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You are here: Home / Archives for launch

My Brother Is A Superhero

July 8, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

Solomons

Nosy Crow is excited about My Brother Is A Superhero by David Solomons, which received its launch in the impressive Map Area of City Hall last night.
It has to be admitted that the book has been given fantastic branding. The jacket design by Picked Ink‘s Laura Ellen Andersen (artwork) and Rob Biddulph (typography) is eye-catching, designed to appeal to its core 9-14 audience, and the publisher has managed to receive a book jacket quote from Steve Coogan – “You’ll laugh until you fall out of your tree house”.

According to Kate Wilson, Nosy Crow MD,  the books’  first print run is ‘frighteningly big’. Several foreign rights have already been sold. Dominic Kingston, Nosy Crow’s publicity manager, tells me the book is being heavily promoted in gaming magazines.

David Solomons is a screenwriter (with the screenplay for Five Children And It amongst his credits). This is his first novel.

Author signing

The Map Area, City Hall

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: City Hall, event, launch, London, party

My Name’s Not Friday – Launch Event

July 6, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

Here is publisher David Fickling, understandably excited about publication of Jon Walter’s second novel, My Name’s Not Friday, published last week and celebrated at a gorgeously warm and sunny launch party in Lewes, where the author lives.

Here at ACHUKA we immediately recognised Walter as a special writer when his first book, Close To The Wind, was published last year.
And here is our review of the second novel: ACHUKAreview

We were surprised that Close To The Wind was overlooked by various children’s book awards but feel certain this latest book will receive the attention it deserves.

publisher and author

publisher and author

the cake

the cake

Filed Under: Blog, Books, Features Tagged With: event, launch, party

Edge Chronicles #12 – Waterstones Launch

July 6, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

The Edge Chronicles 12: Doombringer: Second Book of Cade

The Edge Chronicles 12: Doombringer: Second Book of Cade

This was the second of two significant book launches I attended last week.

Having been an enthusiast for the Edge Chronicles since the series began with Beyond The Deepwoods in 1998, it was only fitting that ACHUKA should be in attendance for the launch of  Doombringer – the latest title and 12th book in the sequence.

The event was held at Waterstones in Brighton, where both the author, Paul Stewart, and illustrator, Chris Riddell, have their homes.

It included live drawing by Riddell, accompanied by music composed by his son, and a question and answer session during which the symbiotic relationship between author and illustrator was entertainingly revealed.

Chris Riddell - live drawing

Chris Riddell – live drawing

Riddell has never been ‘just’ the illustrator of these works. His drawings and sketchbooks have helped to create the world of The Edge.

At the primary school where I used to work, The Edge chronicles were actually more widely read than Harry Potter – partly because the illustrations made them more accessible, and no doubt helped by the fact that Stewart and Riddell had visited the school early in the series, and the library wall displayed a giant Riddell drawing in memory of the occasion.

Stewart’s writing is beautifully fluent and free of the fantasy excesses that are so easy to mock and mimic.

This is a classic series that will stand the test of time and one would hope that Riddell’s laureateship, and the greater attention that role will bring to any work he is associated with, will help attract many more new readers to this series as it nears its conclusion. (Stewart and Riddell are currently working on the thirteenth title, which they say will be the last.)

Chris Riddell - live drawing

Chris Riddell – live drawing

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: fantasy, illustration, launch, sequence, series

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise – The Launch Party

April 30, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

Here are some photos from last night’s launch party for Walker Books’ Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise, written by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Jean Jullien.

The party was admirably hosted by https://www.byronhamburgers.com/, at their Rathbone Place branch, just off Oxford Street.

The book trailer:

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: event, launch, party

New Children’s Publisher To Launch At Bologna

March 18, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

bookseller

Ruth Huddleston, a former sales and marketing director of Templar Publishing, and her husband, author and illustrator David Ellwand, are launching their own publishing company, Old Barn Books.

The company will publish seven titles this year, including three pre-school photographic board books by Ellwand  – Bluebell Bears (April, £6.99), Wake Up, Alfred! (May, £6.99) and Racing Bears (June, £6.99).

Other books in the pipeline include an Alice in Wonderland, a board book by Alison Jay (July, £7.99), and Hare, a hardback picture book about hares by first-time author and former Daunts bookseller Zoe Greaves (August, £10.99).

…

The children’s titles will be distributed in the UK and export by Bounce Sales and Marketing.

Old Barn Books will officially launch at the Bologna Book Fair on 30th March at the Publishers Association Stand.

via Huddleston and Ellwand launch Old Barn Books | The Bookseller.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: launch, publisher

Learning With Nature Launched In Lewes By Cambridge Publisher

February 2, 2015 By achuka Leave a Comment

nature-101

One of the three authors of Learning With Nature signing books at the end of a packed launch event held at the Lewes branch of Waterstones last Friday evening.

The publisher, Green Books, is the UK’s largest independent environmental publishing company, and is based in Cambridge.

The book, written by experienced Forest School practitioners, using tried and tested games and activities, with a foreword by Chris Packham, is full of fun activities and games to get children outdoors, exploring, having fun, making things and learning about nature.

nature-103

A fuller review will follow.

nature-102

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: forests, fun, launch, learning, nature

Jon Klassen, children’s literature star, launches book in Winnipeg

November 16, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

He’s won the top prizes for children’s literature, including the Caldecott Medal in the United States, the Kate Greenaway Medal in the United Kingdom and the Boston Globe Horn Book Award.

Jon Klassen

Yet in Winnipeg, few people know of Jon Klassen, the 33-year-old children’s author and illustrator from right here in the city.

On Saturday at 2 p.m. Klassen will launch Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, the ninth book he has illustrated, at McNally Robinson.

“It’s half the illustrations and half the words that kind of tell the story,” Klassen said of the book, which was written by Mac Barnett. “The real story’s kind of somewhere in the middle of the two.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/jon-klassen-children-s-literature-star-launches-book-in-winnipeg-1.2836533

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: drawing, illustration, launch

Russell Brand, review: warmth wins the day

November 15, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

Lacklustre first half, but it all came to life after the interval

Brand, in half-hearted make-up, simply flounced about the stage and read verbatim his recently released children’s book – the first in a series called Trickster Tales – about the legendary rat catcher.
The comedian, actor and now political activist was backed up by the occasional crash of a cymbal or pluck of a harp when the story required it.
And then there was the odd lame sound effect –an over-the-top fart or burp that even the youngest members of the audience seemed embarrassed by. It all felt rather too much like a disappointing act at a child’s birthday party.
Indeed, the only real pleasure came from watching on a big screen as the outrageously talented Chris Riddell, who illustrated the book, drew the characters in real time.

via Russell Brand, review: warmth wins the day – Telegraph.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: event, launch, performance

Monsters Love Underpants Launch

October 10, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

Monsters Love Underpants, the latest title in the successful ‘Underpants’ series from illustrator Ben Cort and writer Claire Freedman, was given a party sendoff in London last night, attended by a life-sized monster and with a cake that someone had clearly spent devoted hours designing*. I left before the cake was cut (if such a prize specimen ever was) but the rest of the food was rather good.
The series has apparently sold some three million copies worldwide.
The cake was created by Crumbs & Doilies

ContactSheet

underpants-101

underpants-106

underpants-107

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: launch, Simon & Schuster

Skylark Literary – A New Children’s Books Agency To Launch In November

August 26, 2014 By achuka Leave a Comment

AMBER CARAVEO & JOANNA MOULT TO SET UP NEW CHILDREN’S LITERARY AGENCY

 

skylarkAmber Caravéo (currently Editorial Director at Orion Children’s Books and Indigo, and seen on the right in the above photo) is joining forces with Joanna Moult (formerly of Hodder Children’s Books and Simon & Schuster, and left above) to set up a bright new literary agency and creative consultancy, Skylark Literary – www.skylark-literary.com

Skylark Literary will specialise in representing the very best children’s and young adult fiction, seeking talented voices in stories for young people and working with publishers to create bespoke children’s books and series.

Amber Caravéo has been passionate about children’s books ever since she learned to read and has spent the last eighteen years in children’s editorial – working closely with her authors to get their books ready for publication and also creating and developing children’s and YA projects. She has worked internationally, with bestselling authors and publishing houses in the UK and the US, and on a wide range of projects from Rainbow Magic to Adventure Island.

Amber says, ‘I have been privileged to work with the wonderful Orion team and fabulous authors. I am very sad to say goodbye, but the time felt right to make the leap and embark on this exciting new adventure – seeking and supporting new talent in children’s publishing.’

Lisa Milton, Managing Director, General Division, Orion, and Fiona Kennedy, MD and Publisher, Orion Children’s Books and Indigo, say, ‘Whilst working at Orion Amber has developed, created and commissioned a wide range of excellent books. Her attention to detail, passion and most importantly vision for her books and her authors has delivered a number of significant successes. To be able to find new and fresh ideas for series for middle-grade children is a particularly challenging job. Amber has consistently delivered above our expectations. We’ll miss Amber and wish her well in her exciting new adventure.’

Joanna Moult began her career with Hodder Children’s Books, editing a range of talented authors as well as creating content for brands such as Felicity Wishes. She moved in order to cover maternity leave, running the children’s editorial department at Simon & Schuster. More recently she has been working with literary agents, helping them to find new talent and editing manuscripts prior to submission to publishers. She says ‘Author care is one of the most rewarding and fascinating elements of being an editor for me and this feels like a very natural progression for both of us. With Skylark Literary I’m delighted to begin our search for new and exciting voices, as well as creating some really fresh and fun projects for publishers.’

Skylark Literary launches in November and will welcome submissions from authors. The company also looks forward to working with talented writers to create fun and fabulous children’s projects, specifically tailored to individual publishers.

Filed Under: Blog, Books Tagged With: agency, agent, launch

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