Sir Paul McCartney Creates Children's Book Coming This October With a 1st US Print-run of 500,000
This is hardly new news, but was the subject of an official newswire yesterday. I wonder how Philip Ardagh (who we were able to hail in the street from my car window last week) feels about being described as a 'veteran' :-)
Sir Paul McCartney has signed with Penguin Young Readers Group to publish his children's picture book, High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tale, in the United States on October 4, 2005. The initial US print-run is planned at 500,000 copies. This book will have two day publication of October 3 and 4 in 8 countries (and counting). "Having worked on this story and the characters for many years, it's very exciting for me to see things come to fruition in what I think will be a remarkable book," said Paul McCartney. For the project, McCartney teamed up with veteran children's book author, Philip Ardagh and animator, Geoff Dunbar... ...
Michael wasn't lying. There I was minding my own business in Battle High Street a few weeks back -- it's a village in East Sussex, not a war zone -- when a bearded voice shouts, "Hello, Philip!" and, sure enough, there was Mr Thorn, Achuka editor and children's book boffin, waving at me from the other side of a truly mini mini-roundabout. What a nice start to the morning . . . and what do I feel like being called a "veteran"? Well, this was an American press release of course, and the term means something different over there (but please bear in mind that 95% of what I know about the US, I learned from Hollywood). I think they're under the impression that I fought in the Vietnam War. If, however, they do actually mean "a person who has had long experience in a particular field", I have mixed feelings. True, I had my first book published about fourteen years ago, and have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pen/pencil/leaky cuttlefish, and now have quite a few books under my belt -- and you thought it was fat -- but, by the same token, there are many people who've been at it far longer than me and I still feel a fresh-faced (if somewhat hairy) newcomer in so many ways.
PHILIP ARDAGH