Roving Reporter: Georgie Donaghey
From Submission to 'On the Book Shelf'
Sue Whiting the Publishing Manager for Walker Books Australia took us through the steps of publishing the picture book, The Croc and the Platypus. The Croc and the Platypus is a retelling of the children's classic the, The Owl and the Pussycat.
Joining Sue from the Walker Books Australia team for an engaging, animated session were Mary Verney (Editor), Donna Rawlins (Art Director) and Simon Panagaris (Promotions Manager).
Jackie Hosking (Author) and Marjorie Crosby-Fairall discussed their personal experience on bringing their 'baby' to publication. This is Jackie's first picture book.
The wait for a reply to manuscript submissions in sometimes agonisingly long. Jackie Hosking can definitely vouch for this. Even Sue was embarrassed to admit from submission to acceptance this manuscript took a year, normally five months is the turnaround time.
From the 'we want to publish your book' phone call the wheels were in motion and the journey well underway. The Walker Books team already had had several meetings to discuss this manuscript before Jackie had even received that call.
Not traditionally a publisher of Australiana themed picture books, the Walker team embraced The Croc and the Platypus. 'It was a dream book to make.' Sue Whiting
Donna had had her eyes set on Marjorie Crosby-Fairall after a previous workshop. From the initial sketches the team knew they were embarking on a very exciting project.
How can we market this book? Enter Simon Panagaris and the Marketing team. The answer - a gorgeous plush crocodile that compliments the book.
With lots of excited squeals re-enacted by Jackie Hosking throughout the session the audience were given a glimpse of the emotions and business that goes into publishing a picture book by a mainstream publisher.