For some reason at the moment I seem to be in no-man's land, or all at sea (get your free overworked metaphor here ladies and gentlemen). There is progress with upcoming and previously published books, I am writing (not as much as I would like, but getting some work done) and reading (although only books prescribed by my university course) and getting ready for several upcoming author events (see next post). There have been some disappointments (things I applied or hoped for and didn't get) and then some small surprises (things most unexpected which I will tell you about soon), so business as usual really. But too much multi-tasking is making me a little jumbled. If everything would just slow down for a minute.
But as we all know change is happening all the time. Children keep growing up, publishers keep dropping by the wayside (we bid a sad farewell to Hachette who will be departing our shores in the near future, following Pearson and Harper Collins). And of course Penguin and Random are now a married couple and while it kind of seems business as usual I assume there will be changes there too. And educational publishing seems to have been attacked by the Borg. So far all these departures and transformations haven't impacted directly on me. I wasn't published by most of those folk and in some respects they have created a small vacuum which will in part be filled by those publishers remaining, some of whom are mine. But my friends are affected. And publishing as a whole in New Zealand is affected. And people are shocked and afraid and sad. In some respects we are powerless to do anything about it.
But then there is the news that Eleanor Catton's latest novel The Luminaries is longlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize. And you look at the awards locally and you can't help but notice the writing in New Zealand is in really good shape. Our books are stronger than ever I reckon. And more beautiful. And perhaps gaining more notice overseas. And did you see the crowd funded nominee among the NZ Post Book Award finalists and the fact that the supreme winner of the NZ Post Children's (and YA) Book Awards was self published. So I don't want to despair. Things are a changin' but writing isn't dead or dying. I don't quite feel 'really excited' by all the changes either as some would exhort me to be - I came up through the traditional publication route and there are plenty of things I like about it. There are challenges ahead. I just reckon I'll get further by being positive about it :)
Showing posts with label NZ Post Book Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NZ Post Book Awards. Show all posts
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Big congratulations! Envy reigns...
A big congratulations to all the finalists in this years NZ Post Children's Book Awards - list will be available on Booksellers NZ website soon here or can be seen here at Beattie's Blog Well done. Happy touring! Happy anticipation! Best of luck to you all. I am very excited to see some friends in the lists - I can still enjoy the experience vicariously :) Envy Reigns (actually thats a good character name don't ya think) - I am horribly jealous of you all and forever trying to worm my way on to a future list by writing something good.
Having known the highs (childrens choice last year - SQUEEEEEEEE) and the lows (missing the cut with my two other books) lots of hugs to those on the list and those not on the list. I share the joy and the disappointment.
And because we all know we spend too much time sniffing the (intramawebby) ether and not enought time creating our potentially award winning masterpieces here is a link to the latest brilliant post of the very smart and funny Rejectionist
Having known the highs (childrens choice last year - SQUEEEEEEEE) and the lows (missing the cut with my two other books) lots of hugs to those on the list and those not on the list. I share the joy and the disappointment.
And because we all know we spend too much time sniffing the (intramawebby) ether and not enought time creating our potentially award winning masterpieces here is a link to the latest brilliant post of the very smart and funny Rejectionist
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Yes ladies and gentlemen I can keep a secret...
I was very proud of myself yesterday. I actually did some editing on my WIP and some university study. So proud of myself that of course I am giving myself the day off today :)
Tomorrow the finalists for this years NZ Post Children's Book Awards are announced. This year they went back to the previous format of advising the finalists a few days before the list is made public. Last year the format was a subtle and ingenious form of torture whereby finalists were advised around six weeks before the public announcement but sworn to CIA-like secrecy. My picture book The Were-Nana was a finalist and I couldn't even tell my SO. It was really HARD as I was busting to share my GOOD NEWS the entire time but I felt very proud of myself that I said nothing. Yes ladies and gentlemen I can keep a secret (but get me to sign a form first). So this time last year everything was very bubbly and exciting. This year I am not on the list as I had no books published in the preceding year. Award finalist lists are powerful things (check out Fifi Colston's blog post on the topic here). Being a finalist makes a difference, and winning adds a whole other dimension of different on top. But its important to note that the difference it makes is different for different finalists and winners. It can affect book sales, author profile, author recognition, publisher interest, international interest and probably a few other things besides but it affects each of these things in different ways for different people. It is also important to note that there are plenty of really good books published that didn't make the list - lists by their very nature are limited to a certain number of titles and tastes and opinions will always vary. This is not a criticism of the awards so much as a request that folk don't dismiss the non-finalists. This year, from a distance, the awards (both last years and this years) are still having a profound affect on me, both good and bad. Those award lists can mess with your head, whether you are inside amongst it all or on the outside looking in.
PS - Now this is not to say that I think the awards are a bad idea. I was very proud and honoured to be shortlisted and a winner last year. The NZ Post awards are huge with lots of positive repercussions. They are an essential part of the writing/publishing industry and to make the list again one day is one of my goals. But this means I also have to have strategies for what happens when I don't make the cut. Not making the list has repercussions as well, and the more invested I become in this business the more it matters to me.
Tomorrow the finalists for this years NZ Post Children's Book Awards are announced. This year they went back to the previous format of advising the finalists a few days before the list is made public. Last year the format was a subtle and ingenious form of torture whereby finalists were advised around six weeks before the public announcement but sworn to CIA-like secrecy. My picture book The Were-Nana was a finalist and I couldn't even tell my SO. It was really HARD as I was busting to share my GOOD NEWS the entire time but I felt very proud of myself that I said nothing. Yes ladies and gentlemen I can keep a secret (but get me to sign a form first). So this time last year everything was very bubbly and exciting. This year I am not on the list as I had no books published in the preceding year. Award finalist lists are powerful things (check out Fifi Colston's blog post on the topic here). Being a finalist makes a difference, and winning adds a whole other dimension of different on top. But its important to note that the difference it makes is different for different finalists and winners. It can affect book sales, author profile, author recognition, publisher interest, international interest and probably a few other things besides but it affects each of these things in different ways for different people. It is also important to note that there are plenty of really good books published that didn't make the list - lists by their very nature are limited to a certain number of titles and tastes and opinions will always vary. This is not a criticism of the awards so much as a request that folk don't dismiss the non-finalists. This year, from a distance, the awards (both last years and this years) are still having a profound affect on me, both good and bad. Those award lists can mess with your head, whether you are inside amongst it all or on the outside looking in.
PS - Now this is not to say that I think the awards are a bad idea. I was very proud and honoured to be shortlisted and a winner last year. The NZ Post awards are huge with lots of positive repercussions. They are an essential part of the writing/publishing industry and to make the list again one day is one of my goals. But this means I also have to have strategies for what happens when I don't make the cut. Not making the list has repercussions as well, and the more invested I become in this business the more it matters to me.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Back to reality...
I wish I could have another go at the NZ Post Book awards 2009 ceremony. Primarily so I can enjoy the night properly without all the associated nerves. And get another chance to talk to all the people that I wanted to talk to and didn't. And to take more notice of all the things going on a round me. Thank goodness my SO was there with me to fill me in on a bunch of stuff I missed. It was a wonderful experience but its like being at your own wedding, where the whole event just flashes past (demonstrating the time is not a constant). Already I'm forgetting things (and no, I didn't have that much to drink) and I don't want to. Its a bit like young girls with High School Musical or Twilight on DVD :) I just want to be able to replay it over and over again whenever I want.
Of course it was turning the cold day-old sweaty and muddy soccer socks right way out that brought me back down to earth. Cloud 9 is a wonderful place to visit but you can't live there. From up there I could see the mounting pile of washing including all the school uniforms, the state of the kitchen bench and the pinched feed-me-something-other-then-snack-food looks stamped on the faces of my children. And it wasn't just the day to day running of the household at No. 24 that brought me back, it was the realisation that laurels aren't really made for resting on. Laurels can be prickly beggars (although they're very nice for flavouring soups and stews). And ultimately winning something (after the happy shock wears off) just teaches you to work harder and better for the chance to do it all again. I have to keep writing. It is only the finished product that might get made into a book and if I don't write there will be no finished product. So back to reality. And don't get me wrong, I'm very fond of my reality. And after all writing good things to make happy readers is wot I luv.
Although I do wonder, apart from the wonderful feelings on the night and the lovely prizes (see post below) I'm still not entirely sure what winning the Children's Choice Award will mean. Whether it will have any impact short or long term on other aspects of my writing career. One thing is certain - there is no better reward than getting the big tick from your readers. So its back to the writing in search of more big ticks - yowza
Of course it was turning the cold day-old sweaty and muddy soccer socks right way out that brought me back down to earth. Cloud 9 is a wonderful place to visit but you can't live there. From up there I could see the mounting pile of washing including all the school uniforms, the state of the kitchen bench and the pinched feed-me-something-other-then-snack-food looks stamped on the faces of my children. And it wasn't just the day to day running of the household at No. 24 that brought me back, it was the realisation that laurels aren't really made for resting on. Laurels can be prickly beggars (although they're very nice for flavouring soups and stews). And ultimately winning something (after the happy shock wears off) just teaches you to work harder and better for the chance to do it all again. I have to keep writing. It is only the finished product that might get made into a book and if I don't write there will be no finished product. So back to reality. And don't get me wrong, I'm very fond of my reality. And after all writing good things to make happy readers is wot I luv.
Although I do wonder, apart from the wonderful feelings on the night and the lovely prizes (see post below) I'm still not entirely sure what winning the Children's Choice Award will mean. Whether it will have any impact short or long term on other aspects of my writing career. One thing is certain - there is no better reward than getting the big tick from your readers. So its back to the writing in search of more big ticks - yowza
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Were-Nana wins (The view from cloud 9 rocks...)
(This is me and my wonderful SO all dolled up and ready for the award ceremony)Well, who'd a thunk it. I was so thrilled when The Were-Nana was shortlisted for the NZ Post Book Awards back in March. I was proud of my story, and delighted to have been paired with such a wonderful illustrator but aware that some people might find some of the themes in the book a little challenging. After all, it is a little different.
Yesterday I scrubbed myself off, slapped on the war paint and got into my very little black frock (in what seemed like sub zero temperatures). And off we trundled to the publisher's pre-do afternoon tea at 3.30. I was too jittery to circulate too much and clung on to friends like a drowning woman. Looking back now I'm not sure why I was so nervous. Probably partly because only my characters are good at small talk. Partly because I had little idea of what to expect. And partly because this sort of thing has never happened to me before. After five we set off up the hill to the gorgeous venue at the Auckland Museum for a few glasses of bubbles and the official ceremony scheduled to begin at 6.30. I had rehearsed a few things I should say if we won but I thought it unlikely so I just left those few things floating freely in the back of my brain where they might easily get lost. So when I did need them unfortunately some of them had wandered off.
First off were speeches by Chris Finlayson, Minister for the Arts who left me feeling like our creative arts are in good hands, John Allen CEO of NZ Post (although sadly moving on from this to be CEO of Foreign Affairs I think) who inspired with his passion and depth of understanding of NZ children's literature and Alastair Carruthers, chair of Creative NZ and Hamish Wright of Booksellers NZ who were equally passionate, erudite and eloquent. The judges, Bill Nagelkerke, Jenni Keestra and Rosemary Tisdall gave us a view into what they'd been up to for their summer holidays, also better known as the very serious business of selecting finalists and winners. Then the awarding began. The picture book category was announced and while I had to go up the front to receive my finalists certificate I wasn't required to speak. The winner was Roadworks. Its an excellent book and I was so happy for Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock. With a smidgeon of disappointment hovering at least now I could relax. The other categories came and went and winners announced (Jack Lasenby with 'Old Drumble' for junior fiction, Kate de Goldi with 'The 10pm Question' for senior Fiction and Gregory O'Brian with 'Back and Beyond: NZ painting for the Young and Curious' for non-fiction). The young actors providing a small sketch for each book were impressive and gave the audience a window of insight into each finalist. Then it was childrens' choice, best first book, and best book overall. While people had told me they'd voted for Were-Nana for children's choice I thought for sure one of the other books would be picked.
The children are who we write for. While you have to convince editors, maybe agents, and marketing and accounting people of the merits of your writing to get it published, the children are the ones we really want to impress. They are our most important audience and they are the ones we want to thrill, inspire, excite and entertain. And they liked us. They really liked us. Sarah and I won the Children's Choice Award for our book The Were-Nana. And because all the things I should have said disappeared when I needed them most I would now like to thank the Judges, NZ Post, NZ Booksellers, and Creative NZ. Thank you to Scholastic who weren't afraid of a were-nana, and my lucky stars for pairing me up with the most talented and utterly right illustrator for my story. And of course thank you to my family who put up with the ups and downs of having a writer for a mother, wife, sister and daughter, and especially my husband James who has always supported my crazy ambitions. I did remember to thank the children for voting but I don't think I can say it too many times. To all the people who voted for my book, yay, I am honoured and thrilled. Thank you...
Yesterday I scrubbed myself off, slapped on the war paint and got into my very little black frock (in what seemed like sub zero temperatures). And off we trundled to the publisher's pre-do afternoon tea at 3.30. I was too jittery to circulate too much and clung on to friends like a drowning woman. Looking back now I'm not sure why I was so nervous. Probably partly because only my characters are good at small talk. Partly because I had little idea of what to expect. And partly because this sort of thing has never happened to me before. After five we set off up the hill to the gorgeous venue at the Auckland Museum for a few glasses of bubbles and the official ceremony scheduled to begin at 6.30. I had rehearsed a few things I should say if we won but I thought it unlikely so I just left those few things floating freely in the back of my brain where they might easily get lost. So when I did need them unfortunately some of them had wandered off.
First off were speeches by Chris Finlayson, Minister for the Arts who left me feeling like our creative arts are in good hands, John Allen CEO of NZ Post (although sadly moving on from this to be CEO of Foreign Affairs I think) who inspired with his passion and depth of understanding of NZ children's literature and Alastair Carruthers, chair of Creative NZ and Hamish Wright of Booksellers NZ who were equally passionate, erudite and eloquent. The judges, Bill Nagelkerke, Jenni Keestra and Rosemary Tisdall gave us a view into what they'd been up to for their summer holidays, also better known as the very serious business of selecting finalists and winners. Then the awarding began. The picture book category was announced and while I had to go up the front to receive my finalists certificate I wasn't required to speak. The winner was Roadworks. Its an excellent book and I was so happy for Sally Sutton and Brian Lovelock. With a smidgeon of disappointment hovering at least now I could relax. The other categories came and went and winners announced (Jack Lasenby with 'Old Drumble' for junior fiction, Kate de Goldi with 'The 10pm Question' for senior Fiction and Gregory O'Brian with 'Back and Beyond: NZ painting for the Young and Curious' for non-fiction). The young actors providing a small sketch for each book were impressive and gave the audience a window of insight into each finalist. Then it was childrens' choice, best first book, and best book overall. While people had told me they'd voted for Were-Nana for children's choice I thought for sure one of the other books would be picked.
The children are who we write for. While you have to convince editors, maybe agents, and marketing and accounting people of the merits of your writing to get it published, the children are the ones we really want to impress. They are our most important audience and they are the ones we want to thrill, inspire, excite and entertain. And they liked us. They really liked us. Sarah and I won the Children's Choice Award for our book The Were-Nana. And because all the things I should have said disappeared when I needed them most I would now like to thank the Judges, NZ Post, NZ Booksellers, and Creative NZ. Thank you to Scholastic who weren't afraid of a were-nana, and my lucky stars for pairing me up with the most talented and utterly right illustrator for my story. And of course thank you to my family who put up with the ups and downs of having a writer for a mother, wife, sister and daughter, and especially my husband James who has always supported my crazy ambitions. I did remember to thank the children for voting but I don't think I can say it too many times. To all the people who voted for my book, yay, I am honoured and thrilled. Thank you...
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