THE MAN WHO PUBLISHED JK ROWLING

The man who originally published JK Rowling talked about writing books for children at the Bath Kids Fest last night.

Accompanying the now legendary Barry Cunningham, onstage at the Guildhall, in the glare of the spotlight were Linda Strachan, author of 30 plus books and Chicken House authors Lucy Christopher and Rachel Ward.

I couldn’t miss the opportunity of being in the same room as such a distinguished luminary without making the most of it.

So after the event managed to corner him and hand over the first few chapters of Dr Rumbolo’s Travelling Freakarium.
Even if the great man tosses it into the recycling - can’t blame a girl for trying!

When Life Takes Over...

AFTER a tumultuous year including a move back across the border to Wales - where I grew up - and an endless round of job applications and interviews in the middle of an economic recession, my writing has, unfortunately, taken a back seat.

But thanks to a chance encounter with an old friend - who also happens to be a South Wales schoolteacher - all that has changed.

Over a pint in a Caerleon pub, I confessed that my first attempt at children's fiction had not yet been road tested by the very audience it was written for.

So, my teacher friend very kindly suggested handing out an excerpt to some members of his class at Derwendeg Primary, in Cefn Hengoed, as a homework assignment.

Included in a sealed brown envelope for each child - as well as the first couple of chapters of Dr Rumbolo's Travelling Freakarium - was a questionnaire to capture their feedback - and a bag of sweets to say thank you.

I was curious to find out what these 10 and 11-year-olds usually read, and was unsurprised to discover that Jacqueline Wilson topped their list, closely followed by Roald Dahl.

As for what they thought of my meagre offering, when compared to such giants of the world of kids' publishing, I could only hope they wouldn't absolutely hate it.

So it was with great trepidation and bated breath I opened each sealed envelope, as kids don't lie... Here's a couple of quotes.

Emily, a Jacqueline Wilson fan, said: "My views about the story is that it's very adventurous. It is very detailed and magnificently exciting for a range of ages."

Laurell, whose favourite book is Tracy Beaker, said she'd improve the plot by "having more clues" after the protagonist's family disappears, but enjoyed reading it, "because every time there was a new chapter it got more and more interesting."

Natalie, who "loved the book" but found "the beginning a bit confusing" said she "wanted to finish it when it comes out and would recommend it."

She added: "When will it be published because I really liked it. Thank you. Good luck writing your book. And thanks for the sweets."

Thank you, Natalie, and your classmates, for handing in your homework on time...and your teacher for suggesting setting it in the first place.

Writing's Just a Job

Some wannabe writers seem to elevate the art of writing and the business of books to lofty romantic heights. The bottom line is that writing is a career and book publishing a business like any other.

I don’t want to sound too cynical - for some of us writing is what we do and love – and some are lucky enough to even make a living out of it.

Personally, I’ll carry on writing fiction even if I don’t have the tremendous good fortune to get my first book published.

I’ve been lucky enough to write professionally for over ten years as a features writer/news reporter and editor for newspapers and magazines, but writing fiction is an entirely new experience.

I’m under no illusion that getting your book published is like winning the lottery and there are thousands of us chasing the dream of ever seeing our work in print.

But why not start off as a true professional from the very beginning?

It seems like common sense that when approaching an agent or publisher to take on you and your work, you deliver your manuscript in its most polished form, and present yourself in the best possible light.

After all, you wouldn’t submit a crumpled CV riddled with mistakes and stained with coffee rings for any other job.

What Kids Really Think

Lit Crit sites are great for finding out what adults think of your book. But what if you’re writing for kids?

Getting a healthy dose of constructive criticism from your peers is invaluable, but surely its children’s opinions what really matter if you’re ever lucky enough to see your book in the YA section of Waterstones.

With this in mind, I decided to put Dr Rumbolo’s Travelling Freakarium to the test and give it to a real live youngster to read!

Waiting for her verdict was just as nerve wracking than when a grown up opened its pages for the very first time.

This is the e-mail I received from Georgia, aged nine, from Bucks, who according to her SATs has the reading age of a 13-year-old.

Dear Sasha,

Its Georgia here. On July 13th I spent half an hour on the sofa reading your book. I know you want the truth about it and I’m going to tell You.

I loved it and I found it very funny when he fell in donkey poo and I think you have used lots of powerful adjectives like “ The oil lamp spluttered, fighting to stay alight.”

It would be great if you made this into a movie and my favourite bit would be at the end with the chicken-girl.

I want to ask some questions. Please could you send me the other chapters so I can carry on reading it? When will it be coming out and where can you buy it?

You wanted your opinion from a child and you got it.

Love from, Georgia

Books Survive Credit Crunch

More books are selling than ever before, according to a senior industry figure.

That's good news for all us aspiring novelists who are currently trying to get a book deal.

And for readers who can still pick up a good read for a couple of quid.

"The book trade is relatively safe. It is well established and stable. There are more books sold than ever before, the market is growing and more people are reading. Its profits and margins are also significantly robust. I think the trade should be confident and optimistic."

Luke Johnson, Chairman of Borders UK, at the Booksellers' Association conference, in Publishing News.

Dr Rumbolo is Top Rated Children's Book

Doctor Rumbolo's Travelling Freakarium is the top rated children's book in the YouWriteOn.Com charts.

Holding on to the number 12 spot, it's ranked higher than any other kids or young adult novel on the site.

Getting the thumbs up from other writers, who are in the same position, has come as a welcome boost, as I felt like jacking it all in the other week.

I recently went through a brief "What the heck am I doing?" phase when cycling to my part-time job - which doesn't even cover the rent - in the rain.

Watching my life savings and sometimes my sanity dwindling for a very uncertain future, has sometimes been a bit too much to bear.

But I soon pulled myself together and am keener than ever to get Rumbolo finished.

I haven't yet approached a single agent or publisher. Or am I down to my last tenner.

So wallowing in despair is a bit premature!

Grounding in grammar

After a couple of frantic weeks editing the first three chapters to upload to various writers' sites I'm back in the saddle - or at the keyboard to be more precise.

It's back to the mammoth task of editing the first draft - all 80,000 words - of Dr Rumbolo's Travelling Freakarium.

And its tough.

Getting the initial story out was the easy part but knocking it into shape is quite a time-consuming and yet necessary task. It's a bit like reaching the summit of a mountain and having to climb it all over again.

After leaving school eons ago, getting to grips with grammar, sentence construction and all the nuts and bolts of good writing is a challenge. Come to think of it, when I was at school in the '80s and early '90s, the emphasis wasn't on giving kids a good grounding in grammar.

I'm lucky that my better half is a journalist and sub-editor and is also very well-read, getting through about 10 books a week!

And he's tough and tells it like it is. In fact without his continuing support I think I would have given it all up by now.