Summer's Here - Books for Children and Teens

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Every July I skip off for the whole month to West Cork to read, kayak, dream, think, eat and just do  a whole load of nothing. I pack up my jeep with a big box of books as I like to have lots of choice. All kinds of books: novels, biographies, picture books, bird books. Here’s a photo of some of those books for summer 2014: This year I started amassing my reading cache early (dare I admit it, in March). I ADORE planning my holiday reading. And nope, I don’t have a Kindle and I don’t intend to get one anytime soon. I spend a large chunk of my life in front of a screen, writing and the last thing I want is to spend my precious holiday reading time in front of a screen. And you can’t take a Kindle kayaking or sailing. Well you can, but if you tend to capsize like me or splash about, you probably shouldn’t!

So far I have about twenty books put aside including:

The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker – a novel by a Dutch writer I met at a book festival recently;

The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald – a new teen novel by an Irish writer I greatly admire;

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and The Boy That Never Was by Karen Perry – a thriller by a writer I know called Paul Perry and his friend, Karen Gileece. I can’t wait to get stuck in to all three.

What kind of books do YOU like to read on holiday? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Recently I’ve reviewed some books that I think would make idea summer holiday reads so I’d like to share them with you. In Part 2 I’ll share more great books with you including the new Sophia Bennett book, The Castle.

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First up is the brand new book by the one and only Cathy Cassidy: Sweet Honey in The Chocolate Box Girls series.  Here are the details from Cathy’s website:

Honey is going to live with her dad in Australia. Determined to make a fresh start, she couldn't be further away from the tough times at Tanglewood.

Her new life is a dream come true - until school begins. The girls are different from Honey's friends in England and the only person who seems to understand her is the cute boy from the beach she's chatting to online. But when he, the girls at school and even her dad start breaking promises, who can she trust?

All alone on the other side of the world, Honey's past is about to catch up with her…

And here is another book I enjoyed recently that you might like too!

Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan by Sheila Agnew

Writer, Sheila Agnew

Writer, Sheila Agnew

Set in New York, this debut novel by Irish writer, Sheila Agnew is full of warmth and humour. Evie Brooks is a bright, likable twelve-year-old and the book opens just after her (single) mum has died and Evie is sent to live with her Uncle Scott, a New York vet. She misses Ireland and her friends and at first is reluctant to stay there.

Scott’s lawyer girlfriend, Leela isn’t impressed with his new ‘family’ lifestyle. A beautiful but selfish woman, she hates sharing him with his new ward and schemes to get Evie back to Ireland. But what is best for Evie? And will she ever feel at home in the Big Apple?

A resident of New York for many years, Agnew knows her stuff and the book has a brilliant sense of place. From city diners to Central Park, the reader gets a whistle stop tour of Manhattan and shares Evie’s sense of wonder and discovery.

Scott’s vet clinic is full of remarkable creatures and their equally remarkable owners, from a black rabbit called Dr Pepper, to Arnie, the overweight pot-bellied pig, and Agnew’s passion for animals shines through on every page.

Overall this is a charming, sweet and moving book that will delight any Judi Curtin or Cathy Cassidy fan. UK readers can order it online.

Other recommended books for the summer:

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Looking at the Stars by Girls Heart Book’s Jo Cotterill

A tale of love and war, family and friendship. Jo writes beautifully and this book is well worth reading.

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Primperfect by Deirdre Sullivan 

Further adventures of the wonderful Primrose Leary. If you like sweet, funny and hard-hitting stories, this is the book for you.

flora in love

Flora in Love by Natasha Farrant

The life in words and film of Bluebell Gadsby. I read After Iris last year, the first book about Bluebell and I fell in love with this wonderful, quirky family.

Happy reading! Sarah XXX

This post first appeared on the Girls Heart Books website - www.girlsheartbooks.com

How to Get Your Self-Published Book into Bookshops - 10 Tips

I’ve worked in the book trade for over twenty years now – as a bookseller, a marketing manager and a buyer. As a children’s buyer I’ve looked at thousands of covers a year, read thousands of blurbs, dealt with hundreds of different authors – at shop signings, events and festivals (a blog for another day).  Recently I’ve been asked for advice from self self-published writers: how do I get my book into bookshops?

 I thought I’d give the self-published writers out there some advice with the help of experienced bookseller, Josie.  

Top 10 Tips for Self-Published Writers

 1/ Make sure your book is professionally designed, typeset and printed. A badly designed book will not sell to the public. A bookshop buyer (like Josie) will only consider a book that looks professional and will sell in their bookshop. Make sure it is professionally edited, copy-edited and proof read.

 Josie adds – make sure the type is the correct size and you use good paper stock.

 2/ If it’s a picture book, use a professional illustrator – don’t do the illustrations yourself, don't ask a friend to do them. Try www.writing.ie for information on this. Companies like www.kazoo.ie provide a professional design, editing, illustration and printing service. (A good friend of mine, Vanessa O’Loughlin is involved in this company and it's worth talking to her about your book - she's great.)

 3/ Make sure your price your book correctly. Do not over price or under price your book. Ask a bookseller for advice on the price.

 Josie adds – make sure your book has a spine so it can be found on the bookshelves.

 4/ Offer the correct discount. This is generally between 40 and 50%. It can be higher for wholesales like Eason. If you only offer 20 or 30% the buyer may not take your book as the margin is too low. (40% discount means 40% off the cover price of the book.)

 5/ Provide a valid ISBN and barcode. Print the price on the back of your book, just over the barcode. Again, check other books to see how this is done.

 6/ A good cover is vital – put as much time and thought into getting this right as you can.

 7/ Behave like a professional at all times. Josie suggests making up bookseller packs with information on the book and the press you have arranged. Print out professional order forms and invoices. Make sure you leave a phone number and an email address so the buyer can contact you with orders or returns.

 8/ Offer to do events or workshops in the shop. Practice these beforehand and make sure they are professional.

 9/ Be polite – if the buyer says no, don’t get angry. They may buy your next book. It’s not personal, it’s business. A buyer’s job is to select the titles that will sell in their shop. They only buy 10 to 20% of the titles they are shown.

 Josie adds - don’t have high expectations of quantities. The orders will be small but if the book sells we will reorder quickly. The average order might be for 3 to 5 copies.

 10/ Help with the marketing and publicity. Let people know which booksellers are stocking your book. Provide bookmarks or postcards (posters can be difficult as not many bookshops have wall space for them).

 Promote your book in an interesting way on Facebook and Twitter – try to be inventive. Set up a blog or website for your book. Offer to do a piece for the local newspaper.

 When in doubt, ask a bookseller for advice. They need good writers just as much as writers need good bookshops – it’s a team effort! You just need to give them the right books to sell.

Good luck! And thanks to Josie for her time and expertise.

Yours in writing,

Sarah XXX