News

Tick Tock c.e.o. John Twiggs has said that the company remains operational, despite so far failing to secure a refinancing package. An undisclosed number of staff have been laid off, and the company has not commissioned new publishing work for two months.

A number of children’s agents have already advised authors and illustrators against working for Tick Tock Books following several cases where payments had not been met by the company. Paul Beebee, the owner of Beehive Illustration, said, “I know of a number of authors and illustrators who have not been paid for work they have done for Tick Tock.”

Mark le Fanu, general secretary of the Society of Authors, said: “Over the years we have had quite a number of cases of late payment. On the whole, until recently, members have had to be patient and payments have been made in the end.”

We are pleased to announce the launch of a brand new type of appraisal service for authors – a telephone appraisal service for manuscripts of up to 5000 words.

This new version of our original appraisal service is offered at a substantially reduced rate and is for authors who specifically want Louise Jordan (Managing Editor of The Writers’ Advice Centre) to appraise their work. No written report will be produced. Instead feedback will be given during a telephone consultancy session with Louise, using the dedicated Writers’ Advice Centre advice line.

Advantages of this particular service are,

• It is offered at a reduced rate.
• Louise Jordan is guaranteed to be your editor.
• Specific queries and concerns can be addressed.
• Response time is much faster – just two weeks as opposed to two months.

For further details of this service visit our Services page.

Infinite Ideas is to move into children’s publishing following its publication of the overall winner of the inaugural Brit Writer’s Award (BWA) – The Golden Acorn by Catherine Cooper which will be published later this month. The book is the first of a four part fantasy series aimed at 8 – 12 year-olds. Infinite has had only a month to turn the book around from manuscript to publication.

In the wake of the firm’s involvement in the BWA, Infinite CEO Richard Burton has called for a new relationship to be forged between publishers and writers. He says, “There is a growing demand for authors to become more a part of the process in publishing a book, for them to be seen as a creative talent rather than an annoying supplier.”

Brit Writers are now accepting submissions for BWA Unpublished 2011. The official deadline is 5pm (UK time) on Friday 25 February 2011, but the competition will close once 20,000 submissions have been received. For more details visit www.britwriters.co.uk

Sir Terry Pratchett and Transworld Publishers have launched a new award for aspiring debut novelists The Terry Pratchett Anywhere But Here, Anywhen But Now Prize. Transworld will offer the winning author a publishing contract with a £20,000 advance.

For full details click on the link Pratchett_Prize.doc

Lucy Christopher has won this year’s Branford Boase award for her novel Stolen published by Chicken House. The award recognises debut writers and their editors.

In Stolen 16 year-old Gemma relives her kidnapping from Bangkok airport while on holiday. She is taken to the desolate Australian Outback and Stolen is written as a letter to her captor. The book was edited by Imogen Cooper.

Christopher’s second book Fly Away has already been published by Chicken House and she is currently writing a thriller for YA readers. Chicken House has now won the award three times.

Carousel, The Guide to Children’s Books is currently accepting articles (1,200 words) and book reviews (150 words).

The magazine is published three times a year and is aimed at parents, teachers and librarians, plus anyone interested in the world of children’s books. The reviews cover books for all children, from babies to young adults. Articles in the Spring issue include a profile on Lucy Cousins, a feature on the Newcastle-based Seven Stories centre and a debate on books for boys.

Interested writers should contact editor David Blanch in the first instance to discuss their ideas. For contact details visit www.carouselguide.co.uk

A debut author is celebrating after his self-published book has been shortlisted for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award 2010. Secrets of Hightower by Martin Naylor has been shortlisted in the ‘shorter novel’ section of the national competition, alongside books by well-known writers Mark Haddon and Michael Morpurgo.

Martin will sign copies of the book for anyone who request one from his website www.secretsofhightower.org

A story about a modern-day Oliver Twist has won the second Diverse Voices award. The winning author is Tom Avery, a teacher from Birmingham. His story Too Much Trouble is a contemporary adventure story about two immigrant brothers who fall in with a gang of pickpockets when their family abandons them.

The Award was founded jointly by Frances Lincoln Ltd and Seven Stories, in memory of Frances Lincoln (1945-2001) to encourage and promote diversity in children’s fiction. The prize of £1,500, plus the option for Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books to publish the novel, is awarded to the best manuscript for 8 to 12-year-olds that celebrates diversity in the widest possible sense. The 2009 winner Takeshita Demons by Cristy Burne is now available.

For entry forms for the 2011 Award (closing date 25th February 2011) email diversevoices@sevenstories.org.uk

Bridge House Publishing is currently looking for submissions for a variety of short story anthologies.

Bridge House is an independent publishing house that specialises in fiction which is just that little bit different. They published 100 Stories for Haiti in which several of our authors found success and are currently looking for short stories for infants, uplifting stories for a children’s hospice charity book, angel stories and cross-over fiction for a science fiction anthology.

“We are particularly keen to promote new writers,” says Gill James, Bridge House editor. “We believe that our approach is friendly and supportive and we want to encourage those who may not have been published previously.”

If you are interested in submitting a story to Bridge House please refer to their submissions page at www.bridgehousepublishing.co.uk.

Janet Foxley’s Muncle Trogg, about a fairytale community living in a volcano hidden from human beings, is the winner of the 2010 Times/Chicken House prize for an unpublished children’s author. The book will be published by Chicken House in 2011.

The annual Times/Chicken House competition has uncovered some amazing new authors since its inception in 2008 and is a fantastic opportunity for new children’s writers where platforms to be heard are few and far between.

Competition guidelines are to write a novel of no more than 80,000 words for 9 – 16 year-olds. This year’s deadline is 29th October. For full submission guidelines click on the link Chicken_House.doc