When the bun-fight is over...

Well there is still plenty of debate happening online about the role of publishers these days. You could check out this post over at ex-agent, current-author, Nathan Bransford's blog about how publisher's are perceived. Lots of interesting comments follow. Then there is this from author Anthony Horowitz which is funny in places but also, ultimately, not the full picture IMHO (thanks to Maureen Crisp for alerting me to this one). I'm not anti-publisher. I'm not anti-e-book. What I want is the best possible opportunity to connect with potential readers. I want fair recompense for my efforts. I have no idea how all this is going to shake out but in the meantime I will continue to write, in the hope that I can still get my stories to any interested readers, and get paid for it, when the bun-fight is over.

Finalists for the NZ Post Children's Book Awards were announced this week (you can see the list here). I wasn't on either the picture book or YA lists and had to scurry off and hide under a dark duvet to lick my wounds and some chocolate for a while. But I am back now. My thoughts? I was surprised. There are some wonderful books on the lists. There are some wonderful books not on the list (so many I thought were sure-fire inclusions are absent). Congratulations to all those shortlisted and good luck for the announcement of the winners in May.

In happier news my new picture book Made with Love, illustrated by Gabriella Klepatski, published by Duck Creek Press, and out in bookshops April, got a lovely review in the Canvas Magazine from the Weekend Herald today. Yay!!