Children's Books North 2024 Mentor Scheme Applications Open! Applications are now open for the Children’s Books North Mentor Scheme! The scheme offers twelve aspiring publishers living in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Scotland four hours of mentoring with a publishing professional over four months, with the goal of demystifying the industry for new talent. Mentoring will work on a 1:1 basis and mentees will be matched with a mentor that suits their interests and experience, whether that’s editorial, production, design, marketing, sales or agenting. For more info on publishing roles, see document here for a list of different departments within publishing. Applications are open to anyone interested in beginning a career in publishing. No previous experience is needed and we also welcome applications from those looking to change career path. The only essential is a love for children’s books and to be based in the North of England or Scotland. Scroll to the ‘How to Apply...

   Northern Highlight Trish Cooke Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I am based in Yorkshire. Picturesque. Family. Home. What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? It’s special when I read my story to a child and it connects. My favourite part of the process is reading the final draft after putting all the work in. You're an actress and a scriptwriter as well as a writer - how has that impacted your writing career and how you tell stories? From a very young age, I enjoyed creating characters and acting out stories. I loved finding out where the stories would go. Listening to what someone says and then carrying on the story with truth. This works for me as a performer and also as a writer creating characters and stories. It came naturally. Improvisation has always been something I have been good at, and I suppose this impacted me  not only  as a performer but also as...

   Committee Highlight Rebecca Mortimer Co-lead and publicist What’s your role on the CBN committee, and what excites you most about it? I'm co-lead and publicist for CBN. Being able to connect and promote the work of creatives living in the North and Scotland – there's so much talent here! What's one thing you'd like to achieve by the end of the year in your role? I'd like to see the number of CBN members increase even further. We have lots of exciting things planned this year and would love as many people to be involved as possible.  What's your day job outside of CBN, and what would be your dream job in publishing? I work in marketing and publicity at Saraband, an independent publisher based in Manchester. My dream job would be to own a bookshop (preferably by the sea!)  Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words? I'm based in a small village in Lancashire. Three words – countryside, wildlife, friendly. If you could be transpor...

   Northern Highlight Catherine Jacob Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I live in York. In three words: historic, vibrant, creative! What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? The whole process is special. I came up with many of my picture book stories for my own children and some of the characters are based on my kids when they were very little, so that’s very special and personal. I often write in rhyme and there’s nothing more satisfying than coming up with a super original rhyme. I love it best when I’m completely ‘in the zone’ and the story just flies out of my brain in rhyme. It’s a weird process I guess, and I have no idea how, but it just sort of happens that way! Strangely, I find writing in rhyme easier than prose. Published by Scholastic, September 2019 Tell us about the most recent book you've worked on or come across in your job.  I’ve recently been working...

   Northern Highlight Kate Pankhurst Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I’ve made my home in Leeds (I’m originally from Liverpool way ) and I work from a studio space in an old Spinning Mill at a mill site which is now home to an array of creative businesses (Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley). Three words – surprising, buzzy and … pigeons! (If you leave a window open overnight the mill pigeons like to come inside and make themselves comfortable.) What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? I enjoy the feeling of amazement that a small doodle (all my books start with small sketches that seem quite throwaway) can grow, take on a life of its own, and become a finished book. When you get to the end and look back it feels a little like some sort of magic has happened, and I’m never entirely sure how I did it. The magic of the creative process!   (I usually need a little time t...

Children’s Books North We Are Four! Children's Books North is four today! We have grown so much since our first social event in Manchester, and it has been an incredible journey  –  connecting publishing professionals in the North and Scotland, promoting regional diversity and championing the creativity of our members. Take a look at some of our highlights from last year! Launching Looking North: the CBN Directory In 2023 we successfully launched our Directory of Members, which lists published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the North and Scotland. Including CBN members’ details and recent works, the Directory is a valuable resource for members to forge new networks with each other, as well as for booksellers, festivals and other organisations to easily get in touch.  We will be updating the Directory annually as the network grows. You can download a PDF of Looking North: Children's Books North Directory of Members here . Hosting our...

   Northern Highlight Andy Ruffell Where are you based, and how would you sum up the place in three words?  I live in North Yorkshire, on the edge of the fabulous North York Moors, about 15 minutes south of Teesside. It's friendly, wild and open. What is special to you about working with children's books, and what is your favourite thing about it? While children are our key audience, I love the fact that children’s books are there to be read and enjoyed by everyone. They are such a special genre of books because they don’t just open young people’s eyes to worlds beyond their own, but also welcome adults back to worlds they thought had passed them by. My favourite part of the creative process is the moment at which an idea or character drops into your thoughts. Sometimes they sidle in without much of a fanfare, and sometimes they appear with a bang, but however they arrive, they are always welcomed as new friends. They never fail to trigg...