Rovers Revealed - Meet the Team Part 2

The wonderful world of children’s literature is composed of many varied sub-genres and styles. Today we get to know two people who create one of my penultimate favourite expressions of children’s literature, the picture book. So settle back and meet SCBWI Sydney Conference 2016 Roving Reporters, Yvonne Mes and Karen Collum.

Yvonne Mes

Yvonne Mes is a children’s author, illustrator and devourer of books from Brisbane via Amsterdam.

Her picture book Meet Sidney Nolan (Random House Australia) illustrated by Sandra Eterovic is listed on the 2016 Premier's Reading Challenge. Oliver’s Grumbles (Dragon Tales Publishing) illustrated by Giuseppe Poli was released in 2015.

Yvonne coordinates Write Links, is vice-president of Book Links QLD (Inc.) and has two decades experience working with children of all ages, abilities, and cultures.

Her three sons make sure she is never lost for inspiration. Her mission: sneak a quiet cup of coffee. Result: cold coffee and noise.

www.yvonnemes.com

Is this your first SCWBI Conference? If not how many have you attended, where?

This is my second SCBWI conference, the first one also was in Sydney two years ago.

What is the most memorable (SCBWI) Conference experience you’ve had to date, or hope to have?

I don't think that conference could have been any better, apart from all the knowledge I gained and the inspiring people I met, I connected with an editor through a paid session and was offered my first contract a few months later!

As a creator in the Kids Literary Industry, what do you want to be best known for?

Uhm, I would like to say my sparkling wit, but that is not likely to happen, so perhaps a never wavering passion and dedication to sharing stories with children

Name one thing you cannot live without.

Apart from all the obvious (family, health, food) I am going to say ... pretty stationery.

Karen Collum

Karen Collum is a Gold Coast-based writer and teacher with a passion for picture books. She is an internationally published author with five picture books to her name. Karen’s latest picture book, SMALL AND BIG, was published last year by Windy Hollow Books and is a 2016 CBCA Notable Book for Early Readers. When Karen is not getting up ridiculously early to write, she teaches, chases after her four kids (and her husband), and tackles the never-ending pile of washing.

Is this your first SCWBI Conference? If not how many have you attended, where?

First SCBWI Conference! I’m a newbie :)

What is the most memorable (SCBWI) Conference experience you’ve had to date, or hope to have?

I hope to meet up with old friends and make lots of new friends. I also hope to have important conversations with people who understand the necessity of agonising over a single word in a picture books for days on end.

As a creator in the Kids Literary Industry, what do you want to be best known for?

I would love to be best known for writing top quality, hope-filled books about things that matter.

Name one thing you cannot live without

I cannot live without creativity. I get very cranky and unsettled if I’m not being creative in some way, shape or form!

www.karencollum.com.au

I understand your agony, Karen! Thank you ladies.

Stay tuned, another riveting meet and greet coming your way soon.

Rove you later!

Dimity

#SCBWISyd

Meet the Team - Roving Reporters Revealed Part 1

Any captain worth her salt will tell you it’s not always about the dreadlocks, but rather her crew, which sets her apart from the rest. The same can be said for this year’s rollicking team of Roving Conference Reporters. Armed with nothing more than a smile and a bunt pencil, they’re the ones who’ll be recording all the notable moments of the Sydney 2016 Conference and maybe even reporting on one of your memorable moments so I think it’s high time you meet them.

Over the next few months, I’ll be introducing you to my awesome team of 12 reporters. Get to know them now and that’s already 12 people you’ll know at the Conference! It’s that easy and as exciting but far safer than meeting a real crew of pirates.

Meet our first two Rovers, Maria Gill and Katrin Dreiling

Maria Gill

Author Maria Gill has penned 47 books for the children’s and educational markets. Eight of her books have shortlisted for National book awards, and seven have been selected as Storylines Notable Books. ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’ won the 2012 Children’s Choice Award (non-fiction category). Her two latest books are ‘Anzac Heroes’ (Scholastic) and ‘Find it! Volcanoes’ (Dorling & Kindersley). She is a trained Primary teacher and journalist, and writes fulltime from her lifestyle property in New Zealand. www.mariagill.co.nz

Is this your first SCWBI Conference?  

This is my fourth SCWBI Sydney conference. I fly over from New Zealand for each one.

What is the most memorable (SCBWI) Conference experience you’ve had to date, or hope to have?

The most memorable one will be the day I get a ms accepted at a conference. I came close at the first one. Perhaps it will be this conference. Most rewarding is all the Australian friends I've made at each one.

As a creator in the Kids Literary Industry, what do you want to be best known for?

For writing entertaining books that help kids realise their full potential.

Name one thing you cannot live without.

My family first; writing a close second.

Katrin Dreiling

Katrin Dreiling wants to live in a world where children’s books are remembered because they make children laugh, gasp, and wonder.

Ever since leaving her well-paid job as a high school language teacher, Katrin has been busy creating illustrations for just these kinds of books – living merely of water, bread, and chocolate.

Being an award-winning, self-published author/illustrator, she is an active member of Brisbane Illustrators Group, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and other groups. She has done the illustrations for several highly popular, animated university lectures (https://goo.gl/Wl5BG8) that are currently being used by a local university, and that attracted close to 30,000 views and hundreds of likes, shares, subscribers, and playlist listings within less than 3 months.

Her artist Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/katrinartworks) is keenly followed by more than 600 fans and her work was featured on Redbubble a number of times.

When Katrin hasn’t locked herself into her tiny studio together with her huge, always hungry canine assistant, you can find her giving noisy art classes to her three children and their friends. She might also watch a Marvel movie or read a blood-curdling crime novel.

Is this your first SCWBI Conference?

Yes, this is my very first SCBWI conference

What is the most memorable (SCBWI) Conference experience you’ve had to date, or hope to have?

I hope to have exposure of my work to many publishers so I can get heaps of professional feedback.

As a creator in the Kids Literary Industry, what do you want to be best known for?

I'd like to be known for authenticity, quirkiness, and quality.

Name one thing you cannot live without.

My family including my Golden Retriever. They give me strength.

 Thanks Katrin and Maria! Stick around - another meet and greet due soon!

Rove ya later,

Dimity

Interviews with Industry Leaders: Eva Mills

Eva Mills—Publishing Director, Books for Children and Young Adults, Allen & Unwin

Which books from your childhood do you still have on your shelf today?
I was a little obsessed with ‘box sets’ so my parents bought me entire series each Christmas. I still have them: Winnie-the-Pooh, the Moomins, Little House on the Prairie, Narnia, The Dark is Rising, Lord of the Rings …

Eva Mills—Publishing Director, Books for Children and Young Adults, Allen & Unwin

How did you get your first break in publishing and what important lessons have you learned along the way?
I spent 10 years working in the public service, thinking I wanted to write young adult fiction. When I finally enrolled in a course at RMIT, it included editing subjects and I found that was my real passion. My first and biggest break was landing a work placement at Allen & Unwin with Rosalind Price. It felt like coming home! At the time she warned me the placement was unlikely to lead to a permanent position, but somehow it all fell into place and I’ve never looked back.

I’ve learned so much from so many wonderful people; children’s publishing in Australia is a very generous and collaborative place. I’ve learned that publishing is a business, so we often have to make difficult and sometimes painful decisions for commercial reasons. But that publishing is also an art, and the many creators I’ve worked with pour their talent and passion into their work, so that must be remembered and respected at all times.

What do you think makes Allen and Unwin different from other publishing Houses?
We are independent and Australian-owned. We have been publishing wonderful children’s books for over 25 years. And we have a big in-house team of editors who spend a lot of time working with their authors and illustrators, taking great care to make our books the very best they can be.

How do you know when you’ve found a truly great book?
Sometimes it happens the first time you read a manuscript. Sometimes it doesn’t happen until you see the finished artwork for a picture book. But always you get a little shiver of excitement up and down your spine that says you have something special …

Without giving away any secrets, can you tell us about the Allen and Unwin process of choosing books to publish?
It’s a mix of intuition and science! We have quite a big list, so we do need to track the number of titles we’re publishing each month and into which categories – e.g. how many picture books, how many fantasy series, how many books featuring skateboarding grandmothers! We also keep an eye on the market and whether there are any gaps we’d like to fill, so sometimes we will commission a title or series from scratch. But most of the time we are simply responding to submissions – many from existing authors, but also brand new projects that arrive via agents or through ‘Friday Pitch’, our online submissions process. If an individual publisher or editor loves a manuscript or a proposal, then they’ll usually discuss it with the rest of the publishing team first, before circulating a formal ‘publishing proposal’ around the company for broader feedback. If everyone is still keen, then we make an offer!

What advice would you offer illustrators and authors hoping to pitch to Allen and Unwin?
Have a look at our ‘Friday Pitch’ submission guidelines on www.allenandunwin.com. (NB: we are closed for all of September and October but will be open for submissions again in November.) Research our list and familiarise yourself with everything we publish – is your project likely to fit with the style of our list? Or is it too similar to something we’ve already published? Write a truly beautiful, moving and authentic novel for 8 to 12 year olds in a realistic setting, as these are the hardest to write so the easiest to get published!

How do you see the future of kids’ book publishing?
There’ll be even more emphasis on the ‘book as beautiful object’, particularly in picture books. I think we’ve spent enough time now in the digital age to realise that reading a picture book to a child is as much about the time spent together as it is about the reading experience, and that teenagers actually like to have some time out from their digital devices by reading a real book – so while e-books definitely have an important place in children’s publishing, they’re never going to replace the physical book. I think we’ll continue to see an increase in adults reading young adult fiction – and why wouldn’t you, when there is so much wonderful YA being written?! But we’ll also continue to see an increase in competition for children’s time and attention from social and electronic media.