept is on the mark right away, and then we get to perfecting the cover. Other times, I might need to start over, and draft up new concepts. Sometimes, the chosen cover might be a combination of a few concepts – an image from one, a colour or typeface from another.

'An author is going to have to talk about
their book for a long time,
so it is important that they
like their cover as much as possible.'

Once the publisher and author are happy with a front cover, I’ll then layout the cover ‘flat’ – the front, back and spine. And then, once the internal pages are finalised, I prepare the print-ready file, have it checked one last time and approved by the publisher, and send it off to the printer. Everyone celebrates that day!

Do you read the book before designing the cover? If not, how do you determine what the cover should look like?
Usually, when I receive the initial brief from the publisher, the manuscript is still in its early stages and the author is busy editing, but I will always read at least a few sample chapters, to get an idea of the theme and narrative voice.

Sometimes I read the entire manuscript. I also always receive a detailed blurb or synopsis. MidnightSun love their covers to be as eye-catching and unique as possible, so it’s a matter of balancing the right ‘look’ for the target readership with market trends, author and publisher preferences, and a beautiful design!

How long does the process take?
Working on initial concepts takes hours – anything from five or six to a dozen or more. I try to get these to the publisher within a few weeks of the brief. Then there are usually days / weeks / months of back and forth with the publisher, tweaking the design, moving elements around, adding the blurb and quotes, and finally, preparing the file for print. All up, it can take anything from several months to a year before the book hits shelves.

How much input does an author have, and at what stages in the process?
This varies between publishers, of course, but MidnightSun are generous with how much author preference and feedback is taken into account throughout the entire design process.

'We have so little time to capture the
very busy human eye.'

It’s important that a cover appeals to its intended audience, and while all authors need to understand where their book sits in the market, this is especially so at a small press, where publicity and promotion is ‘all hands on deck’!

An author is going to have to talk about their book for a long time, so it is important that they like their cover as much as possible.

What about the spine of the book – how do you make it stand out in a book shop on a shelf?
The width of the spine depends on the page count, which is something we don’t know until quite late in the process – until the manuscript is final and the internal pages are typeset. But it’s generally safe to assume it will be a very small area!

As with all design, the spine has to be both visually striking and functional instantaneously. We have so little time to capture the busy human eye. Clear type, effective use of space and little fuss are best.

What’s your favourite part about designing book covers?
I love nutting out concepts – searching for the perfect imagery, typeface, colours – and feeling that spark of elation when it looks just right.

'Having perspectives as a reader, designer and author creates a unique set of voices in my head when I’m browsing at bookstores!'

But ultimately, the best thing is a happy publisher and a pleased author. When the whole team is proud of a cover, there’s a real sense that the book has been given the very best start to life (which, of course, every book deserves!)

What’s the hardest part about designing book covers?
It’s rare, thankfully, but sometimes the feeling that I just might not find the right concept. That can be quite terrifying.

Are you a big reader yourself?
Yes! I read widely and a lot. I’m a reader before I’m anything else. Always have been.

Does your job change the way you choose books to read or view books?
Having perspectives as a reader, designer and author creates a unique set of voices in my head when I’m browsing at bookstores! It’s usually something like: Ooh a new book from XYZ / Oh what a clever cover / Oh how interesting to put that author in that market … But generally, I’m as susceptible to a lovely, intriguing or attention-grabbing cover as anyone else.

Thanks Kim for sharing with us!

You can read more about Kim and discover her fiction on her website www.kimlock.com.au

Author and Graphic Designer Kim Lock

Peace, Love and Khaki Socks by Kim Lock

This article was first published in the Autumn 2021 issue of Women's Ink! magazine.

]]><![CDATA[Talking publishing with Anna Solding, director of MidnightSun]]>Wed, 05 May 2021 14:00:00 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/talking-publishing-with-anna-solding-director-of-midnightsun

As exciting new small publishers open up in Australia it brings more opportunities for aspiring writers. I'm delighted to chat with Anna Solding from MidnightSun Publishers about life as a publisher, what a workday involves, and how she feels discovering new authors!

Hi Anna, can you tell us how Midnight Sun began?
After I finished my degree and had been shopping my PhD (in creative writing) novel around for a while, getting lovely comments but no offers, a good friend of mine who is an entrepreneur suggested that we start a publishing company. So we did. He helped getting the structure right to begin with, but the company is mine and I am the sole director.

Why the name MidnightSun?
We had a fun brain storming session to come up with a name. MidnightSun isn’t just a beautiful name but also reflects my Swedish background. I still love the design of our logo, with a sliver of the moon inside the sun.

I read that you started MidnightSun after disenchantment with established publishing houses in Australia. Could you tell me more?
Because my manuscript had been shortlisted for, but not won, three unpublished manuscript awards I had begun feeling like publication might never happen.

The book was too different, had too many main characters, was set in Sweden and constructed as a ‘novel constellation’ (a novel of connected short stories). It was all about women, motherhood and the connections between strangers. In a way, The Hum of Concrete, as it was eventually called, is also a love song to the city of Malmö in Sweden, where I grew up.

'I love finding new voices, especially diverse voices that tell stories we have never heard before.'

So MidnightSun grew from my own desire to get my work published to something much larger: a publisher concentrating on stories that other publishers might find hard to market, books that straddle more than one genre, short story collections, picture books that take children seriously and often first projects by unknown authors and illustrators. Now we welcome the disenchanted.

What does your typical workday look like?
Reading is still one of my favourite parts of the job but there is a lot less of that than you might expect. Most days I spend in front of the computer replying to emails about design, distribution, editing and sales. And I have come to love this aspect of my publishing job too. Coming up with ideas for covers and seeing how my designer Kim has interpreted them is a huge thrill. Sometimes she designs thirty covers for a book and so many of them are amazing.

Have you always wanted to be a writer and publisher?
From a very young age I loved reading and writing. There was no better way to spend the day than being immersed in a wonderful book. Fairly soon I was expanding on the stories I read (sequel to The Narnia series, anyone?) as well as making up my own. One of my teachers was especially encouraging, making writing as a profession seem possible and I’ll be eternally grateful to her.

'Be supportive of other’s successes so that they can one day be supportive of yours.'

Aspiring writers (and the general public) often think that contracts with a big publishing house means success. Could you comment on that?
Well, I think success is different for everyone. Bigger publishing houses often have the means to pay bigger advances, so in a monetary sense it could be seen as a success. However, many writers find that they themselves and their books get lost in a bigger house and therefore prefer the individually tailored experience that being published by a smaller house provides.

Big publishing houses often say they only have room for a certain number of books. Why is that?
I suspect that bigger publishers have to publish a certain number of books each year to meet their targets, but we don’t have that stress. I think the bigger publishers are often inclined to publish work they aren’t passionate about but that fits into their schedule.

So if you have two books that are equally good, but only room for one, which one do you choose?
The beauty of running my own publishing house and only publishing books that I love is that I have complete artistic freedom. I don’t have to choose just one if I have two books that are equally good. In fact, I have just chosen to accept two picture books on a fairly unusual Australian theme. The trick is to make sure the illustrations still look very different and that they aren’t published around the same time.

What’s the most exciting part of discovering a new author?
I love finding new voices, especially diverse voices that tell stories we have never heard before. It gives me great satisfaction to give new authors their first chance of publication, which is why we have also published a couple of short story anthologies.

'Write, write, write. And then write some more.
My PhD supervisor had a sign on her door saying: ‘Thinking about writing or talking about writing or worrying about writing is not writing’.'

For many writers having a story in a themed collection or winning a short story competition can be the beginning of their career. One of the most exciting things is ringing a new writer to offer them publication. It’s a moment of genuine joy and excitement for both of us.

Where do you see MidnightSun’s role in the Australian market in the future?
MidnightSun is highly regarded in the industry for the quality of our books: from the stories to the design and the printing quality. I hope we can keep producing beautiful, highly acclaimed, award-winning books for many years to come. I would be lying if I said that sales don’t matter. Of course it would also be wonderful to find a bestseller or two in the slush pile. Over the next few years, we are also planning to expand our overseas reach and I would love for more of our books to reach readers around the world.

What is your personal best advice for new writers?
Read, read, read. And then read some more. I know that this is common advice but it’s essential to be familiar with the kinds of books you love and get to understand why you love them. Is it because of the writer’s special turn of phrase or the way they leave you with a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter?

'Sharing your writing with your peers is also invaluable. Join a writers’ group, take courses at writers’ centres. Be open to criticism and reciprocate the feedback if possible.'

Write, write, write. And then write some more. My PhD supervisor had a sign on her door saying: ‘Thinking about writing or talking about writing or worrying about writing is not writing’. As a procrastinator, that really hit home for me. You actually have to put words on the page to be able to edit them. This and other excellent advice can be found in Roland Fishman’s cute little book Creative Wisdom For Writers.

Sharing your writing with your peers is also invaluable. Join a writers’ group, take courses at writers’ centres. Be open to criticism and reciprocate the feedback if possible. Send your work off to magazines, anthologies, competitions. Join online writing groups. Be supportive of other’s successes so that they can one day be supportive of yours. Do a spreadsheet so you know where all your work is being considered. Send many stories out at the same time so that good news could always come your way. Develop a thick skin so rejections hurt less. As soon as you’ve had a rejection, send your work out again.

Identify as a writer. It’s more powerful than you think. Do the work, grab the badge. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t yet been published. If you write, you’re a writer.

Anything else you would like to add!
Thank you so much for your interest in MidnightSun. It’s thanks to readers like you that small publishers like MidnightSun can thrive in the competitive Australian publishing landscape. You can follow us on social media to see what we are up to.

Thank you Anna!

Find out more at MidnightSun Publishing's website.

Anna Solding, MidnightSun Publishing

The Hum of Concrete by Anna Solding

This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2020 issue of Women's Ink!

]]><![CDATA[Taking Comfort in Words in 2020]]>Wed, 14 Apr 2021 03:14:12 GMThttp://panachecat.com/blogcontent/the-comfort-of-words

I grew up playing Scrabble in a home where the rules were followed precisely, so alongside the board and tile bag was always our hardback navy Complete Oxford English Dictionary published seven years before I was born. Any disputes over a word and the dictionary had the last one. The dictionary held the record of true words and true meanings. When it came to Scrabble, the dictionary was finite and resolute.

Only when new possessions slipped into our home (a microwave, a video recorder, my first Walkman) did I discover that new words could be added to a dictionary, and established words could take on different meanings. The dictionary is not finite, of course, nor the authoritarian I had believed it to be. Language is dynamic, advancing along with the inevitable march of time.

At the end of last year, Oxford Languages reported that the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic have brought about an ‘unusual pace of linguistic change’, and for the first time since 2004 when its Word of the Year tradition began, they concluded that 2020 ‘is a year which cannot be neatly accommodated in one single word.’

Covid 19 has infected our language as it has our lives. Social distancing, quarantine, self-isolation, flattening the curve. We endured unprecedented use of the word unprecedented. Pivot is applied as a panacea for any struggling business during the pandemic. And, of course, there’s lockdown.

And it was while people were in lockdown that old Scrabble boards re-emerged and sales of new Scrabble sets skyrocketed. In the UK, sales of board games and jigsaws increased by 240% and Scrabble, a game launched in 1949, sold out online. In the midst of a year which no single word could define, millions of people around the world took comfort in making as many words as they could.

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