PASS IT ON ISSUE 75
PASS IT ON
Knowledge Is Power
www.jackiehosking.com
Issue 75.
Hi everyone! Welcome to the new look PASS IT ON! I hope you have all had a
fantastic week. Thanks to all who have contributed and a special hello to
all new subscribers. Thank you also to everyone who has offered support and
encouragement, I really do appreciate it. Please enjoy this week's issue of
PASS IT ON.
A Disclaimer of Liability
Please ensure that your submissions are ACCURATE and clear. I will accept no
responsibility for any errors or omissions contained in the information
submitted.
PLEASE be careful.
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in the subject heading.
WHAT IS PASS IT ON?
PASS IT ON is a weekly, on-line, interactive, networking newsletter for
those involved with or interested in the children's writing industry. It is
emailed to subscribers every Monday.
PASS IT ON will survive for as long as YOU the CONTRIBUTOR determine. I am
the collection point for YOUR submissions. I am one cog in a tool that has
the potential to be very powerful. (submission guidelines can be found at
the end of the newsletter)
If you wish to receive PASS IT ON - email me, Jackie Hosking at
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Please contribute as often as you can and be assured that I will treat your
contact details with the utmost confidentiality. I look forward to making
many more new friends.
Past issues may be viewed at my website www.jackiehosking.com
CONTENTS
GENERAL INFORMATION
SEEKING
REPLIES TO SEEKING
NEW PUBLICATIONS
SPECIAL EVENTS
MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
COMPETITIONS/AWARDS
WRITING COURSES/WORKSHOPS
NEW WORK STYLE SKILLS
HAVE YOUR SAY
ARTICLES
PUBLISHER GUIDELINES
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR PROFILE
YOUR WRITING TIPS
USEFUL BOOKS/WEBSITES
BOOK REVIEWS
INDEPENDENT CHILDREN'S BOOKSHOPS
CRITIQUE GROUPS BULLETIN BOARD
MILESTONES
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES
ADVERTISEMENTS
PASS IT ON SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
GENERAL INFORMATION
Latest information from Marilyn Naylor at Word Weavers Press - after
distribution problems last year the good news is that they have found a new
distributor for their books, Lioncrest Pty Ltd, educational distributors
from Cessnock, NSW. The bad news is that Marilyn and Sue have decided not
to publish any new Quick Reads books as they are both heavily committed
elsewhere. Lioncrest have asked for first option to reprint the series but
for the moment however, nothing is happening in the new books department.
Sheryl Gwyther
The German-based publishing company Holtzbrinck has hired Jean Feiwel,
formerly Publisher at Scholastic UsA, to oversee all its companies children's
publishing efforts and launch a new children's-book unit. Holtzbrinck
already owns Farrar, Straus; Henry Holt; Roaring Brook;
Priddy Books. http://www.priddybooks.com/
The new division under Feiwel will be "broadly defined," the company says.
Feiwel told PUBLISHERS WEEKLY USA, "My goals are to build a successful
enterprise in a reinvented publishing model." Summary of the magazine's
special report:
* The division will publish new titles.
* The division will also publish paperback copies and spin-offs of titles
from other Holtzbrinck imprints.
* Hints at a market-driven approach.
Information provide courtesy of SCBWI
>From Janeen Brian
Well-known New Zealand writer, Kate de Goldi, emailed me with the sad news
of the death of esteemed writer, Jan Mark, who died suddenly on Monday
evening, January 16. Jan was the projected guest at the 2006 Writers
festival in
Charlesbridge
Find out about respected
publisher www.charlesbridge.com
Charlesbridge Publishing of
children's list of Florida-based Lickle Publishing, which describes itself
as "a provider of educational books to home school organizations, charter
schools and museums." The major series are COME LEARN WITH ME and COME LOOK
WITH ME, and the top seller is THE LEDGERBOOK OF THOMAS BLUE EAGLE. Look
under "Educational Books" here:
http://www.licklepublishing.com/
Susan Sherman Art Director of Charlesbridge is speaking at the SCBWI
Conference at the Hughenden Sydney
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SEEKING
If you are an illustrator or if you know of an illustrator who would be
interested in attending the Children's/Young Adults Writing Festival that
volunteer PIO subscribers are organising, then please contact me asap
jacket@smartchat.net.au Thanks!
DRAMA GROUP or DIRECTOR for Making a Killing at the Pokies
I have available a ten minute performance script 'Making a Killing at the
Pokies' which satirises obsession with pokies gambling. Suitable for
community health discussion, multi-media or a theatre in education group.
Cast flexible but a minimum of four actors as the irritant Ghost of Monies
Lost can be a pre-recorded Voice only.
HAZEL EDWARDS Ph 03 98087803
www.hazeledwards.com
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REPLIES TO SEEKING
With regard to the animal stamps, the rather special set of books entitled
Zen Tails immediately came to mind (by Peter Whitfield of New Frontier
Publishing) and Rhino Neil by Mini Goss (New Frontier). Have a look at the
website and you will see what I mean! www.newfrontier.com.au M A Elliott
Re picture books for stamps: How about Possum Magic or Wombat Divine, Arthur
by Mandi Graham and something by Robert Ingpen. Graeme Base? There are so
many great ones aren't there? Rosanne
In reply to Arna Radovich and others hoping to get short stories published:
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think AATE has plans for any more
anthologies at this stage. I will find out for sure, and if I'm wrong I'll
let you know.
My first ever published piece of fiction was a story, 'Aunty Vi', in the
fourth AATE anthology - nearly 25 years ago. When I was asked to arrange
payment for an advertisement in The Australian that called for short
stories, I not only did that, but I also wrote one, and sent it more or less
anonymously. It was accepted, and after being used in at least five
anthologies, text books or course books, is still in print! The only
recommendation I can draw from that anecdote is that one should never miss
an opportunity. The more you mix with others in the field,the more you read,
study etc., the more likely you are to hear of opportunities.
More recently most stories for AATE collections have been commissioned, or
solicited among writers familiar in educational circles. It is not
productive to send a manuscript to any such group just on the off-chance
that they may use it one day. If I get wind of an opening like the one that
got me started, I'll PASS IT ON.
Elizabeth Hutchins
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NEW PUBLICATIONS
The first book of my Runcible Jones fantasy quintet for slightly younger
readers (and older ones too, for that matter). It's called Runcible Jones
The Gate to Nowhere, it's just been published (in Australia) and if you're
interested you can find out more it, plus competitions, giveaways, artwork
and (shortly), animations etc at
www.runciblejones.com.au
and
www.ian-irvine.com
In other news, I'm about to deliver the first book of the new Three Worlds
series to my editor. It's called The Song of the Tears and it'll be
appearing around October.
And for those in the area, I'm doing a signing at Angus & Robertson in Pitt
St Mall,
Cheers
Ian Irvine
'My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day' written by Catriona Hoy and illustrated by
Ben Johnson will be released in March 2006.
http://www.lothian.com.au/more.aspx?ISBN=0734408455
A small girl goes to the pre-dawn Anzac Day service with her father where
they watch her grandad march in the parade. This is an excellent
introduction to this highly venerated ceremony and poignantly addresses the
sentiments aroused by the memory of those who gave their lives for their
country.
The book will be launched at by the State President of the RSL, David
McLachlan
East Malvern RSL
Stanley Grose Drive
East Malvern, Vic
Saturday 4th March
4.30pm - 5.30pm.
Any PIO members who wish to join me are most welcome. For catering purposes,
please rsvp to Catriona at khoy54@optusnet.com.au
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SPECIAL EVENTS
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MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
Although ABC books in Sydney has advised that they will not be accepting
children's book manuscripts until the end of June 2006,they invite authors
of adult non-fiction works to keep submitting. If you intend submitting an
ms later in the year, they suggest you contact them on 02 8333 3999 before
doing so, as their guidelines are currently being reviewed.
Kind regards,
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COMPETITIONS/AWARDS
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WRITING COURSES/WORKSHOPS
I am writing to let you know about the Longlines writing program that is
coming to Ballarat and is for all regional writers.
The program is fully funded by Macquarie Bank.
This is the program - Peter Bishop - the Creative Director of Varuna the
writers House, is coming to Ballarat for three days and will be holding
mentorship consultations, each consultation will last for approximately 1
hour. Peter Bishop has over 20 years experience in mentoring writers, is
deeply involved in the publishing industry. these consultations normally
cost about $150 but because it is fully funded they will be free. There are
however, only 18 places available. Each participant needs to book in and
send 20 pages of their manuscript for Peter to look at before hand (by the
end of January). One person from these consultations which are taking place
around the country will be offered a fellowship at Varuna.
The consultations will be held from Sunday February 12 until Tuesday
February 14. To book you need to ring Robbi Neal (myself) on 03 53413558.
In addition to this Peter is offering to meet with writers as a group so we
can 'pick his brains' on Saturday night. I suggest we do this at the
Buninyong Library at 7.00 pm. Bring a plate and/or bottle of wine to share
Would you please let your members know of this opportunity.
For more info on Varuna and the longlines program please visit
www.varuna.com.au
Career Booster Program 2006 (February 1st - April 30)
Here is a unique opportunity to join in a program that is offered only once
each year. The Career Booster Program offers:
3 months of feedback (up to 3 submissions a week) from Marg McAlister, a
long-established author, webmaster and writing tutor/mentor
Ongoing membership of a keen network of professional authors (many of whom
are published)
A welcome pack with program notes, a questionnaire to help you formulate a
direction, a networking guide, a resource guide and more
Access to the Career Booster private site
Discounts on future Writing4Success e-courses and products
[NOTE: Sorry, this program is not open to beginners. (We offer other
e-courses for those who are just starting out.) If you're not sure whether
you are eligible, contact Marg at marg.mcalister@gmail.com ]
To find out more - and watch a short informative video - go to the Career
Booster website: www.career-booster.com
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NEW WORK STYLE SKILLS
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HAVE YOUR SAY
I did enjoy the jam-packed issue this week. Especially interesting to me
were the tips on interviewing and being interviewed; the article on Horrid
Henry, and Lian tanners tips for planning a book while on holidays.
Helen Evans
FROM AN AUTHOR
It's a shame that in last week's PIO Kristine Schultz from ABC Books needed
to rectify misinformation published in past issues of PIO. It's also a shame
that authors such as Jane (last week's PIO), who waited for many months for
a response from Penguin re her Aussie Chomps submission, is still kept
waiting to hear about her second submission.
Perhaps if our children's book publishers took the time to write to PIO with
up-to-date, correct information about their needs and the anticipated time
for manuscript assessment, such problems might not arise in future. After
all, authors and publishers are all in the same industry. What about it,
publishers? DC
HAVE YOUR SAY
Given the recent talk of 'stealing' people's stories and anecdotes, I
thought PIO readers might appreciate this excerpt from a recent Readers
Digest. The feature was titled "Knack Nickers Unite" and was written by
Richard Glover. He suggested eighteen words that should exist but don't,
here is one of them: anecdultery (an nek dul tah ree) n.: The moment when
you are halfway through telling a story - acting in the know and
exaggerating like crazy - when you realise it was their story in the first
place (also communitake, theminiscing).
Can other PIO readers think of a good 'term' to describe ripping off the
words of other's without attributing them? ds
FROM AUTHOR Edel Wignell
...in regard to once only upfront fees:
When an education publisher asks creators to assign rights and offers a
once-only upfront fee, it's difficult for new creators to know whether to
accept. Lately, offers have been $1000 for mss up to 1000 words.
Such mss have the potential to earn huge amounts for a creator. Australian
publishers are very skilful at getting their projects published overseas.
* One title, contracted in 1994, has earned $25,150 and is still going
well (short folk tale, 16 pages). Another, in the same series - $23,886.
* A title contracted in 1990 - $21,909 (story poem: eight four-lined
verses, 16 pages).
* Several have earned more than $10,000. Many have earned varying amounts
up to $5000.
In recent years US education publishers have undertaken huge publishing
projects for the Hispanic population - reprinting some titles in Spanish -
and this has provided opportunities for creators to earn more in royalties.
Publishers who present exploitative contracts increase their ability to earn
greater amounts - at the expense of creators. I like to request a contract
that allows me to retain copyright and to earn a royalty, but royalty on
price received has been dropping lower and lower in recent times. It used to
be 7½%, then it decreased to 7% and, in the late 90s, I had to be very
persuasive to raise an offer from 5% to 6½%. In the last 5 years, 5% has
been offered, and it has been impossible to negotiate an increase. (Perhaps
some authors can, but I cannot.)
Also, remember that, by assigning all rights, creators cannot earn PLR and
ELR - a very important part of earnings.
In 1998 I assigned all rights to a story poem (six four-lined verses, 16
pages, 100 words) for $2000. Royalties weren't offered so I let it go
thinking I'd never earn that much in magazine fees. However, I hate seeing
the publisher's copyright sign on a title I have created. (Someone suggested
that I invest the fee and earn more by means of interest.)
Some writers, such as school teachers and academics, earn salaries, and
their most important aim, they say, is: 'to get my name on a book.' They
don't care that they make it difficult for professional full-time writers to
earn what is due to them.
Other writers say 'I sign because I need more titles.' It's a fallacy that
the number of titles on a cv equates with prestige as a writer. I have many
tiny books (16 pages) and I'm thrilled with all of them, but that doesn't
make me a splendid writer.
>From new writers, I've heard, 'I can't negotiate with publishers. They have
all the power.' Wouldn't creative people with new ideas or products in the
areas of engineering, technology, fashion, service or any other field,
negotiate to achieve the best result possible? As writers we need to believe
that we have something unique to offer and publishers like working with us.
Negotiations can be conducted in a calm manner, whether you achieve a little
or a lot - or, sometimes, nothing. It's better to walk away from an offer
with your self-respect intact than to feel exploited.
Sometimes publishers tell you that creators say they are happy with their
contract conditions (assigning rights, minimal fee, re-written texts), but I
believe such creators say that in ignorance of their Moral Rights and how
they have been exploited.
I like to think that Moral Rights for Creators (recognition of creators'
copyright and respect for their works - not re-writing without consultation)
will again become part of education publishers' ethics, and there will be a
swing towards giving creators their due rather than exploiting them because
it is easy to do so.
However, an article in the December 2005 Children's Book Insider (USA) is
not encouraging. 'Teachers: Write for the Educational Market' describes how
US education publishers use 'book developers' or 'book producers' (called
'book packagers' in Australia) to develop series for them. Publishers retain
ownership of the works and hold copyright. This is accepted as the norm by
the unnamed author of the article. In the last five years, Australian
education publishers have been moving in this direction.
Children's Book Insider, 901 Columbia Road, Ft Collins, CO 80525-1838, USA
Editor, Laura Backes. Overseas subscription: US$43 (monthly journal).
mail@write4kids.com
www.write4kids.com
HAVE YOUR SAY
I've noticed that Pass It On now has Copyright Jackie Hosking at the bottom
of each issue and I wonder if you've explained to your contributors why
you've suddenly started doing this. I haven't noticed an explanation but
then I don't read every word every week. Although there may be sound
reasons for you doing this (e.g. to prevent unscrupulous people from
printing and distributing PIO), it concerns me that it's against the spirit
of Pass It On for it to become the possession of any one individual and I
believe you need to be upfront about it to everyone, so that they know that
when they contribute something they're assigning copyright to you. This
gives you access to everything within PIO for your own future use (possibly
profitable). Since the issue of assigning or licensing copyright is very
close to the heart of all children's writers, I'd like to see this discussed
in a future issue. Looking forward to it.
Cheers
Virginia King
**Thank you Virginia for bringing this up. When I changed the format of PIO
I simply followed Marg McAlister's instructions for creating a professional
looking newsletter. Her template includes the copyright blurb so mine does
too. It is there as a deterrent, as you said, to prevent the newsletter from
being distributed (too much) for free. A sensible business practice.
Copyright remains with the authors and I would never reprint or pass on
information to other people/organisations, without the express permission of
the author. I also do not pass on subscriber's contact details without their
permission. I hope this answers your query. Cheers Jackie.
HAVE YOUR SAY
I wish to alert PIO readers to an article in the latest ASA newsletter
concerning NSW School Magazine. The article talks of proposed "cost cutting"
to the magazine, and
encourages members to make their views known to the NSW Minister of
Education and Training.
I have made my own enquiries at the Minister's office. While plans for "cost
cutting" are firmly denied, there is talk of "re-vamping" the magazine to
make it more "accessible" to children.
I am a great fan of School Magazine in its current form, and am very
suspicious about the proposed changes. Does anybody else know anything about
this?
Stephen Whiteside
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ARTICLES
Thoughts on Writing
Ian Irvine
(reprinted with permission)
Motivation
Lots of people tell me they want to write, but don't have the time right
now. But if you only write one page a day, that's a book in a year. If you
can't write a single page a day, do you really want to be a writer?
Writing is a lot harder than it looks, and it takes many years of hard work
to become accomplished at it. You have to be prepared to work as hard, and
as long, as you would to become a concert pianist, a professional
footballer, or a lawyer.
Essentials of a Story
At its simplest, a fantasy story involves a character in a setting, faced
with some kind of problem which the character has to overcome to achieve
his/her goal. The choices that the character makes in response to that
problem create the story and move it along. In longer stories, the plots and
subplots will go through many cycles of conflict, crisis and resolution as
the characters get out of trouble only to end up in worse difficulty.
The essential elements of the story are conflict, crisis and resolution, and
by the end of the story something should be different - either the main
character, the situation, the attitude of the main character or the attitude
of the reader.
That's all you need to know to get started.
Getting Started
If you want to write, don't read books on writing, or go to courses, yet -
they probably won't be much use to you until you've done a fair bit of
writing on your own. Besides, you don't need to learn how to write
beautiful, correct prose at the moment. That's not what editors are looking
for unless you're writing 'literary', in which case read no further. I'm
talking about popular fiction: the stuff that ordinary people buy. Write a
wonderful story and editors will probably want to buy it even if it's got
some flaws. Poor grammar or the odd writing flaw can be fixed, but if there's
a lousy story beneath your scintillating prose, no editor will touch it.
Writing, like painting or any other art, can only be learned by doing it, a
lot. A painter who's been painting for a year or two is an amateur, and so
is a writer. It takes years to learn the craft so you need to get started
right away. Think up a character or two, work out where the story is going
to take place, and then get stuck into it. Put your characters in an
interesting, difficult or dangerous situation and write them out of it, then
have them land in an even worse one. Write a bit every day. Don't look back
over what you've written, because the editor that lurks inside every writer
will find so much to hate that it'll put you off writing. Keep going as fast
as you can to the end, then don't look at it for a couple of months. (Don't
stop working; write something else).
Revising and Editing
After the break, start from the beginning and read your story all the way
through. You'll find a lot you don't like, but also a fair bit that you do,
so then you can start on the real part of writing, which is revising over
and over again until you're happy with what you're written. Once you've
written that first draft, and revised it a few times, you'll need some help.
As I mentioned, editors may buy a wonderful story in spite of its other
faults, but there's a lot of competition out there and the way to get
published is to be more professional than everyone else. Brilliant writers
often don't get published; professional ones do - particularly those that
never, ever give up.
Writing References
There are a lot of good references on writing. I've found these to be among
the best and they cover just about everything you need to know:
. On the art of storytelling, 'Story' by Robert McKee.
. The rules of grammar, punctuation, spelling etc, 'The Elements of Style'
by William Strunk & E B White.
. For advice on editing, 'Self-Editing for Fiction Writers' by Renni Browne
& Dave King.
. General - 'The 38 Most Common Fiction-Writing Mistakes', by Jack Bickham
. On writing fantasy - Orson Scott Card, 'How to Write Science Fiction and
Fantasy.'
. Fantasy clichés - Diana Wynne Jones, 'The Tough Guide to Fantasyland'.
. Fiction writing workbook - Kate Grenville, 'The Writing Book'.
. Guide and motivation - John Marsden, 'Everything I know about Writing'.
. Critiquing Fiction - Victory Crayne, 'How to Critique Fiction,'
http://www.crayne.com/howcrit.html
. Research - G Ochoa and J Ogier, 'The Writer's Guide to Creating a Science
Fiction Universe'.
Writing Courses and Mentors
Once you've done all that, and not before, take the writing course or seek a
mentor, if you're so inclined, though bear in mind that you have to learn
your trade, and the more time and effort you put into it, the better your
chances. A teacher or mentor can't teach you anything until you've done
enough writing to understand what you're trying to do.
People often write asking me to read stories they've written, and in the
past I sometimes said yes if I had the time. In almost every case, I was
sent what was obviously a first draft, often with plot and characters
recycled from a well known fantasy novel or movie, and full of spelling
mistakes as well as incompetent punctuation and grammar. Not only was this
insulting, it displayed a blindness about the writer's own work that boded
ill for their chances of becoming a professional writer. Writing isn't
easy - it's incredibly hard and the only way to master it is to rewrite your
work over and over until you get it right.
After sixteen years of writing, five years of that full time, I would never
give my editor a first draft, or even a second or third. I'd be too
embarrassed because I'd know how much it would be improved after I'd done
more work on it. Don't insult your teacher by giving them rubbish - learn
the basics of your craft before you seek advice.
The Reality of being a Writer
It takes me (and most writers), the best part of a year to produce a
finished book. The first draft of a 600 page book takes me a month or more,
but by the time I send it to my editor I'll have done another five or six
drafts, starting at the beginning and working word by word to the end. And
then, working with the editor, I'll do another two or three drafts. It's the
rewriting that produces the quality.
The competition to get published, and then to stay published, is utterly
ruthless. Only the best and hardest working people get there, and only a few
of them actually make a living at it.
Getting Published
When the story is as good as you can make it, and you're looking to get it
published, remember that the big publishers get upwards of 4,000 fiction
manuscripts a year, of which they might publish as few as two or as many as
eight. So you've got roughly a one in a thousand chance of being accepted
that way. Don't bother showing your work to a publisher till you've done at
least half a dozen drafts, and preferably a dozen, because it's in the
redrafting, not the original writing, that you really learn to become a
writer. And it takes as long to become a good writer as it does to become a
good brain surgeon, so you need all the practice you can get.
If the publisher does accept unsolicited manuscripts, expect it to take a
long time. More than 90% are rejected on the first page, and 99% by the end
of the first chapter, so your absolute best writing has got to be up front,
just to get the book read.
But to maximise your chances, you need an 'in', i.e. a contact in the
industry who will at least look at your work. Do a good writing course
(after you've learned to write), go to writing seminars, workshops, literary
festivals, SF conventions and all the other places where writers, agents,
editors and publishers congregate. And then, pester them (in the nicest
possible way) to take a look at your stuff. If it's no good, they'll still
reject it after reading the first few pages. But if your writing has
something, at least you're getting personal attention, which puts you in the
pile with thirty or forty manuscripts in it, rather than the dumpster with
four thousand.
Good luck with it.
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PUBLISHER GUIDELINES
I had an email from Canadian publisher Lobster Press recently expressing
interest in my manuscript. However, they said that they would want me to
sign over all rights to them. I declined, as I'm not interested in selling
copyright for that manuscript. If you are going to submit to Lobster Press,
be aware that they may want the same sort of deal from you.
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AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR PROFILE
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YOUR WRITING TIPS
An article about finding the time to write spoke to me, so thought I'd pass
on the link. It's at:
http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/ws02/rosenblum.shtml
This whole site has loads of other articles that are of use to new and
experienced writers alike.
Cheers Dizzy
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USEFUL BOOKS/WEBSITES
Top Job Guide: Become a Children's Writer, Bren MacDibble
Australian Associated Publishing House's Top Job Guides are comprehensive
guides for those embarking on new careers. Become a Children's Writer is
full of practical, Australian-specific information to get new children's
writers up and writing and into the marketplace quickly.
It includes everything you need to know about perfecting your craft,
including a handy dandy plot checker and a rewriting checklist, how to
prepare and submit manuscripts, cover letters, query letters and synopses,
lists of industry contacts and Australian publishers, helpful books and
websites, how the industry in Australia functions, how to find critique
groups and how to target your ms towards the right publisher. In short,
everything you'll need to know to get started, including all the nitty
gritty details. The information in this guide will knock years off your
learning curve and save you miles of legwork. It's put all the information
in one place.
The guide includes words of wisdom and tips from, and interviews with, many
talented and generous writers: Robin Hobb, Anna Ciddor, Jen McVeity, Sherryl
Clark, Claire Saxby, Sally Murphy, Robyn Opie, Richard Harland, Marie
Alafaci, Tony Shillitoe, and industry professionals like Sophia Oravecz,
editor, and Dr Jeremy Fisher, exec. director of the Australian Society of
Authors.
This is a printed guide, hard full-colour cover, and although the marketing
has not yet begun, it is available now via this website:
http://www.topjobguide.com.au/TopjobGuide/Samples/Childrens_Writer.html
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BOOK REVIEWS
Rhino Neil
by Mini Goss
New Frontier Publishing HB $24.95
Reviewed by Moira Elliott (Proofreader/Editor)
This is a timeless tale about feelings of isolation; the quest for a sense
of belonging and friendship.
None of the other animals in the safari zoo want to befriend Rhino Neil as
his size and shape appear menacing and dangerous; each animal warning their
family to 'stay well away from Neil'.
The author's style of playing with the negative and positive and how these
two sections of the plot are linked by the arrival of Tuscany the elephant
is clever. The transferring of the animals' initial negative reaction to
Neil to Tuscany is subtle and I love her use of alliteration.
Beautifully illustrated by the author, the animals' expressions are
appealing. This is a delightful tale.
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INDEPENDENT CHILDREN'S BOOKSHOPS
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CRITIQUE GROUPS BULLETIN BOARD
Is there anyone in the Blacktown/Parramatta/Hills area who would be
interested in forming a critique group to meet on a fortnightly or monthly
basis?
If so, contact me at jbrazel@optusnet.com.au
Janette Brazel
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MILESTONES
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INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES
~Kindness is wisdom.~
Phillip J. Bailey
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PASS IT ON SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Submit contributions to jacket@smartchat.net.au
Verdana, 10pt, single-line spacing (not essential but helpful)
Mark PASS IT ON SUBMISSION in the subject line
Submit within the body of the email
Give your piece a title heading: eg New Publications; Seeking; General
Information; etc.
Email addresses and contributor contact details will be withheld unless
otherwise stated
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© Jackie Hosking . All rights Reserved Worldwide.
posted by Jackie at 12:57 AM
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