Articles, interviews, and industry insight for children's book writers.
Interviews
On storytime, didacticism, and the books that make a restless room go quiet Rachel Bachman writes about children’s books with refreshing candour. On her Substack Excuse My Whimsy, she draws on her daily experience as a librarian in Nebraska, and discusses how great books work their magic with kids – and how others fall flat. […]
Interviews
On self-publishing, finding a traditional deal, and what comes after Oliver Lendon is a children’s author who began his writing life by self-publishing a middle-grade series, an experience that, as he puts it, became his apprenticeship. His novel No Tune Ned, published by Everything With Words, marks his first traditionally published book. We spoke to […]
Interviews
On late starts, the visibility gap, and why human connection beats algorithms Paulette Dowle is a debut children’s book author who came to writing later in life and has found the experience of publication full of surprises, and not all of them welcome. We spoke to her about her journey to getting published, life as […]
International Markets
On publishing in a multilingual market, local stories, and the books children actually want Shawna-Leze Meiring is Managing Editor of children’s books at Penguin Random House South Africa, one of the country’s leading publishers. Based in Cape Town, she oversees a children’s list spanning Afrikaans and English titles across picture books, chapter books, and young […]
Interviews
On doodles, development, and knowing when something is right Ian Smith is a children’s book illustrator and author-illustrator represented by The Plum Agency. His illustrated titles include Wanna See a Penguin?, The King’s Runaway Crown, and The Day the Jungle-Net Broke. He also writes and illustrates his own books, among them The Very Polite Knight […]
Interviews
On historical fiction, reinvention, and the realities of a writing career A.M. Howell is the bestselling author of seven middle grade historical mysteries, including The House of One Hundred Clocks, winner of the East Anglian Book Awards – the first time a children’s book had taken the prize. This autumn she takes a new direction […]
Interviews
On persistence, a winding road to publication, and the importance of celebrating small wins Claire Lewis is an author-illustrator whose debut picture book, The Go Away Rain Dance – the unlikely friendship between an excitable dog and a straitlaced flea with a fondness for long words – is published by HB Publishing House. We spoke […]
Interviews
On dyslexia, determination, and the debut of Stinky Cyril Jax King is an author whose debut picture book, Stinky Cyril – the chaotic tale of a grizzly bear who will try anything to get clean – was recently published by Tiny Tree Books. We spoke to Jax about turning a difficult childhood into a superpower, […]