Buzz Words Competition

Buzz Words Competition

Children’s author Roz Moriarty has kindly donated two copies of her picture book (Beach Song with Samantha Campbell) as prizes in a subscriber-only competition.

To win a copy, please send an original title for a very funny chapter book to dibates@outlook.com and include your postal address. Mark the subject heading as Chapter Book Title and include your postal address. The winners will be announced in the next issue of Buzz Words, 15 March.

Manuscript Assessments Offered

Manuscript Assessments Offered

Three kinds of assessments are offered by author Dianne (Di) Bates, as follows (below). Your story will be read and thoroughly edited online, and you will also receive a written report outlining the strengths of your manuscript and suggestions for ways in which you can improve it.

If Di believes your story is publishable, she will suggest Australian publishers to whom you can submit the manuscript. She will also give you a list of Australian children’s book publishers.

When you have made payment (and informed Di), you can submit your story as a Word document and editing will be undertaken online.

It usually takes fewer than five days for Di to read, edit and assess your manuscript from the date of submission. You are also welcome to ask any questions before, during and after the assessment. If you rework your manuscript, Di will revisit the next draft for no extra fee.

Di’s email address is dibates@outlook.com; she responds to all emails promptly.

Picture Book Assessment

For books under 500 words, the assessment will cost you $100. Over 500 words will cost an extra $20 per 100 words (or part thereof). 

Note: Di does not assess illustrations; instead, she directs you to Australian illustrators at http://thestylefile.com. You do not have to send illustrations to a publisher; he/she is initially only interested in the written text.

Junior Novel

Your novel, for children aged 8 to 12 years, should be about 25,000 words and no longer than 45,000. The cost is $10 per 1,000 words.

About your assessor

Dianne (Di) Bates has published 150 books for young readers in her 35-year writing career. Some of these books have been published overseas and won national and state book awards, including two children’s choice book awards. Di has also worked as a newspaper and children’s magazine editor. She also worked on the editorial team of the NSW Department of Education School Magazine. In 2006, she founded Buzz Words, an online magazine for people in the Australian children’s book industry. www.buzzwordsmagazine.com.

All of Us Together showcasing Dale Newman illustrator

Today we are show-casing the front cover of All of Us Together by Bill Condon (About Kids Books) by Dale Newman http://www.dalenewman.com.au

Please note that twice a month Buzz Words show-cases writing and illustrating by its readers. If you would like a free sample of the Buzz Words magazine, contact the compiler dibates@outlook.com

All the Buzz about Children's Books

© Dianne Bates

In 2004 I started Buzz Words, a subscriber-based twice-monthly online magazine exclusively for people in the Australian children’s book industry, such as writers (new, mid-career and experienced), illustrators, librarians and publishers – in fact, anyone interested in children’s books. As the Buzz Words’ compiler, I gather material from many sources and sometimes commission material.

Buzz Words aims to keep readers abreast of what’s currently happening in the children’s book industry and to give them as many opportunities as possible to advance their career and/or to keep them informed. Every issue contains markets, competitions and awards, publisher profiles, profiles of people in the industry, industry news, an interview (editors, publishers, designers, etc), opportunities, recommended books and websites/blogs, festivals and conferences, workshops, article/s, subscribers’ achievements, letters to the editor and children’s book reviews. Links are frequently provided to help readers.

Two recent additions are ‘Who’s Who in Children’s Books’ (profiles of publishers, editors, agents and packagers), and ‘Book Creators’ (featuring famous and outstanding children’s authors and illustrators of the past such as Enid Blyton, Dorothy Wall and Eve Pownall).

Buzz Words is as subscriber-friendly as possible. Preference for interviews, articles, profiles, etc is always given to subscribers. They are also given the opportunity to advertise for free if they have a product and/or service they wish to promote. Often publishers take up this offer as it’s a very inexpensive way of promoting their latest titles.

There are many ways readers can show-case their books and/or their writing or editing services: Buzz Words interviews both commercially and self-published authors for ‘The inside Scoop’ and ‘A Foot in the Door’. Questions are generally directed in such a way as readers can learn about how to get feet past publishers’ locked doors, or which resources (such as designer, editor, printer and distributor) that self-published authors used and  how effective they were. Subscribers are also invited to submit to ‘Have Your Say’ and to present samples of their writing or illustrating.

Articles are often commissioned (payment is offered) and have included ‘My Experiences with Literary Agents’, ‘How to Crowd-Fund to Publish Your Book’ and ‘The Art of Picture Books.’ There’s an ‘Achievements’ section as well as ‘Classifieds’ which is free for those who support Buzz Words.

Buzz Words is exactly the kind of resource which I wish was available when I first started writing for children. And it’s ideal for anyone in the industry who wants to place their work and/or learn what the latest trends in writing for children are and/or what’s happening in the industry here in Australia or overseas.

The magazine also has a children’s book review blog http://buzzwordsmagazine.com where books by subscribers are reviewed. And, too, the blog is available for subscribers to post material, such as a blog tour, book launch or forthcoming title.

If you’d like to check out the latest issue of Buzz Words, I’m only too happy to send you a complimentary, obligation-free copy; contact dibates@outlook.com. Cost is $48 per year (for 24 issues). The magazine is distributed on the 1^st and 15^th of every month.

Dianne (Di) Bates has been in the industry for decades! She has published over 130 books for children, some of which have won state and national awards, including two children’s choice book awards (WAYRBA and KOALA). She is married to award-winning children’s author Bill Condon; they share a website http://enterprisingwords.com.au

Resources for Children’s Writers and Illustrators

When you are new to writing for children, how do you find information that helps you to get published? Here are some ways in which you can develop and extend your interest and knowledge towards your goal:

KidLitVic Conference                                                                                                    This is a one day conference held annually in Melbourne which is attended by a large contingent of publishers such as Black Dog, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Allen & Unwin, Ford Street Publishing, Scholastic, Five Mile Press, Lake Press, Hachette, Windy Hollow, Text, Hardie Grant Egmont, Scribble/Scribe, Walker Books and Affirm Press. There is a cost of $88 (including GST) for a 15 minute one-on-one assessment with a publisher, plus written feedback on your manuscript or your portfolio. http://www.kidlitvic.com/about

CYA Conference                                                                                                          Held annually in Brisbane usually mid-year, this conference is aimed as professional development for new and established writers and illustrators of Children’s and Young Adult literature. Master classes and workshops are conducted at the conference. CYA also runs writing and illustrating competitions in conjunction with the conference. http://www.cyaconference.com

The Children’s Book Academy                                                                                          If you aspire to become a successfully published children's book author or children's book illustrator, the academy says, ‘we have what you need! Whether you’re interested in self-publishing, learning to write or illustrate and publish traditionally, finally learning Photoshop, discovering your writer's and character's voices, or upgrading your skills in general, or learning the rules to break to make your picture book, we have something for everyone, from beginner to seasoned pro! Come in, look around, sign up for a course from our award-winning faculty, and jump-start or refresh your career!’ http://www.childrensbookacademy.com

Scribble 

Jen Storer is an award winning children’s author who has had numerous books published, mostly by HarperCollins and Penguin. After nearly twenty years she’s still writing and publishing. Jen also worked in-house as a children’s book editor, predominantly in Creative Development. She has a First Class Honours degree in Literature and has taught creative writing to all kinds of people. https://girlandduck.com/scribbles/

Green Leaf Press

Greenleaf Press is owned and operated by award-winning author and marketing guru Aleesah Darlison who saw a need for key services and opportunities for authors and illustrators. Greenleaf not only helps clients to develop and place stories and artistic projects through assessments and mentorships, it also provides ongoing work opportunities. Greenleaf Talent represents a number of authors and illustrators across Australia and secures paid work for them in preschools and schools.

The company’s services include manuscript assessments, mentorships, editing, copywriting and blogging. It also runs events throughout the year that educate and inspire both adults and children, including the Sunshine Writers Retreat (held each November). In 2017, Greenleaf Press launched a picture book manuscript competition.  www.greenleafpress.net Email: admin@greenleafpress.net

Enterprising Words 

Having published 130+ books for young people over a 30 year writing period. Dianne (Di) Bates has also worked as an editor, magazine compiler, publisher (http://aboutkidsbooks.com) bookseller and writing teacher. Di offers modules in her Writing for Children course, including Writing a Picture Book Text. Numerous ex-students have had debut books published following completion of the course. For more information, contact her at dibates@outlook.com

Faber Writing Academy                                                                                                   Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin is a writing programme offering a range of courses from one-day workshops to longer courses devised by the foremost practitioners in their fields. The Academy says, ‘If you have a story to tell, why not study with two of the world's leading publishers? Since launching its first course at Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris in 2008, Faber Academy has tutored more than 1500 students in courses ranging from one-day workshops such as Getting Published to longer courses including our popular program Writing a Novel. In 2010, Faber Academy found a natural home with Australia's award-winning publisher Allen & Unwin, and courses are offered in Sydney and Melbourne. http://faberwritingacademy.com.au

Buzz Words 

Established in 2004, this premier Australian online magazine for those in the children’s book industry is essential reading for the new writer as it offers not only advice, but much information including Australian and overseas markets, opportunities (such as grants & residencies), competitions, interviews, articles and much more. For a free sample, write to mailit@nichedev.com.au Subscription is $48 pa for 24 issues. www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Writers’Centres:                                                                                                                 Most writers’ centres around Australia offer courses on writing for children at one time or another. Following is a list of the major Writers Centres across Australia:
Queensland Writers Centre http://www.qwc.asn.au/
Victorian Writers Centre http://vwc.org.au/
NSW Writers Centre http://www.nswwc.org.au/ (Every second year they hold the Writing For Children Festival which is always well attended)
SA Writers Centre http://www.sawriters.on.net/
ACT Writers Centre http://www.actwriters.org.au/
WA Writers Centre http://www.fawwa.iinet.net.au/wawc.htm
Hunter Writers Centre http://hwcentre.com/
NT Writer’s Centre http://www.ntwriters.com.au/
Tasmanian Writers Centre http://www.tasmanianwriters.org/                                                                      Australian Writers Centre   https://www.writerscentre.com.au

Buzz Words

Did you know that as well as this daily children's book review blog, Buzz Words has a twice monthly  magazine for those in the Australian children's book industry?

Buzz Words online magazine is full of up-to-the-minute news, opportunities, markets (Australian and overseas), competitions, interviews, book reviews, publisher profiles, industry people profiles, courses, conferences and much more for those in the children’s book industry. It’s a fabulous way of promoting your latest book or book launch, too. 

If you want to be informed and helped, you can’t afford not to pay $48 for 24 issues p.a. For a obligation-free copy, contact the editor, Dianne (Di) Bates dibates@outlook.com

WIN a $150 book pack

Buzz Words and Bookworld have combined to offer readers the chance to WIN a $150 book pack of children's and YA titles. And it's perfect timing with Christmas just around the corner. 

Included in the pack is the dystopian YA novel Allegiant, the conclusion to Veronica Roth's New York Times bestselling DIVERGENT trilogy. Divergent is also set to be released as a movie in March 2014 and starring Kate Winslett.

Allegiant takes Tris on new challenges and having to face impossible choices. She questions everything and everyone, including herself. Told from the dual perspectives of Tris and Four, all the secrets of this dystopian world will be revealed.

The remainder of the books in the pack will be a Christmas surprise, but rest assured that they will all be children's and YA titles.

For a chance to win this fantastic prize all you need to do is comment on this post by 5pm EDST 10 December 2013. Tell us your favourite book. You don't have to let us in on why but we'd still love to know! Join the conversation and be in with a chance to WIN this great selection.

Open to Australian residents only.

The e-book process

Today at Buzz Words Books we have our first guest author post. YA author D L Richardson gives personal insights into the e-book process. You can read an expanded version of this article in the 1 December 2011 issue of Buzz Words.

There’s good and bad things said about e-books. My favourite quote doing the rounds is this one: “The good thing about e-books is that anyone can publish one. The bad this is that anyone can publish one.” It’s an accurate sentiment and one that I’d take seriously if I hadn’t read a lot of trash in print format. 
So what is it about the e-book that’s so darned appealing? Is it because in this current economic climate they’re cheap to produce? Is it because in this current environmental climate a rainforest can be saved by not printing a book? Or has this sudden boom in e-books sales got to with something else, say, the coming of a new revolution?


It’s no surprise the e-book is popular. Aspiring authors who have grown tired of mainstream publishers locking the doors on their creativity have at last found the means to produce and sell their work. For many, the e-book is about empowerment. I was fortunate enough to get a contract with an e-book publisher so I haven’t had to do my own editing, cover design or distribution. But is empowerment enough to push the print book out altogether? After all, DVD replaced VHS. Motion pictures replaced silent films. Cars replaced horse and cart.


Once upon a time the only way to travel was through a travel agent. The internet empowered the consumer but we still have travel agents. We’ll probably still have mainstream publishers because empowerment is a powerful thing. But expertise is equally powerful. 

D L Richardson is the author of Young Adult paranormal novel The Bird With The Broken Wing. She is currently working on her second novel.

You can read an extract of D L Richardson’s debut novel The Bird With The Broken Wing at Kobo Books. 

You can purchase The Bird With The Broken Wing at Etopia Press, Amazon.com/uk, Barnes &Noble, Kobo Books, and OmniLit 

Riley and the Curious Koala

Riley and the Curious Koala: a journey around Sydney by Tania McCartney, illustrations by Kieron Pratt (Tania McCartney Press)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN 9780980475036
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

One rainy day Riley stares out the window and watches the clouds roll across the sky making all sorts of shapes. Granny says it looks like the city of Sydney but Riley spies a koala among the "gaggle of buildings". Fascinated, he flies off to Sydney in his fabulous red bi-plane to search out the koala.

McCartney's imaginative text complements her exceptional black-and-white photography of Sydney at its finest. Riley flies past many iconic Sydney landmarks including  the harbour, the beaches, The Rocks, Circular Quay with its ferries, Luna Park, Strand Arcade, Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge as he searches for the elusive koala. Finally he finds the koala sound asleep nestled in a tree at Taronga Zoo. And it is no wonder the koala is exhausted. Children will find it hilarious that throughout Riley's journey, the koala is climbing and snorkelling and getting into all kinds of adventures but Riley fails to spot him.

Pratt's brightly coloured illustrations inject movement and draw the eye across the page. Panda, Lion and Dragon, Riley's friends from the previous two titles, add humour and that touch of companionship to make Riley's journey a shared journey.

From the embossed cover to the illustrated endpapers, Riley and the Curious Koala is beautifully presented and would make a wonderful gift. A percentage of the proceeds of sales will also be donated to the Australian Koala Foundation

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats by Michele Dodd (Brolly Books)
HB RRP $21.95 (PB RRP $16.95)
ISBN 9781921756306
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats is illustrator Michelle Dodd's debut as an author. At midnight, witches emerge from under the witches' hats on the road and create havoc with their magic brews until the sun begins to rise and they return to from whence they came.

Written in rhyme, the text plays cleverly on the terminology of the road: witches' hats, cats' eyes, road hog, zebra crossing, traffic jam and more. Children will be sure to enjoy the word play and will love the book being read aloud.

The illustrations are bold, colourful and humorous and make full use of each double spread. Each turn of the page provides a new surprise for the reader and I love the mayhem of the last spread which has the results of the witches' spells, such as a zebra, camel, bull and hog roaming the bush during the daylight hours once the witches have returned to their hidey-holes.

Cats, Bats and Witches Hats is wonderfully presented with illustrated endpapers and has a quality feel about it. This is Michele Dodd's first release following the loss of her home and studio in the tragic Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria in February 2009.

Lolli's Apple

Lolli's Apple by Tomas Fleischmann (A.K.A. Publishing)

PB RRP $19.95

ISBN 978-0-984530-3-4

Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

www.buzzwordsmagazine.com

Lolli’s Apple is an autographical account of Tomas Fleischmann’s experience of the Holocaust and, following the Second World War, his emigration to Australia. I always find autobiographical accounts of the Holocaust somewhat easier to read because at least I am safe in the knowledge that the author survived though at times I wondered how. He and his brother (who was born in Terezin Concentration Camp) were two of only 123 out of 16 000 children who went through the camp.

Tomas was born into the privileged lifestyle of the landed gentry in central Europe. Everyone in their district knew they were Jewish but it wasn’t until August 1944, when Nazi persecutions intensified, that the family went into hiding. Many of Tomas’s extended family were hidden by villagers (and survived). However, possibly because of his parents’ fears of the difficulty of hiding a young boy or the fact that his mother Lolli was pregnant, Tomas’s family headed for the Slovakian capital of Bratislava where they were shortly discovered.

Fleischmann details the brutality, fear and bravery of life in the camps. He writes in an easily accessible manner which does not overwhelm the reader with the horrors of his experience but neither does it shirk this aspect. Powerful images of a train load of Jews left to wander deliriously on the platform as they starve and freeze to death; stark statements such as ‘They don’t build playgrounds in concentration camps’; and explanations of Tomas and other boys walking on the dead in pits as they scatter lime over bodies all encompass a reality that we should never forget occurred in recent history.

Despite all of this, this book is a story of hope and the most memorable image is the one referred to in the title. Following the birth of her baby boy in the camp hospital, Lolli splits a precious apple in two and throws half to Tomas waiting outside.

This book can and should be read by children. Undoubtedly, adults should be ready to give guidance and understanding of the historical events but knowledge of such events is vital if our world, and our children’s world of the future, is to avoid repeating such atrocities. To further that aim, Tomas Fleischmann is a regular speaker for Courage to Care, an education program which promotes respect, harmony and acceptance for all people and has reached out to over 200 000 Australians throughout our community. The program is targeted particularly at school children. 

Lennie's Ride

Lennie's Ride by Mary Small, illustrated by Marion Wilcocks (Small Endeavour Publishing)
PB RRP $15
ISBN 978-0-646-53194-6
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton
http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com/

Lennie's Ride is the remarkable story of Lennie Gwyther, a nine-year-old farmer's son from Leongatha in Gippsland, Victoria, so excited about the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge he rode his pony, Ginger Mick, 600 miles to witness the event himself.

However, Lennie's Ride is more than a story of a boy. It is the story of his family, rural community life and the social history of Australia in the inter-war period. Lennie's feat is astounding. Allowing my own nine-year-old son to walk home from school (ten minutes and he doesn't even have to cross a road) is a leap of faith, let alone sending him off on a trek of this nature. Lennie's parents took that leap of faith. Stays with friends along the route were organised and as the fame of Lennie's journey grew, he certainly was not alone in his ride, being feted on his arrival in Canberra and Sydney among other places. The biggest testament to Lennie is that his parents felt safe in the knowledge that their son was capable of such a journey despite his youth.

Life on the Gwyther farm was not easy despite the ideal climate and soil. Lennie's father was a decorated returned serviceman from the trenches of Gallipoli and the Western Front. However, he also returned with injuries that would affect him for the rest of his life. Add to that the difficulties of the Great Depression. Lennie's parents relied extensively on him to help on the farm and, when his father broke his leg, Lennie worked the farm as well as any grown man.

1932 was a time of economic and social uncertainty and the excitement surrounding the Sydney Harbour Bridge was intense. It was an achievement of national significance and Lennie wanted to be a part of it. Lennie's interest in the bridge stemmed from his love of drawing, design and construction. As reward for all his hard work Lennie asked to be allowed to ride to Sydney for the opening. Hazards along the way included bushfires and Lennie's adventures in Sydney included entering the Easter Show.

Marion Wilcocks' black and white illustrations give us the feel of times past and complement the text beautifully. The book also includes numerous photographs of Lennie, the Gwyther family, and people and places of the 1930s and a brief section telling sister Beryl's story, and a facts section about the building of the bridge.

Lennie's Ride is recommended reading for Australians of all ages. It opens a window into a vastly different Australia in the not too distant past, it is a tale of the excitement surrounding the bridge opening, but most of all it tells of the wonders of a childhood fully lived and experienced.
Contact Mary Small for orders