I'm here to share with you over thirty years of writing and publishing experience. This is where you'll find insights, insider info, interviews and inspiration to take with you on your kids' book journey. I’ll be discussing the publication journey in all its incarnations—from baby books to young adult literature—from emerging status right through to taking your career up a level.
I’ll share with you my own journey and experience, and will also regularly pick the brains of some amazing people—authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, booksellers, librarians and other industry professionals.
In Series One, we’ll be covering a wealth of ideas, from sowing story seeds through editing, picture book construction and into illustrator journeys. We’ll look at assessments, plotting and planning middle grade, conferences and festivals—there’s just SO much to cover.
As the series of 10 podcasts goes live, you’ll see details of each one listed in the space below. Content will suit both emerging creators and those who’ve been in the game a while.
If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
So, let’s get started. Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. Welcome to this happy place—The Happy Book.
Back to The Happy Book MAIN PAGE
The Happy Book – Chapter Ten
Conferences, festivals and other kids' book events
Air date: 6 March 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Ten of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be discussing the myriad kids’ book events, with a particular focus on conferences and festivals. Attending events is one of the secret keys that can help unlock your career in the children’s book industry.
I’ll talk to you about attending conferences as a delegate and how to make the most of them. We’ll look at how conferences run, how you should prepare, manuscript and portfolio assessments and how to navigate them. I’ll also cover the ins and outs of presenting or speaking at conferences and festivals. Towards the end of the podcast, I’ll take you through a list of suggested events that could really put the beat in your kids’ book journey.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to The Happy Book!
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:36 Champagne!
02:14 Mingling at conferences
03:00 Researching your conference
03:27 Planning to meet others at a conference
04:13 Preparing collateral—business cards and postcards
05:09 How conferences work/are scheduled
10:54 Leave your manuscript and portfolio in your room
11:55 Preparing a pitch
12:40 The difference between a pitch and a strapline
13:49 Tips on creating a pitch
15:26 Three-minute pitch sessions
16:11 The strapline
18:37 Showing an illustration portfolio
19:20 You as a conference delegate
21:17 Mingling with colleagues and publishers
22:42 Stalking publishers
24:53 Support your colleagues
25:12 Share your knowledge, contacts and experience openly
25:58 Take regular breaks
27:49 A second glass of champagne
27:56 Tips for dealing with… publishers
29:02 Publishing is a business
31:20 Introducing yourself to publishers
33:01 Publishers are like wild animals
34:07 Manuscript assessments
42:39 Affording conferences
44:51 Festivals
45:19 Conferences and festivals as presenter
49:03 What will you present on?
50:51 My top tips for presenting
1:02:25 Panels
1:03:39 Be imperfect
1:04:52 Other events
105:57 Festival and Conference Listing—please find below; international listeners, I have included a handful—you can google your local listings
1:06:05 A cup of Earl Grey tea with milk
1:06:29 Series Two
1:07:00 Be in touch
1:07:15 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
How to be a Successful Writing Festival or Conference Delegate
Presenting Brilliant Sessions at Writers Festivals and Schools
Ask Tania: Coping with publisher critiques at conferences and festivals
Ask Tania: How do I make the most out of festivals and conferences?
CBCA Conferences
SCBWI Conferences
KidLit Vic
CYA Conference
Creative Kids’ Tales Writers Festival
Snowy Mountains Readers Writers Children’s Festival
Dromkeen Literary Festival,
Scribblers Festival
Willy Lit Fest
Whitsunday Voices Youth Literature Festival
Kids and YA Festival
Catholic Education
Sydney Writers Festival
Melbourne Writers Festival
Brisbane Writers Festival
Perth Festival, Writers Week
Newcastle Writers Festival
Adelaide Festival, Writers Week
Canberra Writers Festival
Emerging Writers Festival
Asian Festival of Children’s Content, Singapore
Hong Kong International Literary Festival
Bologna Children’s Book Fair
Frankfurt Book Fair
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
Series Two, watch this space! I hope to record another series later in the year. Do be in touch with feedback and suggestions - booksATtaniamccartney.com
The Happy Book – Chapter Nine
Plotting and planning a middle grade novel with author Sheryl Gwyther
Air date: 27 February 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Nine of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be chatting to friend and author Sheryl Gwyther about plotting and planning a middle grade novel. Sheryl has been writing children’s fiction for around two decades, and this woman knows her stuff.
Sheryl will share her extensive experience in crafting a middle grade novel, her secrets to finding the right story and creating a protagonist who will capture your readers’ hearts. And of course—she’ll talk ALL about structure, which can be a real challenge for authors.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to The Happy Book.
GUEST – SHERYL GWYTHER
Sheryl Gwyther’s mango-gorging, tree-climbing, book-reading childhood in Queensland’s tropical far north inevitably led to the best job ever—writing stories for the most important readers of all—children. Her work includes Secrets of Eromanga, an adventure novel set on an outback fossil dig; chapter books, and many short stories and plays in The School Magazine.
Sheryl’s awards include two ASA Mentorships, two May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship Residencies, and a 2013 Work-of-Outstanding-Progress Grant from SCBWI International (the first non-American to win) for her historical adventure, Sweet Adversity. This tale of courage and resilience is set in the Great Depression with hero, 12-year-old, Addie. Sheryl also coordinates the Queensland branch of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:36 About Sheryl
02:31 A glass of kombucha (apple crisp flavour) and Darjeeling tea
03:20 What does a typical writing day look like for Sheryl?
05:41 Where does Middle Grade fit in the industry?
06:34 Creating multi-layered work
07:50 Word count
09:18 Themes for middle grade
10:08 The importance of humour
11:14 Writing and engaging middle grade novel
11:20 The main character
11:49 Main character drives the story
12:57 Adults in stories
14:16 The protagonist
14:42 Villains
16:03 What qualities does a good protagonist need? Sweet Adversity
18:03 Sub characters
20:24 Villains need to be humanised
22 :46 Obstacles
24:39 Chapter endings/cliff hangers
25:26 The story grid method
26:58 The plotter and the pantser
28:03 Do you know the ending in advance?
31:59 Can middle grade plots be quite sophisticated
35:08 When does middle grade slip into junior fiction or YA?
35:29 Violence in middle grade
36:36 Romance
36:52 The voice for middle grade
38:20 Writing in a way kids of this readership resonate with
38:40 Writing authentic children’s voices
40:18 Writing style
40:40 Writers need to read and read a lot
41:20 Vocabulary in middle grade
44:08 The use of Shakespeare in Sweet Adversity
45:09 The ending of a story
46:38 An element of hope
48:12 What happens if you’ve written middle grade and it’s too young or too old
49:42 Conflicting manuscript appraisal advice
50:11 The dreaded rewrite
50:29 What’s coming up for Sheryl
52:00 You never stop learning
52:45 Advice from Sheryl
55:20 Rejection means you’re sending your work out
56:26 A lovely cup of Earl Grey tea and wrap-up
57:30 Coming up next week
58:02 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
sherylgwyther.net
facebook.com/sherylgwytherauthor
twitter.com/sheryl_gwyther
instagram.com/sheryl.gwyther.author
Sweet Adversity
Secrets of Eromanga
SCBWI
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER TEN – Festivals, conferences and other kids' book events.
The Happy Book – Chapter Eight
Illustrator Next Level
Air date: 20 February 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Eight of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be talking to you, illustrators! I’ll be talking about becoming a next level illustrator, about how rapidly I’ve grown my own illustrator journey and the book contracts I’ve secured.
I’ll then shine the laser light on you and how you can hone your own illustration skills, my thoughts on character development and movement, understanding colour, and ideas for both expanding your skillset and illustrating a narrative (which can be very different to just creating a stand-alone image).
We’ll also cover portfolios and how to put something eye-catching together—both online and in a bricks and mortar folio you can take with you to conferences, festivals and maybe even to the offices of a particularly desired publisher.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to the Happy Book.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:37 A delicious flat white thanks to a good husband
01:52 Reconnecting with your 8-year-old self
03:54 Losing connecting with illustration
05:15 The birth of the 52-Week Illustration Challenge
07:12 Being in your path of flow—miracles unfold
07:26 The opportunities and contracts that appeared when I dared reconnect with illustrating
08:44 Expanding my career as both author and illustrator
09:26 Illustration style
11:15 Mimicking the illustration style of others
12:20 Feeling like a fraud
13:14 Developing your digital skills
14:00 Digital illustration resources
14:52 Illustration courses
15:19 Practice is everything
16:14 More course ideas
16:54 Thinking you can’t draw
18:11 Children are natural artists
18:58 Hating the work you create
19:50 Non-dominant hand drawing
20:42 Blind contour drawing
21:55 A big glass of mineral water
22:01 Colour is EVERYTHING
23:29 Ideas for your colour palettes—Australia Illustrated
24:50 Colours that qualify as neutrals
25:04 Tonal values
25:35 The use of neutrals
25:55 Use of patterning
26:22 Texture
27:03 Transparency
27:34 Muddy, dull colours
29:05 Paint sample cards
29:59 How colour aligns with a narrative—At the End of Holyrood Lane and Smile Cry
31:32 Colour in books for babies and toddlers
32:00 Colour for junior fiction and chapter books
32:39 Illustrators with beautiful colour palettes
33:04 Using a limited colour palette
33:29 Contrast, depth, light and shadow
34:55 Use colours you like and enjoy—I hated purple until Hooray
36:38 Backgrounds
38:10 White space as breathing space
39:30 A caffè lattè
39:37 Illustrating to narrative
40:43 Using Mamie as an example of illustrating to narrative
45:10 Those little visual extras
47:08 Ivy Bird’s sub narrative
47:59 Wordless spreads
51:06 Creative Tools
52:45 Tools for digital illustration
53:23 Illustration portfolios
101:16 Digital portfolios
101:51 A pile of fresh Queensland figs
1:02:04 Illustrator confidence
1:03:57 A Bear a Day 90 auction
1:04:36 The 52-Week Illustration Challenge ‘likes’
1:05:54 Art is not about how it looks, it’s about how it makes us feel
1:07:27 How to deal with negative comments on your work
1:07:48 Illustration is about the process
1:08:16 Running your own race
1:09:41 Authenticity
01:11:23 Wrap-up
01:12:07 Coming up next week
01:12:58 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
Australia Illustrated
Flow Magazine
Jackie French
National Library of Australia
Australia: Illustrated Map
The World: Illustrated Map
Lynda.com
Skillshare.com
Nina Rycroft’s Drawing Courses
Jane Newland
My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown
Kuler Colour Wheel
At the End of Holyrood Lane by Dimity Powell and Nicky Johnston
Carson Ellis
Anna Walker
Isabelle Arsenault
Peter Brown
Gus Gordon
Marc Martin
Portable lightboxes
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER NINE – Plotting and planning middle grade works with guest author Sheryl Gwyther.
The Happy Book – Chapter Seven
Story Seed Ideas, Faction and Research with author Dee White
Air date: 13 February 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Seven of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be chatting to friend and author Dee White all about those nutritious story seeds, how we can find them, and how we can grow them. We’ll also talk about researching your ideas to provide depth and authenticity, travelling for research and expanding upon ideas.
We’ll also cover real life stories that inspire fiction—or ‘faction’—and how we can honour these story ideas with authenticity and depth. Dee has been writing across several children’s book genres—from early childhood to YA—for several decades now. She has a stack of wisdom and experience to share—you’re going to need a notebook to take notes!
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to the Happy Book.
GUEST – DEE WHITE
Dee is the author of 18 books for children and young adults. Her picture book, Reena's Rainbow, illustrated by the amazing Tracie Grimwood, has been released internationally and is currently being translated into Auslan to make it more accessible to deaf children.
Dee has received many writing awards including a May Gibbs Creative time residency, a SCBWI Nevada Mentorship and first prizes in the Nairda Lyne and CYA writing competitions. Her current work in progress, Beyond Belief, received a VicArts research grant, allowing Dee to spend a month in Paris researching.
She has presented at conferences and writer's festivals throughout Australia and overseas, and will be a key presenter at the 2018 Sharjah International book fair. Dee blogs about writing and books at DeeScribe writing, and runs online classes for writers from all over the world through Writing Classes for Kids.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:36 About Dee
02:34 A note on the sound quality
03:00 A nice flat white + a water
03:36 A typical writing day for Dee
04:34 The importance of thinking time
05:45 Writing in the dark
07:34 Dee’s writing genres
09:40 Not restricting yourself to genre
11:37 Dee’s preferred genre
12:19 All fiction is based on real life
13:15 Story seeds—ideas—Letters to Leonardo
15:45 Ideas from personal experiences—Reena’s Rainbow
18:00 The remarkable unfolding of Paris Hunting
19:50 The discovery of the story for Beyond Belief
20:26 Dee’s astonishing research month in Paris
21:26 Serendipity when writing stories
23:47 Combining fact and fiction to make ‘faction’
25:40 Golden rules for writing faction
26:26 Travelling for research and fine detail
26:39 Using photos to discover your characters
27:15 Interviewing your own character
28:03 Creating authentic fictional characters alongside real life characters
30:48 The power of travel for story development
31:41 Researching on the internet—pros and cons
33:19 Do try to travel, if possible
34:24 Inaccuracy when researching online
35:14 Advice on researching facts—K9 Heroes
37:48 Authenticating research
38:41 How facts can change over time
40:40 How far can we stretch the truth?
41:53 The popularity of faction books
43:09 We cannot dumb things down for kids
43:59 Diversity and multiculturalism
45:48 Confronting details for this age group
47:26 Advice on applying for grants for travelling
49:52 Advice from Dee for emerging creators
50:59 Conference advice
52:14 Networking online
54:30 Publishers are people, too
54:59 What’s coming up for Dee
57:29 A refreshing up of green tea
57:45 Wrap-up
58:20 Coming up next week
59:06 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
deewhite.com
facebook.com/Dee-White-Author-169372956427797
twitter.com/DeeWhiteauthor
instagram.com/deewhiteauthor
Reena’s Rainbow
Letters to Leonardo
I Am Your Protector
K9 Heroes
Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund
VicArts – for Victorian creators
NANOWRIMO
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER EIGHT – for you, illustrators! We’ll cover how I honed and grew my illustration journey, how to take your illustrator skills to the next level, as well as portfolios and much more.
The Happy Book – Chapter Six
The Creative Life Balance—your setting, schedule, health, confidence and more
Air date: 6 February 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Six of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be talking about Your Creative Life—your creative setting and how important that is, your production schedule, your health, self-confidence, self-sabotage, how to overcome creative blocks and naysayers, maximising your output, living in your creative flow, saying no, running your own race, and lots more.
All of these things will add up to a more balanced working life—one that’s fulfilling, uplifting and happy-making, not draining, health-sapping and joy-robbing.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to the Happy Book.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:33 The most fabulous flat white
02:11 Your creative setting
07:17 Your creative schedule
10:23 My base schedule
14:20 The hours you do, the more productive you’ll be—NOT!
14:53 Sharpening your axe—the story that changed my life
16:45 Maximising your time
17:28 Identify
18:56 Clear and cull
20:43 Cut
23:41 The universal law of space
26:05 The curse of social media and FOMO
27:33 A glass of mineral water and some strawberries
27:39 Hot tips for streamlining and commitment
28:29 Multitasking is, like, SO yesterday
30:46 Writing apps
31:22 Prioritising your timeframes
32:20 Joining writing or Facebook groups
32:52 Set yourself some deadlines
34:02 Procrastination
36:31 Creative blocks
37:43 Self-sabotage
38:43 Defining yourself as an author or illustrator
39:34 Exposing your inner critic
41:53 Feeling you’re a fraud
44:28 Doubting the quality of your own work
45:38 Tips to overcome self-doubt
46:59 Fostering self-belief and the path of flow
48:03 Tips for honing self-belief
49:22 Saying no—weighing up commitments
53:32 A glass of rosé
53:44 Your health
54:52 The problem with sitting too much
55:17 Standing to work
56:15 Exercise ideas
57:30 Earthing yourself
58:11 Vit D and supplements
59:01 Nutrition—micronutrients
1:00:38 Surround yourself with uplifting people
1:02:29 Wrap up
1:03.00 Coming next week 1:03:55 The end
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
Work Life Bliss with Emma Grey
Kids’ Book Review
Dimity Powell
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
Superfoods by David Wolfe
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER SEVEN – Dee White, author, on seeding, travelling, researching and progressing book ideas.
The Happy Book – Chapter Five
Editing Your Work and Working with an Editor with author/editor Irma Gold
Air date: 30 January 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Five of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be welcoming friend and author and editor extraordinaire, Irma Gold. We’ll be chatting about the editing process—how to edit your own work, how to work with an editor in a publishing house, and thoughts on hiring an editor.
Irma will have priceless tips from her decades of editing experience, and between the two of us, there may or may not be some grammar Nazi stuff going on! You’re going to learn A LOT.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to the Happy Book.
GUEST – IRMA GOLD
Irma Gold is an award-winning author and editor of books for adults and children. Her short fiction has been widely published in anthologies and Australia’s best literary journals. She is also the author of a collection of short fiction called Two Steps Forward, and three picture books. A fourth picture book, Seree’s Story, is in the works with Walker Books. Her recently completed literary fiction novel won the Writing NSW Varuna Fellowship and was awarded both CAPO and artsACT development grants. Irma has worked as an editor for almost 20 years and in 2014 was awarded a special one-off award for Outstanding Service to Writing and Publishing in the ACT and Region. She is currently Convener of Editing at the University of Canberra and Ambassador for the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:36 About Irma
02:25 A cup of dandelion coffee and an Earl Grey tea
03:33 How Irma began her editing journey
06:02 Irma’s current editing roles
07:48 Editing between several genres
08:37 Irma’s favourite genre
09:03 Are there texts that are uneditable?
10:30 What does Irma most love about the editing process?
12:12 So many people create a book, not just the author
13:10 The difference between structural editing, copy editing, proofreading
15:03 Editing a picture book
16:42 Not wanting an editor to ‘change’ your work
18:10 The editor/author relationship is a dialogue
18:34 The editor’s role is not to tell you what to do
19:22 What happens at the structural editing stage
20:42 The author/edit standoff—picking your battles
22:55 The author won’t always be right, the editor won’t always be right
24:04 Should brand new authors hold their tongue on edits?
25:55 Emerging authors rejecting every single change
26:33 Voice
29:46 When an editor tries to rewrite your work
31:56 What punctuation/grammar mistakes do authors make over and over again?
33:47 Manuscripts with structural issues: prepping to send to a publisher
35:22 The importance of reading in learning how to write
37:18 How are picture books edited?
39:06 Are picture books easy to write?
40:37 There’s a big difference between a story and an account
41:22 Picture book resolution
42:20 Should writers edit as they go?
44:50 Writing is a process of discovery
45:46 How does an author know when to stop self-editing?
47:11 Showing your manuscript to too many people
48:18 Advice on working well with an editor
50:28 Editing for the market
52:24 Subjectivity in editing/manuscript assessments
55:55 Editing and proofreading courses
57:15 What does a typical day look like for Irma?
59:51 What’s next for Irma
1:01:22 Wrap up
1:01:50 Coming up next week
1:02:08 A glass of sparkling mineral water and an apple dusted in cinnamon
1:02:30 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
irmagold.com
twitter.com/Irma_Gold
instagram.com/irma.gold
Neuroecology Punctuation in Novels
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER SIX – I'll be talking about something that's hugely underrated ... Your Creative Life balance. We'll cover everything from schedules, health and confidence to maximising output, arming yourself against naysayers, and entering your creative flow.
The Happy Book – Chapter Four
Next Level - taking your career up a notch
Air date: 23 January 2019
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HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Four of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be talking directly to those creators who have been at this game a while, but the content will absolute suit newbies, too (you could take notes for later!).
This is for those who feel they’ve learned and grown as an author or illustrator but need to take things up a notch—whether to finally secure publication, hone professional illustration skills, bite the bullet by creating a great website or marketing campaign, or securing bigger, better contracts.
It’s your chance to take control of and plan your future—to take steps that will lead you to the next level. We’ll talk about honing skills, furthering your education, hiring professionals, mentorships, internships, assessments and… how to handle rejection. We’ll also cover groups, organisations and affiliations that you can be involved with, volunteering and creating your own initiatives (just like this podcast!).
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to The Happy Book.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:35 A glass of sparkling mineral water and slices of pink lady apple doused in cinnamon
01:45 It’s not all about the book
02:52 Who wants to do the same thing forever?
04:05 Your happiness levels—you want to enjoy what you do
05:42 Study and courses to advance your career
07:09 Procrastination
08:01 Course recommendations
13:14 Courses in proofreading and editing
14:13 Hiring an editor
16:20 Feedback and its subjectivity; how to deal with it
17:42 Manuscript and portfolio assessments
18:24 Mentors
20:47 Internships
23:33 Chicken, cubes of haloumi, red cabbage and spinach
23:46 Groups and associations
29:00 Volunteering
29:55 Initiatives
30:20 Kids’ Book Review
31:59 The 52-Week Illustration Challenge
33:15 Ask Tania column
33:56 Instagram auction—A Bear a Day/A Fleur a Day
34:55 The Fantastical Flying Creator workshop
35:41 Etsy store—selling your books and artwork
37:01 Online presence
40:12 Collateral
41:15 Visual branding and recognition
42:43 Just write, just illustrate
44:05 Take advantage of slow times
44:43 Invest in yourself
45:00 Rejection and criticism
48:31 Rejection reasons and variables
51:25 A lovely beetroot lattè
52:07 Coming next week
52:59 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
Pinerolo Children’s Book Cottage
Lilla Rogers’ Make Art That Sells
Nina Rycroft’s Picture Book Illustration Classes
Dee White’s Writing Classes for Kids
Dee White’s Tuesday Writing Tips
www.masterclass.com
svslearn.com
lynda.com
Jen Storer’s Scribbles
Jen Storer’s The Duck Pond
Australian Writers Centre
Australian Society of Authors (ASA)
The Copyright Agency
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA)
Illustrators Australia
The Style File
Books in Homes
Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge (ACT)
Australian Reading Hour
Indigenous Literacy Foundation
Australian Children’s Laureate
The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature
The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation
The Australian Libraries and Information Association
Libraries ACT
Creative Kids’ Tales
Just Write for Kids
Pass it On E-Zine
Buzzwords E-Zine
Kids’ Book Review
The 52-Week Illustration Challenge
Nicky Johnston
Ask Tania column
The Fantastical Flying Creator
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER FIVE – Irma Gold, author and editor extraordinaire, talks editing your work … and working with an editor.
The Happy Book – Chapter Three
Picture Book Creation and Illustration with Jess Racklyeft
Air date: 16 January 2019
CLICK TO LISTEN ON iTUNES
CLICK TO LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter Three of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I will be talking to illustrator, author, and friend, Jess Racklyeft. Jess and I have published three picture books together, with another two in production. We’ll be taking you through the picture book production process and how we created our books—from how the ideas were formed through how we actually liaised and worked together with our publishers.
I’ll also talk to Jess about her book illustration journey—where it started and where she’s going now. She’ll have some wonderful tips and tricks on illustrating that you won’t want to miss.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to The Happy Book.
GUEST – JESS RACKLYEFT
Jess Racklyeft is a Melbourne based-illustrator, working as a picture book illustrator, card designer, and for various freelance illustration clients.
She began her working life in publishing, working for almost a decade in customer service and sales roles before having her first child—which gave her the nudge to work harder than ever before launching her own business as an illustrator.
Since then she’s illustrated over a dozen books, and has seven books out in 2019. She’s also the illustrator coordinator of SCBWI Victoria, and mum to two young kids. Most of the time, she’s either drawing picture books, visiting the local bookshop or library, or reading them to her kids.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:35 Introducing Jess Racklyeft
03:45 When Jess first passed thought to illustrating children’s books
05:22 Returning to your 8-year-old self and what you loved
06:26 The first book Jess worked on as an illustrator
09:24 What does a typical workday look like for Jess?
13:40 The collaboration route
17:19 Illustration notes
19:24 Collaborating by email – Ivy Bird
21:45 The importance of digital illustration skills
22:20 Jess’s illustration process
24:50 Producing Smile Cry
28:38 Animal or human characters
29:19 What advice would Jess give authors on working with illustrators
30:58 The author and illustrator as equal creators
32:12 The many and varied people involved in creating a book
32:30 Jess’s new role as author
33:41 What’s the difference between being an author/illustrator and just an illustrator?
36:08 The benefits of being an author/illustrator
37:27 Tips and Ideas for emerging illustrators
38:20 Courses in illustrating picture books
39:49 Expression and movement in your illustrations
41:55 Parallel/dual narrative told in illustration
43:39 Other ideas on how to make revenue from illustrating
47:16 Getting your work out there
47:48 Your online presence
48:08 Digital portfolios
48:55 Sending your folio to publishers
49:50 Meeting publishers in person
51:35 Your illustrations fitting with the right manuscript
52:34 Showing portfolios at conferences
54:46 The most difficult parts of illustrating a picture book
56:33 Balancing work with family and life; being present
57:45 Weighing up the pros and cons of opportunities
59:12 Progressing your illustrator career and making the right choices
1:00:06 What’s the most enjoyable part of creating books?
1:01:09 What would Jess’s ultimate book dream be?
1:02:37 What’s coming up for Jess
1:04:52 Jess’s favourite children’s book right now
1:07:12 Wrap-up
1:08:07 Coming up next week
1:08:40 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
Jess Racklyeft website
Jess Racklyeft instagram
The 52-Week Illustration Challenge
Lilla Rogers
CAE : Children’s Picture Book Illustration Course
Nina Rycroft Picture Book Illustration and Online Courses
Skillshare
Craftsy : The Art of the Picture Book
Illustrators Australia
The Style File
Smile Cry
Merry Everything
See Hear
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER FOUR – Planning your future as a creator—and taking your career to the next level.
The Happy Book – Chapter Two
Picture Book 101
Air date: 9 January 2019
CLICK TO LISTEN ON iTUNES
CLICK TO LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter 2 of The Happy Book. In this chapter, I’ll be taking you through the entire picture book creation and production process. What more could you want? Truly? Is there anything better?
You’ll learn about where ideas come from, what themes are overdone, the types of picture book narrative, the layout and structure of the pages, who comes together to create a picture book, which books excite publishers, narrative and visual narrative, dialogue, illustration, story craft, word count, pacing, and insider info that will make your toes curl with delight.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to The Happy Book.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction
01:23 A cup of green tea and a protein bar
01:31 Picture books are not really for 3- to 8-year-olds
02:26 Why do I write picture books?
02:50 Coming up with an idea
03:04 Ideas being stolen
03:25 Find a ‘different’ way to create stories of common theme
04:41 How do I get my ideas?
06:30 Reflecting back to when we were children—An Aussie Year
08:37 Top tips for finding ideas
10:37 Books for trade AND educational markets
11:07 Don’ts!
11:32 Moralistic, didactic and message-driven books
13:12 Writing to fill a market gap
13:38 Themes that are done to death
14:48 Write what you love
15:10 Themes that resonate with kids
15:58 Age groups for picture books
16:48 Using more difficult words
17:50 Writing Peas in a Pod and Smile Cry—writing for early childhood
18:55 Page-turning potential
19:55 Types of narrative—linear, cyclical, episodic
21:20 Peas in a Pod—as an example of rounding a story with reference to the beginning
23:04 Smile Cry and See Hear as examples of episodic books with an overall arc
23:40 An Aussie Year as an episodic narrative
24:18 Word count
25:53 High text picture books
26:39 A picture book as dual narratives and the visual narrative
27:11 Show Don’t Tell
29:25 Dialogue—one of my bug-bears
30:37 Conflict and resolution
31:55 Protagonists
32:05 Adults in picture books
33:23 Plot points
34:10 Stories versus accounts
35:19 Ivy Bird as an example of nuance and parallel meaning for early childhood
37:04 Rules and breaking them
37:35 Marrying text with image
38:44 Illustration notes
40:08 Working with an illustrator
42:36 Illustrating text + adding ‘more’ via nuance
43:17 The importance of the direct author/illustrator collaboration
44:25 How Jess added ‘more’ to Ivy Bird via visuals
45:10 Adding more to the text, This is Captain Cook with Christina Booth
46:03 A caffè lattè
46:10 Picture book layout and page construct – pause the podcast and grab a picture book (Peas in a Pod, if you have it)
55:53 How I lay out my PB text as I write it
57:55 The use of Google docs
58:42 The story ending—referencing This is Captain Cook
1:02:04 Rhyme—ach!
1:05:50 Don’ts
1:08:06 A cup of Earl Grey tea and no snack!
1:09:10 Coming up in Chapter 3
1:09:41 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
An Aussie Year
Peas in a Pod
Smile Cry
See Hear
Jess Racklyeft
This is Captain Cook
Christina Booth
The Fantastical Flying Creator
Jackie Hosking
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER THREE – The author/illustrator collaboration. Illustrator Jess Racklyeft and I talk about the creation of our books, the production process, and the collaborative relationship we’ve built.
The Happy Book – Chapter One
The Many Routes on the Publication Journey, and Submitting Your Manuscripts
Air date: 2 January 2019
CLICK TO LISTEN ON iTUNES
CLICK TO LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
HELLO!
Welcome to Chapter One of The Happy Book. In this chapter, it seems fitting to start at the starting line. I’ll be discussing the children’s book creator journey, how mine came about, how the careers of others came about, and how yours can come about.
You’ll learn that not all journeys are the same nor created equal. You’ll also learn the importance of Getting Industry Involved and forming friendships with other creators. On top of that, I’ll go over the submissions process, and how best to do it, and give my top tips for submission success.
Special guests mentioned in this chapter are: Dee White, Jacquie Harvey, Dub Leffler, Sheryl Gwyther, Danielle McDonald, Emma Quay, Gus Gordon and Jen Storer.
Fire up your device, cram in those earbuds and enjoy this foray into the magical world of kids’ book creation. If you have any questions or comments, you can say hello at books@taniamccartney.com.
I’m Tania McCartney and I’m an author, illustrator and editor of children’s books. I’ve always wanted to live inside a book, and now I practically do. Welcome to this happy place—The Happy Book.
SHOW NOTES
00:35 Introduction—a cup of coffee and a pile of blueberries
01:30 My publication journey
02:13 The start of my children’s book journey
02:30 Self-publishing – Riley and the Sleeping Dragon
03:41 Becoming involved in the industry
05:42 My journey with the National Library of Australia
06:58 My collaborations with Jess Racklyeft
08:38 My contracts with Windy Hollow
09:45 Relationships in publishing are everything
10:14 The collective nature of your publication journey
11:05 My illustration journey + the 52-Week Illustration Challenge
14:24 The story behind Australia Illustrated
15:28 My Australia and World Illustrated Maps journey
16:28 Why you will be more likely to secure contracts once you’re published
17:08 My commissioned book with the National Library—The Gum Family Finds Home
17:50 The Mamie journey—my book on May Gibbs (HarperCollins)
21:17 Not all journeys are the same
21:56 Being afraid to share your ideas
23:54 The publication stories of friends and colleagues—and advice!
24:02 Dee White
24:47 Jacqueline Harvey
26:42 Dub Leffler
27:25 Sheryl Gwyther
28:27 Danielle McDonald
29:29 Emma Quay
30:58 Gus Gordon
33:04 Jen Storer
34:35 Another cuppa and a mandarin
35:00 Advice for submissions
35:54 Target the right publisher
37:00 Submitting work that is well-edited
38:45 Large v indie publishers
39:32 Top tips for making submissions
40:15 Following publisher submission guidelines
40:48 Keeping a submissions database
41:37 Multiple submissions
43:11 If you receive a no…
43:53 Keep your career goal in focus—no selling out
44:52 General submissions
47:27 Wrap-up
48:21 A piece of Christmas cake and a glass of champagne
49:00 Coming up in Chapter Two
49:38 The End
Music: Ukulele Whistle by Scott Holmes
PODCAST LINKS
Kids' Book Review
The Style File
My Grammar RantA Crash Course in Grammar and Punctuation
52-Week Illustration Challenge
The Fantastical Flying Creator
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Children's Book Council of Australia
Australian Society of Authors
Dee White
Jacqueline Harvey
Dub Leffler
Sheryl Gwyther
Danielle McDonald
Emma Quay
Gus Gordon
Jen Storer
LINKS
The Happy Book Facebook Page
taniamccartney.com
facebook.com/TaniaMcCartneyAuthor
twitter.com/TaniaMcCartney
instagram.com/taniamccartney
Tania McCartney Illos Etsy Store
The Fantastical Flying Creator
COMING UP
CHAPTER TWO – Picture book creation. From concept to publication. Learn the total ins and outs of this divine creation.
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