I hope you enjoy the 3rd and final part in our Series of an Aussie PB Writer’s adventures in NYC! Here she shares some of the best advice from some of the best author’s around.

Day Three:

Now that I’m having this fantastic opportunity to ‘retell’ the conference from my own perspective, it’s really helping it all to sink in. In saying that however, I feel like I’ve now come to Day Three and I haven’t told you enough! There have been things I’ve brushed over and keynote speakers who I thought were ‘ok’ but I’m reluctant to spill all the details, mostly because there were some speakers who lost me in the first 5 minutes and let’s face it, the ‘Imagination of Amanda’ is a much more fun place to be.

Let me start by saying that the first line of her bio reads “Jane Yolen, often called ‘the Hans Christian Andersen of America’, is the author of almost 300 books.” Clearly, this is a lady who knows what she’s on about so when she started talking about her 20 Writing Rules, I started scribbling them down. Now these are brief, I won’t elaborate much on them but before I get to them, one thing she said stuck in my head…particularly after all my ‘fish out of water’ moments.  “…Even if the business of book publishing is struggling, the business of story telling is not.” TA-DA! (light bulb moment) This sat so beautifully in my heart when she said it. That’s what writing is about for me, creating a wonderful story that when someone reads it, they take it into their lives and for that small moment in time, we connect through a story. Anyway, more on that later, here are her 20 Writing Rules:

1. Get rid of the overused ‘!’ (guilty! oops)

2. Go easy on adverbs

3. Don’t let characters float on a page; give them an action; think of them as actors

4. Have FUN writing

5. B.I.C./H.O.T.P. -Butt in Chair/Heart on the Page (also add in here P not F; Passion not Fashion)

6. Don’t write a genre you don’t like

7. No-one expects a happy ending, they want a meaningful ending

8. Fall through the words and into the story

9. Not everything should be simplified

10. Find the RIGHT word

11. (I liked this one…ready? *drum roll*) The first line has to carry the DNA for the whole story

12. Exercise the writing muscle; work at your craft EVERYDAY (Cradle Fables micro writing comps are good for this!)

13. Understand that every artist is either nurtured or a nurturer

14. You need an Editor! (yes, I’m using the ‘!’, you should have heard how passionately she said it)

15. Money flows TOWARDS the Author, not AWAY from the Author. You don’t need to pay a Publisher to publish your work.

16. ‘See’ with your words; create landscape; be the native guide; give precise details

17. Read aloud what you’ve written

18. If you feel you have writer’s block, start on a new project but don’t read someone else’s work

19. Accept that there are projects you won’t finish

20. Write small things that will awaken the senses

So, I know they are REALLY brief but I hope you can still get something from them.

Let me do my absolute best to try to encapsulate some of the main points that I got out of the whole Conference. While America (and I guess the rest of the world) is in the midst of a supernatural vampire love frenzy, that doesn’t mean that this dark-hearted wave is going to last forever so don’t bother starting to write another vampire story, no matter how good the twists and turns are, because they are getting harder and harder for agents to pitch.

Speaking of agents, the American market seems to value them quite highly, especially when there are so many publishing houses that won’t accept unsolicited MS’s. In Australia, I’m not quite sure if agents are AS ‘needed’ as there’s still quite a few publishers who accept unsolicited MS’s (do I plug Cradle Fable here? lol) The bottom line is, do your homework when it comes to publishers; they all want something different and usually in a different format so check it out, do your research.

Remember to write for yourself. I think the biggest influence for this way of thinking was Libba Bray. She wrote The Gemma Doyle Trilogy and her latest novel is Going Bovine…two drastically different pieces but they were written by her, for her. No-one can predict what the next trend will be or who may start it, so write well, write for yourself and spend the time to find the perfect word. Don’t just write words on a page; create a moment in time THROUGH the words that will transcend into the readers soul…but make it honest.

If you’re writing, and you haven’t heard someone tell you that you need to practice your skill every day, then you must be living under a beautifully mossy rock in a tropical rainforest somewhere. I had heard it a million times before the Conference but it was said time and time again from authors, illustrators, agents and publishers. Whether it’s a blog for a publisher (*wink*) or an elaborate shopping list, do it with writing in mind. Flex that muscle. Get it firing on all cylinders. Don’t be afraid to try a different genre, just don’t be under the illusion that you’ll be any good at it. Mix it up a little. This blog has done that for me. It’s been the semi colon in my writing; a chance to say what I want to say in a different way…without rhyme (even when I don’t try to!).

All these wonderful pieces of information have come from these wonderful minds and they still live by it. This isn’t just information for beginners or those who feel that writing might be something they would like to try, this is information that highly successful people live by. This is what has given them a career and this is what continues their career. You don’t write one book and then your brain magically redevelops itself into the ultimate thesaurus/dictionary/creative writing machine. Every story has its own journey right from the creative seed in your mind to the printed page, and then continues its life in other people’s hands.

So I guess, every story has it’s life cycle, which could make writing exhausting if you think about someone like Jane Yolen who has written 300 books, but the beauty that comes from creating characters, places and events is something that can only be limited by your imagination. So do it well. Have fun. Find the RIGHT word. Turn the characters into actors. Give your writing light and shadows. Finally, the most repeated piece of advice, write for yourself.

I guess I knew this whole New York experience was going to give me a chance to learn as much about writing as about myself. My first time overseas as an adult, by myself and leaving my husband and daughter behind could only result in having my luggage lost, the hotel telling me my credit cards aren’t working, almost missing connecting flights and sweet talking my way through Aussie customs so I could get to the other end of Sydney airport in 10 minutes. And yet it solidified so much. I want to create a space, a place and a moment where a parent, grandparent, sibling or friend can connect with a child. I am humbled by the thought that one day, there will be this moment for someone. A memory will be created. A time will be remembered and it will come from my words…ok, fairly egotistical I know, but how special that would be!!! (Yes Jane, I used 3.)

Happy creating everyone.

xx Amanda

Note from Cradle Fables: Thank you so much, Amanda for sharing what you’ve learnt so freely.  I’d encourage anyone who is serious about writing PB’s to bookmark the blog, come back and re-read, Google some of the Authors/Speakers that featured in the conference, read their articles, websites, book mark those sites. Go back to them again, Google some more, read some more, take it in, discuss with your critique group.

Creative writing not just ‘natural talent’, it is something that you can learn but it requires as much study effort as anything else.  We know it can be a lonely journey of self-discovery and learning, why not join us on our Facebook page, if you haven’t already?  Our ‘Micro Writing Comps’ are starting up again in March under a new, interactive format and are a fantastic way to get those creative juices flowing!

A short while ago we announced that we had accepted our first picture book  manuscript from author, Amanda Steele.  While Amanda left me here in the scorching Brisbane heat to edit her book, she happily flew off to attend the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC…

Day 2…the Official Beginning of the Conference.

Feeling like I at least had some familiar faces to look forward to, I headed down to the conference area with confidence that I had some idea of what was going to happen. The elevator doors opened and I headed into a sea of bodies and chatter. Yesterday there were just under 300 people…today, there were SO many more! All that ‘I’m nervous and just want to talk’ energy that I had been able to expel from my body on the first day, was really quite deafening walking through it.

Today was the official first day of the conference. With so many new faces going for the ever reliable ‘bagel and coffee confidence booster’ I made my way into the MASSIVE room filled with a hynotising vision of chairs all lined up in front of a stage and 2 huge projection screens. The overwhelming feeling of a ‘fish out of water’ came flooding back into my bones, vibrating through every cell in my body…and it wasn’t stopping. Was I REALLY here?  I couldn’t believe I was going to be part of something so huge. After thinking that yesterdays numbers were big, today I felt dwarfed by it all. This called for a ‘bagel and coffee confidence booster’!

I returned to my chair with my booster and watched as the flood of people coming through the door started with a trickle. I watched the faces. No-one was familiar. I was just another water droplet in the ocean of writers and illustrators. Damn! Will have to make new friends! Then I hear a reluctant “Amanda?”,  I look up…..Yay, a friend from yesterday! We both smiled as we sighed.

I felt like the room could now be flooded cause I had another water droplet to hang on to. Another couple of people from yesterday found us and we all subconsciously clung to each other like we were waiting for a flash flood to wash us away.

Lin Oliver (SCBWI) did an absolutely brilliant job up on the stage. Some people make public speaking look so easy; I admire that. We were all laughing and connecting with her within the first minute of her talking. What a fun lady! Just when you think things are going to die down or at least plateau, Lin introduces the Author, Libba Bray, and the energy of the room steps up a notch. I’m already glad I’m here! There’s been 2 hilariously funny women talking about my passion of writing like they could see into my soul.

I wish I could’ve taped Libba speaking; she was infectious with her smile and addictive with her words. I madly started scribbling the advice she was throwing out at us and now, at this point of reflection while looking through these notes, I have 4 main points. There may have been more. Some people I just like listening to and find that scribbling notes can take away from what they say, but I tried to get as much wisdom from her about ‘Writing as an Extreme Sport’.

The four main points are these (at least the ones I’ve written down):

1. Be the Giraffe. She said a funny anecdote about asking her son what he wanted to be when he grew up…she was fully prepared for her son to say “A Doctor”, or “A Teacher” but she didn’t expect him to say “A Giraffe!”. She went on to say that the first place your mind goes is the one place to avoid. If your mind has gone there straight away, then so will others and where’s the fun of telling a story everyone can predict anyway?

2. Find the cracks that let in the light. Look for that crack in your writing that can lead to something else. Think of your characters as holographic images; if you’re looking at them front on, you’re not looking at the whole picture.

3. Say ‘NO’ to the hot pterodactyl boyfriend. Trying to please other people with your writing is madness. Write for yourself, make it true and dig for more.

4. First you jump off the cliff, then you build the wings. There is nothing without a leap of faith. You HAVE to experience the free fall; if it’s not scary, there are no stakes and then writing, as a passion, doesn’t matter or exist. Don’t blink and never avert your eyes!

Libba spoke for an hour and all I wrote down were those 4 points…while they’re great points, it goes to show how great she was to listen to. I was enthralled and captivated the whole time.

Then we all broke up for our ‘The Real Deal About….’ sessions; smaller, more intimate talks by people from all aspects of the industry. My first and second were the best so I’ll tell you about those. ‘The Real Deal About Visual Story Telling’ was one group that, for some reason when I booked it, I thought it would be about using words to create vision. HA! VISUAL STORY TELLING AMANDA!

You’d think a PB writer would remember there’s a whole other side to the development of a PB! (Enter another ‘fish out of water’ feeling here) I was now in a room with about 100 other people…about 80% were illustrators, 15% were writers and illustrators and I presume the other 5% of us were sitting there thinking “Damn, I thought this was about visual writing techniques”.

Fortunately for me, the ‘Everything happens for a reason’ saying was floating around in my head again and even though I thought about leaving, I decided “Hey, you’re here anyway, just shut up, you might learn something.” A lady introduced our speaker for the session….Laurent Linn, Art Director for Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers and started out in the world of Muppets. Ok, things were looking up. One of the first comments out of his mouth was along the lines of hoping the writers would get a lot out of what he had to say. Now I was sure my bum was staying in the seat and sat back while he showed lots of fantastic art work and compared those pieces which told a story, and those that were just great art.

He then went on to explain about (get ready for it) VISUAL STORY TELLING and for the first time, I reflected on my own writing and how an illustrator might interpret it. Were there moments of light and shadow in my words? How could the illustrator use POV to help tell the story? Is there emotion in my words and how could the illustrator show that? Wow, even though I felt I had always subconsciously made an effort to make my words as ‘colourful’ as possible, I started to look at my MS’s not from a different point of view, but from a DEEPER point of view.

Let it be known that, one the last day of the Conference, I waited about 10 minutes to talk to Laurent. I very happily introduced myself, shook hands, told him I was a writer, and told him thank you and yes, I HAD been able to get a lot from what he said. He very genuinely smiled and said he was grateful for me coming up and letting him know that I found it beneficial. We continued talking for a while and then I realised there was someone hanging over my shoulder waiting to speak to him.

The second session was ‘The Real Deal About Picture Books’ with Allyn Johnston. Hold on to your hat Amanda, this was going to be a moment in itself. Unfortunately I did feel a little short changed in time…the first group had run over time so our group kind of got squashed in in between the ‘late’ group and the sit down lunch that was being prepared for us. Nevertheless, the passion she has for PB’s was inspiring and infectious.

She had made up over 200 dummy books for us to use and the exercise was this; she would read to us an already published PB. When she would turn the page, we would turn the page in our dummy books. This brought home one very important point to me which I had heard before but the actual process of doing it, made it more real to me. You need to have page turners. There needs to be something that makes the reader want to turn the page and there has to be something that leaves the child wondering “What happens next?”. There also needs to be emotion…whether it’s excitement or suspense or a gentle sadness, there needs to be emotion.

She read Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge to us and I thought “GREAT! I ALWAYS cry when I read this book, and now she’s going to read it in front of everyone? I’m going to look like a fool!” I had the lip quiver and the welling eyes but I held it together. She read the last line, closed the book, held it to her chest, wiped her eyes and said “I cry everytime I read it.” And that was it….that was when I knew for sure that Allyn Johnston was going to become one of those people who I looked up to and who will always have a moment in my life bookmarked with their name.

Riding on such a high, we all meandered into the massive room for lunch…chicken and veg. The real, unexpected, fantastical treat was to come after the rather bland and boring lunch.

The keynote speaker was Jacqueline Woodson. Now, I’m not quite sure what I can say about this lady that won’t make her sound like some angelic, mythical, magical creature who beams white light onto those around her but boy, if you have any of her work or you ever get a chance to hear her speak, you truly feel blessed not only to be in her presence, but grateful that she followed her dream because the world sure would be a different place without her. This is a lady who places her soul into her work. Her poetry may as well be her soul pouring onto the page. When she read her work, I had goose bumps from start to finish…which made for a lot of arm rubbing comfort because she read quite a few different pieces. I’m not sure if there’s any of her reading her work on Youtube but it’s definitely worth searching for and keeping an eye out for. I actually don’t want to say anything else about this amazing woman for fear that I won’t do her, or her work justice.

The third ‘The Real Deal About’ session was about Fantasy writing. Ari Lewin was taking it (one of the ladies from the Critiquing groups on day one) and I knew she wasn’t going to be heading in a direction I really wanted to go in. I went up to my room and tried to comprehend the wonderous nature of Jacqueline Woodson. The rest of the day I pretty much felt like a naughty school girl for skipping class and loved every minute of it! At night I went down to the bar to have a drink and made a couple of friends from the conference. We had another drink and then went out for dinner. What an amazing day that day turned out to be!

A short while ago we announced that we had accepted our first picture book  manuscript from author, Amanda Steele.  While Amanda left me here in the scorching Brisbane heat to edit her book, she happily flew off to attend the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC.

Here is Part 1 of Amanda’s trip to the Big Apple and the SCBWI Conference (alternatively titled ‘How to lose your luggage for 3 days’):

Friday - Day of Intensives

Spent a fairly good amount of time quietly freaking out…you know when it seems like everyone knows each other, except for you!  I was very glad that my luggage arrived the day before after being ‘lost in transit’ for three days. My suitcase had all my copies of my manuscripts that we needed to hand out to our little groups so if I didn’t get that, I would’ve been REALLY freaking out.

Everyone was ‘loitering’ around outside the room…almost like the free coffee and bagels were full of confidence building minerals. I decided to find the table I was allocated, have some water and try to breathe. It was quite daunting not only having to read my work to seven strangers, but to know that there would probably be some element of cultural misunderstanding. I could see my table number and a lady already at the table. We smiled politely, made idle chit chat and then realised we were as nervous as each other. Thank goodness I wasn’t alone!

There were about 30 tables in the room, ready and waiting for eight per table. Everyone was timed 12 minutes to read 500 words of a MS AND receive feedback…which turned out to be quite tricky, especially if you had a novel because 500 words was never enough to explain the full plot…it’s merely a snippet. Before we got into the critiquing, there was a panel of industry people talking about ‘Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind’….can’t really tell you what they were talking about, I was too nervous! Aaron Hartzler (SCBWI) did a fantastic job of being the ice breaker for everyone. One the panel were Courtney Bongiolatti (Associate Editor at Simon and Schuster), Michelle Nagler (Editor Director at Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books) and Nancy Conescu (Editor at Little Brown Books for Young Readers).

The rest of the table filled up. Each table either had an Editor or Agent sitting in not only to guide the feedback that everyone was encouraged to give, but also to give some more ‘professional’ advice. From memory, I was the only Picture Book Writer…everyone else was doing MG or YA novels (which is really what the market is after in America) so when it came to my rhyming PB, I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb! I realised how Aussie it was when someone asked me “What’s a CHOOK?” (Chook is Aussie for Chicken for our American blog readers - Ed) At that very moment, I thought, “Crap! I’m really out of my league, out of my depths and drowning rather quickly!”. The Agent on the table, Tina Wexler (International Creative Management) tried to be as constructive as possible but PB’s aren’t her thing; she loves fantasy MG’s/YA’s. Got some encouraging feedback from the rest of the table but was still feeling like I wanted to crawl into a cave and let the world pass me by.

I was quite discouraged at this stage…feeling like a fish out of water and wondering if this amazing journey that I had wanted to deliver so much to my writing skills, was actually what I was supposed to be doing at this very moment. Perhaps I should shop instead…the only criteria for that is a credit card and I had that…2 in fact! Thankfully it was time for a lunch break. I made my way up to my room, looked out my window and sighed. I was exhausted and it was only half way through the first day. I kept thinking how much it cost not only for the Conference, and the day of Intensives (which was extra) but also the flights and accommodation. I was well and truly alone in NYC. The 2 days before the Conference started, (although it was still exciting) I really felt like a little Adelaide girl in big, scary NYC but I kept telling myself “The Conference will be the clincher; the massive Aha moment; the rays of sunshine breaking through the grey clouds.” Yet here I was, at the Conference, feeling tinier than ever!

And then it hit me. This whole trip was ‘meant to be’. Organising this trip in itself had been a journey of manifestation…everything just fell into place even though it looked like a hill too steep to climb. I reminded myself of some philosophies that get me through tough times….’Everything happens for a reason’, ‘Life is for living’, and ‘Every moment is a memory’. Suddenly I relaxed. The yellow taxis down on the road seemed to beep with acknowledgement even though I’m sure they had been beeping the whole time (this is NYC after all). It was then that I decided to take what I could from these moments of my life. They may not be what I expected, I may feel out of my depths, I may even feel like I’ve wasted my time but I was determined to find every silver lining and every needle in the haystacks of this American wealth of knowledge I had the privilege to have access to.

With a relaxed change in attitude, I made my way downstairs for round 2; the second session of the day of Intensives. Everyone seemed to be more relaxed after having to go through the first session; we all knew what to expect. This time there was another PB writer and we had Ari Lewin (Senior Editor at Disney/Hyperion) sitting in for guidance. Thankfully I had printed out 2 different MS’s to share. I wasn’t sure if I would use the one MS for both tables or change…after realising the other MS was so ‘Aussie’ I decided to go with my other MS. There seemed to be less confusion (thank goodness) and Ari and the group really came through with some good feedback. I still haven’t worked out if that was because I was less nervous and could actually soak up more of what they were saying or if they were just more constructive…probably a little of both I think. Either way, I didn’t feel like this second round was as soul deflating (always a good thing!). It also gave me some good avenues to take one of my characters and I’m still pondering it.

The afternoon panel talked about ‘The Next Step’. On the panel were Allyn Johnston (Beach Lane Books *totally awesome lady…could listen to her talk everything about PB’s all day!), Wendy Loggia (Random House) and Ari Lewin (Hyperion). Finally, at the end of the day, I have like-minded brain I want to swim around in, of Allyn Johnston. Finally someone was saying ‘YES’ to PB’s. To hear her speak was my first glimmer of hope that there might be a PB Avenue somewhere in this ‘Fantasy MG/YA’ world! Someone who connected with the quite moment of interaction that sitting down with a child and reading, actually understood. THAT is what I was missing!

The whole day seemed to be geared towards fantasy and action and preteen love and ‘other world’ characters in a hope that no-one will realise it’s the same vampire story but with a blue creature instead. Here, in Allyn Johnston, was my Mecca of the Conference. She spoke so clearly about the things that mattered and shrugged off the rubbish. I’m sure she’s heard it all before, she’s certainly had enough experience in the industry but when I found out that SHE was actually sitting in on the tables for the critique groups I was soooo frustrated! I know I could’ve learned so much from her, but I had to bring myself back to the moment…everything happens for a reason.

So, the end of day one. So emotional and exhausting and yet ended on such a high knowing that there were people like Allyn in the American Industry who seemed to reflect the same beliefs and feelings about PB’s that Cradle Fables does. Yay for you Kirsty and thanks for letting me be part of that vision!

Definitely not in Adelaide anymore

View from hotel room

Amanda at the top of the Empire State Building

Congratulations to Catherine O. from Brisbane, Australia who won the autographed copy of “Writing Picture Books”.  After receiving so many creative and heartfelt entries, I’ve decided to give away copies to everyone who entered! If you entered the comp make sure you keep an eye on your email for notification of how to receive your copy.

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Award-winning author Ann Whitford Paul has written a fantastic guide to “Writing Picture Books” and I have one autographed copy to give away!

When Ann first started writing picture books she found herself making all the classic mistakes that new writers make:

“My stories were dotted with characters with cutesy names, like Sammy Skunk.  I wrote about putting a child to bed from the mother’s point of view …  My characters were perfect children who never misbehaved, my plots were contrived with an adult conveniently turning up to solve the problem, and my language was duller than an engineering textbook.”

Since those days Ann has gone on to write (and sell) over 16 picture books, win numerous awards, teaching picture book writing through the UCLA extension program and is a frequent speaker in the U.S. and abroad.  In this wonderful writing guide, she takes all her knowledge as a writer and writing teacher into one must-have book on any aspiring picture book writer’s shelf.  But don’t expect this to be a ’sit down and read book’ - there are activities galore which will help you write, edit and submit your picture books.

In this book, Ann covers everything from building a frame, creating interesting characters, rhyming and poetry (we love this!) how to cut and paste your story to make a dummy book through to how to critique your work.

What I love most about this book is that it has been written specifically for the beginning writer.  If you have nothing more than an idea floating in your mind that you would ‘love to write a picture book one day’ then this is the perfect starting place to take that idea and turn it into a reality!

To win an autographed copy, simply email admin@cradlefables.com or visit our facebook page and tell me in 25 words or less why you would like to have this on your bookshelf!  The winner will be announced on Sunday, January 17th.

Ann’s book can also be purchased at Amazon.com for only $11.55 USD - Highly Recommended!

Congratulations to 2 1/2 year old Emily who was the winner of this comp!!  Here is her winning entry:

Emily has won this GORGEOUS Puppet Theatre from LaToriana which hangs from any door way.

If there are any illustrators who quietly lurk around this blog, waiting quietly in the wings for an invitation to speak - now is the time

Email admin@cradlefables.com to find out more, send me samples, website links etc

On reflection of the incredible response I had this week, to the announcement of our Handprint Mural, I realised so many of you are as passionate about Cradle Fables as I am and I’ve been looking for more ways that I can honour that.

In this light, I’m SO excited to announce the establishment of the Cradle Fables -

Mummy Advisory Board

The Mummy Advisory Board will consist of Mums (and Dads, Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents) who would like the opportunity to have some input into not only the publication decisions of manuscripts but also in other business decisions and the creative growth of Cradle Fables.  A maximum of 8 positions will be granted (more information below).

The Role of the Mummy Advisory Board:

1. View and provide feedback on ’second round’ manuscripts.  This means that for manuscripts that fall into the ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ category, I can then call on my ‘Mummy Advisory Board’ for their thoughts, feedback and general critiques

2. Participate in a monthly online chat where you can make suggestions, provide feedback or discuss general topics of interest.

3. A listing on the Cradle Fables main web site as a member of the board with photo, a link to your personal business/blog website (optional) and a brief description of your interest and participation in Cradle Fables

Requirements to be a Member of the Mummy Advisory Board:

1. All Members will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

2. Members can located anywhere in the world.

3. Members must have a genuine passion in children’s literature (although not necessarily employed in the field as an Author or other capacity).

4. Members must demonstrate a genuine commitment to the growth and development of Cradle Fables.

The Nomination Process:

1. Everyone who makes a contribution to the Handprint Mural is allowed to nominate either themselves, or someone else, as a Mummy Advisory Board Member

2. Nominees must complete the Application Form prior to 31 January, 2010.

4. Everyone who makes a contribution to the Handprint Mural (including nominees) is allowed one vote for their preferred Nominee

Please Note:

Each handprint on the Mural is representative of a $100 (minimum) contribution and I recognise that this may not be an amount that is feasible for everyone.  However, we are not accepting smaller contributions for the simple fact that publishing picture books holds substantial costs and for those who have contributed, with expectations of a $5,000+ project to be delivered, deserve to have those expectations delivered.  The mural is purely an opportunity for those who have a serious and genuine interest in the work of Cradle Fables.

However, we do have a much smaller fundraising project that will be announced on 1 December that everyone can be involved in - so watch this space!

If you have any questions or would like to request an info pack for the Handprint Mural, simply email Admin@CradleFables.com.

Cradle Fables was first conceived in December 2008 by an Auntie who walked into a bookstore to find her newborn nephew his first picture book and was shocked and disappointed by the lack of picture books aimed at the very littlest of readers.

Sure there were plenty of picture books around but most were geared towards those aged 5 and older. Disappointed she left the store and tolerated reading the limited (and surprisingly, boring) books that were simple enough for her nephew to understand.

“Look at the mother duck. She can’t find her babies. Where are they hiding?” zzzzZZZZZzzzz

Finally, when her nephew was about 18 months, she discovered a book, by the wonderful Mem Fox, titled “Where is the Green Sheep?”

Shortly thereafter another three books captivated her and her nephew’s hearts “We’re going on a Bear Hunt”, “Where the Wild Things Are?” and “Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy”.

With the discovery of these books something magical happened - suddenly reading became fun!

Still, why were there not more books like this?

After a lot of research, this Auntie (me!) found two basic reasons why this is.

1. Picture books do not (generally) make publishing companies as much money as novels. This alone makes it difficult for an unknown author to have a publishing company accept their picture book manuscripts.

2. Picture books are HARD to write and take an incredible mix of talent, hard work, an ability to study unaided and a willingness to let your imagination soar!

After sitting on the concept for 6 months, I finally decided to announce the Cradle Fables concept to the world. And by ‘the world’, I mean to family and friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Without any paid advertising the word quickly spread and I began receiving manuscripts from Aruba to Texas, from New York to Adelaide and the Facebook page grew to 200 ‘fans’.

Not only was I receiving some great manuscripts (I’m still going through them all!) I actually found two absolute GEMS that are sure to delight and charm little readers and their parents! Probably about a 1/4 of our Facebook fan page are aspiring writers and the other 3/4 consist of Parents, Grandparents and Teachers who have passionately and vocally reinforced with me the serious gap in the market of picture books for toddlers.

As one mum wrote to me:“When my baby was born I went to the bookstore on the ASSUMPTION that I would be able to buy some picture books for him. Boy, was I wrong!”

Cradle Fables Mission Statement is “To publish picture books that capture the hearts and imaginations of Toddlers … and the Grown Ups who read to them”

Up until now the Cradle Fables concept has been exactly that - a concept. I never expected to have the response and support that I have had. And I certainly NEVER expected to find two amazing and publishable manuscripts within 6 months! In some ways it’s all been ‘fun and games’ until now - micro writing comps on our Facebook page, a ‘Wild Rumpus in the Park’ and reminiscing over our favourite childhood books. But like many small, unexpected and miraculous surprises in our lives, there comes a time to get serious about moving a ‘concept and a really great idea’ into becoming a reality. That time is now.

So, now I need to ask your help.

2 ways that you can make a difference in the life of a little reader:

1. Dig deep and get messy for Children’s literature and contribute to the Cradle Fables Handprint Mural

2. Actively spread the word through your child’s daycare or playgroup, at the local library, to your Facebook, Twitter and other networking friends.

The Cradle Fables Handprint Mural

Cradle Fables is creating a mural of painted hand prints of those who want to show their support and make a contribution to the growth of the most exciting thing to ever happen in Children’s Literature.

All funds raised from this project will directly to the following:

1. Contributions towards establishing the FIRST worldwide publishing project committed to producing unparalleled stories of adventure that will capture the hearts of the very littlest of readers

2. Providing first class support and encouragement to aspiring Authors through scholarships to attend world class Picture Book writing and creative development courses

3. Sending FREE picture books to Kindergartens, Day Care and Playgroups to encourage unprecedented high literacy rates in low income areas world wide.

4. Really, really boring legal stuff like international trade marks, copyright and author / illustrator contracts

How to Contribute:

1. Send an email to admin@cradlefables.com and put “Handprint Mural Contribution” in the subject header

2. You will then receive an email back with a MS Word document that you will need to print out. The document will request the following information:

- Family, Individual or Business Name and Location
For example:
Smith Family, Adelaide, South Australia
Jane Smith, Chicago, Illinois
Smith Electrical, Brisbane, Queensland

- Website you would like to promote (if applicable)

- Space for you to place your painted handprint/s

Simply paint your hand with your favourite colour (mine is hot pink!) and leave an imprint in the space provided.

- You will then need to snail mail (remember that funny little place called the post office?) the sheet back in a large envelope (so it arrives nice and flat) to the address provided in the original email.

3. Each handprint is an indication of a $100 contribution towards the development of Cradle Fables and the support of aspiring Children’s authors and illustrators working towards a collection of picture books to introduce new generations to the development of creative stimulation of children’s imaginations, and literacy development, through the art of storytelling.

4. Your contribution and support will be collected through a special Paypal invoice. The invoice will be automatically set at $100. (However, if you are organising a special ‘group or extended family’ contribution (more info below) you can ignore this email and we will instead send you a different invoice at a later date, once numbers have been established.)

A Special Thank You

To show our truly, heartfelt thank you for contribution we are offering the following:

1. For every family / individual contribution of $100 pledged before 24 December 2009 will receive one ‘promise’ copy from our very first book published.

2. For every family / individual contribution received of $300 or more pledged before 24 December, 2009 you will receive one ‘promise’ autographed copy from our very first book published.

3. For every business contribution received of $100 pledged before 24 December, 2009, you will receive a link to your business website on our “Angel-preneurs” page on our website

4. For every business contribution received of $500 or more pledged before 24 December, 2009, you will receive a link to your business website on our “Angel-preneurs” page on our website as well as TWO autographed ‘promise’ copies of our first two books to a local kindergarten, day care or nominated charity group, in your business name, to your local area.

Please Note: To receive our special thank you gifts you will need to email me with a pledge by 24 December 2009.  However, you do not need to pay immediately but have until 31 January 2009.

Whether you are a family, individual or business, only one handprint is allowed per $100 contribution (due to the cost of the graphic arts, printing, canvas size etc of the mural).

However, if your kids are wondering why you get to paint your hand and place it on a piece of paper and why they can’t, there is no reason that you can’t print out a couple of copies – then you can simply choose the best handprint to send in

Group Contributions

Loving the idea/concept of Cradle Fables more and more each day? Why not organise a day for a small – large group to get together and put in your contributions to our hand mural in one fun activity?

We recommend sending an invitation to your friends / family members / day care and kindergarten groups / writer critique groups / business networking members and organise perhaps a morning tea and providing paints and brushes!

In the case of a group contribution, the rules remain the same – only one handprint per $100 donation. Whether you decide to each put in a smaller amount to make up the $100 (and choose the best handprint) or to each put in a $100 and submit individual handprints (with special Thank You gifts as listed above for your group). Either way, we could not even begin to thank you enough for your support!

The question now is – Are you ready to Dig Deep and Get Messy to Support Children’s Literature?

If you are, please email us right away at Admin@CradleFables.com

Please note: We are NOT using an email auto-responder program so please allow at least 14 hours for a personalised response for us.

If you have any further questions or queries, I am more than happy to answer them. Just send your emails to Admin@CradleFables.com

Thanks!!!!

We are currently looking for contributors to our exciting new e-book project “101 Ways to Creatively Kick-Start Your Writing”.

Whether you are a published author, a dad inspired to write for his daughter, a high school student dreaming of becoming a writer, a poet, a science fiction fanatic or a secretary writing a romance novel in her lunch break who has found a creative way to kick-start your writing - we want to hear from you!

We aren’t looking for contributions on ‘the science of writing’.

Those books exist.

We aren’t looking for ‘what not to do when writing’.

You’ll find those on any editor’s websites.

So why this book?

Because for every critique group you can join, for every writing class you can attend and for every publication you can lay your hands on, there are a thousand would-be writers out there banging their heads on their desk, stumped on what to write.

Let me ask you this:

Have you ever heard a published author interviewed when they haven’t been asked the question “Where do you get your ideas from?”

Oddly, this seems to be the one question asked where all eyes are on the speaker, the room becomes so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the deepest of shaggy rugs.

“Here it comes!” thinks the audience, “The holy grail that is going to set me free from writer’s block / get me published / make me rich and famous”.

So you hear about the author who was inspired by events in the Middle East (and you aren’t even caught up with your ironing). Or you hear words of wisdom from the author who was inspired by a crazy family camping trip (you, your spouse, your kids and a tent? Next idea)

So what do you do to kick start your creativity?

Whether you are inspired by lying under the clouds and watching their changing shapes tell you a story or by a simple question that your college professor asked that always gets your creativity flowing – we want to hear about it!

Before submitting please read important update here. Thanks!

The Specifics:

1. Click here to upload the Microsoft Word template we would like you to use (specific notes included in the page).

2. Submission deadline is Thursday 15 October, 2009

3. All contributions are limited to one page only.

4. Email your submission to admin@CradleFables.com

5. All contributions, whilst going through a review and editorial process, are strictly voluntary.

6. In return for your voluntary contribution, you may nominate your preferred method of acknowledgement e.g. listing your website, twitter name, Facebook account, email address, company name etc. This will be listed on your contribution’s individual page for maximum exposure.

7. Funds raised from the sale of the E-book will help contribute to Cradle Fables planned community projects of the free distribution of children’s picture books to hospitals, underprivileged schools and kindergartens and to other charitable organisations. If you would like more information, or would like to recommend an organisation to receive books, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We’d love to hear your suggestions!

8. You will receive an original and final proof of your contribution only. No free author copies will be sent, except at the Publisher’s discretion. You may request one copy for review purposes only. All requests will be fairly considered.

Did you know that Alice in Wonderland was one of the first “first highly successful entertainment books for children” (Wikipedia)

I recently re-watched the 1951 Disney cartoon version with my nephews, and can’t believe I’d forgotten how completely captivating to a child’s imagination this movie is.

To celebrate the launch of Cradle Fables, which is all about developing the imagination of toddlers, and to help promote our Facebook Fan Page, I have one copy of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (1951) Special Edition DVD to give away, for a special little person in your life.

To enter the competition all you need to do is become a fan and then leave a reply in the discussion forum, answering the question:

“What is your favourite memory of Alice in Wonderland?”

This competition is only available to Cradle Fables Facebook fans, and closes on Friday, 19 June 2009. As we are a new business, we would be so grateful if you helped spread the word and invited your friends to join up for a chance to win as well.

I’m pleased to announce that Monique, owner of Your Cheeky Monkey has agreed to be our guest judge. This means that family and friends are able to enter - Hoorah!

Please note: Currently the DVD is only available in ‘Region 1′ USA format. If you are an Australian winner you will need an ‘all region’ DVD player to view.