Hello Allo1010,
Of course you may ask. You came up in the search engine while I was looking at sites relating to the BWA.
I'll add post you might read elsewhere. I hope it provides some food for thought and thank you for your enquiry:
I'm a reluctant blogger and a private person, so I would be grateful if you would bear with me whilst I outline my case as one of the 15 aspiring authors chosen by the BWA for their publishing programme. You will read in the BWA posts that those of us chosen were notified on a daily basis, so there is no intrigue built into that equation.
I have read so many posts by now offering well-meaning advice and caution, as well as others questioning my motives. Related points are being raised many times over, which amounts to overkill. At least, it seems like that to me.
I hope that you will accept me as being in possession of a modicum of intelligence (or so I'm told), and capable of making decisions based on a great deal of consideration.
This is my situation:
I am not new to writing. It's in my genes. If hard work and perseverance always equate to success, I might have been published a long time ago. Unfortunately, for me, the fact that I write for children in a lyrical voice counts against me at every turn. The doors are well ant truly closed. Some of you may well argue that this is not the case, but that has not been my experience. Should anyone present a valid argument countering this suggestion and are able to back it up, I shall stand corrected.
Agents and publishers alike have praised my writing for its uniqueness and literary content. However, responses never vary in that the contentious issue of co-editing versus commercial interest prevails. This is especially the case for a new author. The Gruffalo analogy will inevitably hatch, if you'll allow me the pun, so I'll be the first to raise it. Whenever I refer to the success of this superb book, the explanation given is that Julia Donaldson was a published author before she wrote in the medium of rhythm and rhyme. Counts me out then!
Children love lyricism, rhythm and rhyme and nothing would give me more pleasure than to champion its resurgence within mainstream publishing to a far greater extent than is the case currently. My stories are not reliant on lyricism. They would, in fact, translate quite easily due to the strength of the underlying plots and structures. This I have learned along with a great deal more relating to writing for children, through diligence, expensive writing courses and intuition. This, I believe, is a valid point. Courses and how to books can and do lead to the final hurdle, at which point these particular donkeys often refuse to jump.
I have sufficient faith in my concept to have made the decision to commission a first-class illustrator/animator who shares with me a vision and a sense of fun and surrealism. Our collaboration has brought to life an ethereal world inhabited by cultish characters that I hope you might see in print one day, and actually enjoy.
This is where my collaboration with the BWA becomes relevant. I had thought long and hard about self-publishing before I entered their first competition, in which I reached the third round of judging. This spurred me on to further polish my manuscripts, which was no bad thing. Yes, the organisation of the event is something that will require attention next year, but I'm pleased that I attended in order to assess the event for myself. The venture is new and has yet to prove itself, but my dealings with the BWA have not left me feeling exploited in any way. Should I experience a measure of Catherine's success because of their encouragement, then I shall feel happy to have burned my bridges, to quote a previous post.
I find the entrepreneurial aspects involved with self-publishing off-putting. Much better to spend my time writing, don't you agree? The choice to spend a lesser sum for the services on offer within the publication programme makes better sense to me. It has a money-back guarantee and I have no doubt that I shall learn a lot along the way. It's my prerogative, as is the case for all who disagree with me who wish to warn others away.
I will no doubt be scrutinised, along with others enrolled on the programme. Would you be kind enough to judge me on my writing above all else? I trust and believe that you will.
