CHILDREN'S BOOKS NORTH 2023 MENTOR SCHEME  Our annual CBN mentor scheme for aspiring publishers is back for 2023!   This year we're delighted to be expanding the scheme as we're joined by three more CBN publishing professional mentors, allowing us to offer mentor scheme places to six new mentees for 2023. Read on for details of how to apply. Joining Children's Books North co-founders, Emma, Tilda and Liz, as mentors this year will be: Ashley Thorpe Based in Manchester, Ashley is Senior Editor at Storymix: the inclusive fiction studio. Ashley has worked in publishing since 2008 and is a children's writer in his own right. Alice Bartosinski Based in Kendal in Cumbria, Alice is a Senior Commissioning Editor with Nosy Crow and works on picture books. Alice has previously worked with Egmont and Simon & Schuster. Tom Ashton-Booth Based in Doncaster, Tom is children's book designer with Oxford University Press, working on picture books and young fiction. Tom is...

Northern Highlight  Melissa Welliver Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words? I’m based in High Peak, in a small town called Whaley Bridge. In three words I’d say it was bucolic,  friendly, and creative. What is special to you about writing children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? I love writing for teens because YA is where my love of reading really took off, when I was the target  age group myself. Plus teens are WAY smarter than us adults, so I enjoy the challenge! YA books  have to be fast paced and get straight to the point to compete with all the other distractions teens  have in day to day life, so you really have to up your game when writing for young people. Tell us about the most recent book you've worked on. I’ve just wrapped up a very early draft of a top secret project, that we are hoping to get contracted  soon.  For stuff I can talk about, I’m in full swing promoting my upcoming internat...

 Children's Books North  We Are Three!  It hardly seems possible that it is already three years since we launched Children's Books North with our very first social event in Manchester February 2020. Our third year was another packed year of celebration, promotion and championing the creativity in the North and Scotland. Now seems like a good time to look back on a great 2022 ...  2022 Mentor scheme The second year of our mentor scheme for aspiring publishing professionals brought a brand-new cohort of mentees for Emma, Tilda and Liz to work with. Luke Power, Joanne Ruffell and Helen Varley joined us to take their first steps into learning more about the publishing industry. We're absolutely delighted that for our 2023 mentor scheme we will be joined by more publishing professional mentors, giving us the opportunity to offer additional mentee places to aspiring professionals. Watch this space for further announcements. CBN Summer Social After a long two and a half yea...

  Northern Highlights  Esther Kent Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in  three words?  For the last 10 years I’ve lived in Kinross, which is sometimes cheekily  described as ‘40 minutes north of Edinburgh’… Actually it’s a really  special place all of its own; a small town nestling on the edge of the  largest lowland loch in Scotland, where Mary Queen of Scots was once  held captive. Three words? Community, landscape, history. What is special to you about illustrating children's books, and what  is your favourite thing about it? Writing and illustrating picture books is something I have wanted to do  for as long as I can remember. I have very strong, multi-sensory  memories of being read to as a small child, and of the magic of voice  and images merging to become one living story. The way that words and  pictures interact is absolutely my favourite thing about picture books,  and for me the most ...