Some time ago I was asked by Beth Cregan, a teacher and writer, based in Australia who runs a great educational/writing company called Write Away With Me that inspires young people, children and teachers to educate through story telling.  She asked me to write a blog piece about my inspiration for writing our books. I’ve reproduced it here with some edits in case you missed it, which include some insights into how we create our books:

I’ve always loved picture books. Like most children, picture books were my first introduction to the world of literature. I have wonderful electric feelings of being read a picture book on the sofa or at bedtime by my mum and grandma. My favourite picture book, or at least the one that resonates most from my childhood, is Cuthbert and the Thingamabob by Kim Chesher, illustrated by Yasuko Kimura, and a sequel, Cuthbert and the Sea Monster, now both sadly out of print. (Interestingly, there are other versions published where the name Fergus is used in place of Cuthbert?)

This story and the images in the book stayed with me until I had children of my own, when I was delighted to find out my mum had kept the luminous green, well worn, hardbacks to give to me to read to my two offspring. To my surprise, one of the books even has some of my first attempts at writing – T’s and H’s scribbled at varying size and my attempt at drawing the eponymous Cuthbert of the title in red felt tip all over the interior title page. On first discovering this, I thought the graffiti was the work of my young daughter who regularly fills paper pads with letters and drawings. It reminded me that picture books, the shape of letters on the page, the rhythm of hearing our parents read them, are an essential step in learning to read and write.

And so I rediscovered my childhood favourite, but this time as an adult, and now a writer, seeing other layers to the simple story of how Cuthbert searches for a special Thingamamob that reminds him what kind of animal he is. What chimed most as a child was the picture book images, the monstrous versions of familiar animals, although on re-reading (especially reading to my children) I noticed the author’s writing, the style, the flow and rhythm. This is normal as a child does tend to focus on the illustrations, especially at pre-school age. But words are just as important and must work together with the images, often with a subtext flowing through both. Words and pictures have to compliment one another, but can also subvert to create humour or surprise.

To write picture books you have to read them to understand how they are constructed. It’s only then you can find your own likes, dislikes and develop your own writing style. What initially put me off writing a picture book was the picture bit, something that obviously makes up a considerable part. I’d known through my research that publishers tended to only accept picture book text from writers, sent in without pictures, and if you were lucky, good enough and fitted into their existing list, they’d match an illustrator to your words. Obviously if you are a writer and illustrator, and you have a truly original style in both – greats like Quentin Blake spring to mind – then you’re laughing.

I was fortunate that my wife was handy with a pencil and taking inspiration from our own family adventures with our two children, Jack and Boo, the characters in our book, were born. We wanted our book to easily stand alongside other published picture books, so we chose a popular modern format and went for a standard 32 page interior. (Basically picture book page counts must be divisible by 4 i.e. 4 pages to each sheet of paper.) When I wrote various drafts I’d just write the text on a new page in word, to represent each picture book page. It was a long process finding the right style and what really helped was creating several “book dummies” made from plain sheets of paper folded and stapled, to get a visual feel of where things should go, how the story should flow – essential to simulating what a reader experiences as they turn the pages.

To keep things simple I chose a standard format of text on the left, with an illustration on the opposite page. I particularly like free verse and prose poetry and, as the idea was to capture a family day out, I wrote it in this style, as though writing a diary using poetry, but from the child’s point of view. While going through old photos we hit upon the idea of using them in the book as we hadn’t seen that style before. My wife’s illustrations reflect a snapshot in time, like a photo, but don’t necessarily represent the exact actions of Jack and Boo described in the text – the picture or text should bring something new to the party. Often the text talks about a moment just before or just after the snapshot, and in this way I hope children enjoying the book will imagine what happened leading up to the event, or following the event, sparking their imagination.

Jack and Boo’s Bucket of Treasures, or our new book Jack and Boo’s Wild Wood, are nothing like the Cuthbert stories, but I hope I’ve captured the spirit of it in my own style. Now when I sit down to write a story, I start by rereading a childhood favourite to remember how it inspired me. When I write I then try to recreate that sense of magic, wonder and discovery that I felt.

As a writer you have to get used to criticism, whether it be from your own critical brain, or from an external comment from friend, family member or professional. I’ve had my fair share along the way and still get criticism and rejections, every so often. But, if you publish your own books, you avoid all this, right?

That’s what somebody on Twitter implied to me the other day - why am I worrying about rejection if I publish myself? I’m sure they assumed I was trying to get something published, but what they may not have realised is, as independent publisher, you still have to go out and try and sell your book to the world, try and persuade the “gatekeepers” who own the bookshops, book buyers, distributors, wholesalers, organisations, why they should take a risk with your book. And, remember, it is a risk taking on an unknown book from a new author or independent publisher, unless it’s an easy sell, preferably, a book that has got the backing of a TV series, film rights sold and from an established author.

And so, like a writer trying to get their book published, trying to sell your self published book is also a struggle, one that is littered with rejections and criticism along the way, but hopefully if your book really is good (it is good isn’t it?), some great feedback and success too.

I write this because recently I’ve stepped up my marketing activities in order to get our books sold in more outlets around the country. I say “outlets” as you have to think further than traditional bookshops (my views on the future of real bookshops, however much I love them, I’ll save for a future blog post). I recently got some feedback on our new book from a senior person in a big organisation that I won’t name. It was confusing as the email was very vague and suggested that certain aspects of our book would not chime well with them. I immediately went into panic mode, flipping through a copy of the book on my desk, checking to see if there was anything contentious contained within.

I started to guess at a few possible things, mind racing. In the end I was bold and politely emailed back to ask for some clarification, asking that their expert feedback would be greatly appreciated. To my delight I got back a quick email with more detail. I took on board the feedback and realised that some elements of the book could be construed in a different way, from their point of view – they were thinking of a managerial point of view, health and safety etc. I could have just thought – no I’m not changing MY BOOK, how dare you, it’s perfect! But, they did have a point, and if a senior person, experienced in their field, noticed things that set off alarm bells, other people might also think the same. This would have been devastating  if we had thousands of stock books piled up, but we use Print On Demand (POD) technologies to only print the books we want at the time. I have now made some changes, which only took a few hours and future books will be improved following detailed constructive criticism. And that’s the point, when you get criticism, ask for more detailed feedback.

This is easier said than done as I know, if we’re talking about getting published, agents and publishers rarely give you specific feedback – a standard form rejection is de-rigour due to the sheer height of most slush piles. Having said all this, years ago I got a hand written rejection from an agent that gave me so much confidence on my writing (the story sucked) that it really helped me push ahead.

And so, I say, to all those that give criticism, please, please, if you can, spare a moment, a few helpful, honest, specific words to the recipient will be appreciated. And to those who have got some recent criticism and rejection, please listen to it then wipe away the tears, make some changes, get back on the horse and make that jump. Although, be prepared to fall off into that muddy ditch again, sorry.

On Monday this week I visited Newchurch Primary School in Isle of Wight to read our new Jack and Boo’s Wild Wood children’s picture book to a class of 7yos and then get them thinking about making and writing their own stories.

I had never read any of our books to anyone other than my own children – two of the harshest critics ever born – and small groups of children at various book signings. Reading to a class of children sitting on the carpet in front of me, their teacher and classroom assistant sitting behind them, was daunting, but I’m happy to say my nerves were soon quenched by the enthusiasm of youth. They got so involved as I turned the pages, stopping to ask questions about the wildlife illustrated in the book, and eagerly raising hands to win my attention to tell me the right – or wrong – answer.

We had a great discussion about going out into nature and spotting wildlife. I was heartened that most of the children could identify a bluebell and had tasted a wild blackberry. The questions came think and fast. The discussion led onto talking about the writing process and how writing is really all about rewriting, redrafting, until you are happy (some writers are never happy). The copy of Jack and Boo’s Wild Wood I read was a proof copy and had some mistakes, which I got the class to try and identify.Children love to discover adults get things wrong too!

After reading, I showed them how to fold paper into a mini book and on each panel I’d written some basic writing tips to get them started on a simple picture book story. I covered titles, begginings, middles and ends and I was also pleased they all knew about writing good book blurbs on the back cover.

I think I must have confused the children at one point when I told them not to do the title/cover page first, because most writers don’t come up with a title until they’ve written the book, as they don’t know what it’s going to be about yet. One little boy found this most annoying and asked that he must do the title first as he couldn’t start his story without it! It taught me that writing has no rules, just good and bad advice. In the end you have to find your own way.

There was much noise and folding and writing and drawing. Some of the children had immediate ideas about what to write, while others needed some ideas. I told them to use their own experiences and adventures to find something truly original. It must have worked, because, by the end of the session, all the children were deep in thought, writing.

I’d like to say thanks to the teachers and children at Newchurch school. I can report the future is in very safe hands judging by the intelligent children I met.

And if you want to see the finished books and have a go at making one yourself, then come along to Quay Arts, Newport IOW, at the Artists’ Book Fair on Saturday 28th May between 11am and 4pm. I’ll be signing copies of the “old style” Jack and Boo’s Bucket of Treasures, before the new cover version is published this summer – so that’ll make them even more valuable and rare one day. Here’s hoping…

By now the whole world will know we’ve won the children’s book category of the David St John Thomas Self publishing Award 2011, in collaboration with Writers’ News and Writing Magazine, in London on Wednesday 11th May. Did you get the memo? This is my account of the day, lessons learned, the future…

I travelled by Bongo, Catamaran and train to the fabled North Island alone from our secret base on the Isle of Wight. I passed the time by reading the next book for my fabled #wightbook twitter book group – a book I cannot speak of as I’d violate the first rule of the book club. Anyway, I digress. I got to London, wide-eyed, staring up at landmarks I’d seen on TV (OK, I’m milking it here – I did work in London for years) spotting Ian Lee and Paddy Ashdown on my walk to the venue for the awards. No doubt my entire journey past The London Eye, across Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, captured in the foregrounds of a million snapping tourists’ holiday photos.

And then the wait. I’d got there too early so I had my first coffee of the day in a boring chain coffee shop. A mistake, as little did I know that at the end of the day I’d pay for all the coffees I drank as it kept me awake half the night and did serious damage to my guts. And I read and started to daydream about winning and getting up to address a stadium-sized hall of thousands of publishing professionals and authors. The DSJT Awards couldn’t have been further from my fantasy, set in a conference hall laid out with chairs for around 100 people or so, with the judges sitting, like judges, behind a long desk on a raised platform. It wasn’t the BAFTAS but all jokes aside this was a well established event, started some 20 years ago by David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, who, along with charity work overseas, was created to encourage writers and self publishers. I remember seeing photos of previous winners years ago in Writers’ News and Writing Magazine, so I immediately recognised David, a tall well spoken and humorous man, now some 82 years young.

I sat nervously while they went through the awards, reading out highlights and a summaries of the various nominees’ major achievements, runners up and then winners announced in each category. And they got to the children’s award and I got really nervous. When they announced the runner-up I knew I’d won, my heart raced. I wiped my sweating hands on my trousers so I’d not disgust the judges when they shook my warm wet hand. They got to us, and it felt so strange other people talking about our book. The room erupted – there was some applause – and I got up to collect my award, a certificate and cheque for £250. Am I sounding ungrateful? No, an award is an award – the recognition that we’d written and published a book that well respected judges had chosen to win was incredible. I felt good.

We were also “highly commended” and seriously considered for the two other awards for Self Publisher of the Year, which went to a historical novel, and Winner of Winners, which went to an anthology produced by a writers’ group. Maybe next year we could scoop those two?

After photos were taken of all the winners together – a feat of endurance smiling I’d not accomplished since my own wedding photos – we had refreshments and a chance to network and sell a few books we’d all brought. It was interesting to note not many of the authors bought many books – my sales came from people who hadn’t self published, guests, etc. Just shows, networking with other writers and self publishers won’t necessarily boost your sales.

I had a chat to a few authors who, on the face of it, had done remarkably well selling their books, sometimes in their thousands, but they still seemed very negative – or should I say jaded? – about the whole self publishing process. They told me how difficult they had found it to get into bookshops, and even selling direct had not yielded the expected sales for them. I cannot say I felt the same as I’d not gone into self publishing with any great expectations of big sales – or even any – although there was a part of me, an arrogant, naive one, that felt I could compete with the big publishers and “do it better”.

With “some” experience behind us now, I have a more realistic view of what can be achieved with self publishing, and a better idea of how to take advantage of it. Firstly, it’s crazy to compete with other established publishing companies – learn from them for sure, but to compete in the same market, where even they are under pressure to sell books, is folly. In my view the benefits of being wholly independent and able to make all the decisions ourselves, the ability to react to the market – and our readers – quickly and target sales in areas that the main publishers don’t compete in is our advantage.

We hoped Jack and Boo’s adventure would appeal to children and families, but it wasn’t until we sold books and began to get genuine positive feedback from children and families telling us how much they’d enjoyed the book that we realised it really did appeal to others. Learning how children were inspired or families learned new things was our biggest reward in this whole process and has spurred us on to complete our next Jack and Boo adventure, out in the coming months.

We’d like to thank the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust for running these competitions, for choosing us as winners and encouraging other self publishers – you’ve certainly encouraged us! Importantly, a big thanks to everybody who has bought and reviewed our book and all the great friends and contacts who’ve supported us along the way. Winning this children’s award is just the start of even better beachy books to come.