Author Interview! Matthew Evans talks about his children's book and why he is donating 25% of his royalties...

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Matthew Evans

Matthew Evans, author of 'Lucy's Loo-Loo La-La land' talks about his process and how he started writing for children.

Let’s start with some introductions, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

Of course, I am 38 and have been married for 10 years, we have a daughter, 5, and a son, 2. I work in Technical pre sales at a large IT vendor and my role is pan EMEA. Away from the office I enjoy sports, I am keen runner and in the last few years have completed a 100km and a 50km ultra marathon, I am planning on my third later this year. As a family we enjoy travel both in and outside the UK, it’s good to experience different cultures but also experience those things on your doorstep.

How did you get into writing for children?

Unintentionally if I’m being honest. In August of 2011 we lost our first son following a premature birth. Since then I have entered a number of running races and undertaken challenges to help  raise money for a number of charities, Tommys Baby and Daisys Dream to name a couple. To date I think I have raised in the region of £5,500 but there is always that desire to do more and that’s where the idea of a book came in.

What process do you follow when writing?

I have only written the one book so I am not sure how much of a process I followed. I started with the overall storyline and then worked on it page by page, read time and time again and tweaked the words and story until I was happy. I then had my wife read it and then applied a few last edits. If I am honest I don’t think anyone if ever completely happy, if I could make a couple of edits today I think I would.

What gives you inspiration and who are your influences?

My kids. The whole story started out as written down things that my daughter had said to me, so the book is very much through the eyes of a child. As an example, we were on holiday a couple of years ago and visited a town just outside of Pool, I recall the town square was paved with these shiny white tiles and my daughter turned and said “look at the ice” and started skating around on it, that’s when the loose story started to form, it was lovely to see something normal and day to day to an adult mean something completely different to a child. Over the next 12 months I made notes and formed a we ideas around what else would happen. After our son was born I could see these little partners in crime, hence why the story is based on a little girl called Lucy and her brother, Jack.

What problems did you find when releasing your book?

I first published it as an ebook. On reflection this wasn’t particularly problematic but when you’re new to the process it is nice to get a guiding hand, I seem to recall I send you a few emails looking for advice. The formatting of the ebook was a little challenging, again if it’s all new to you. In the end I used a company called ‘Ebook Partnership’ as they were reasonably priced and provided an excellent service.

However, I found I didn’t get much traction with my ebook and that’s when I stumbled across Amazon Create Space. Create Space is a company owned by Amazon that allows you to self-publish as paperback. Again this wasn’t hugely challenging but when you are new to the options and settings it requires a little research. After a few attempts at formatting I decided to use a company called ‘Sleeping Cat Books’. They provided an excellent service and were great value.

What was the best part about releasing your book?

Seeing it live on Amazon and then showing it to my kids for the first time.

What was your favourite childhood book?

I enjoyed many of the traditional Ladybird books, such as the Magic Porridge Pot and the Enormous Turnip. I also have a copy of a book called ‘Podgy and I’ which was released around 1925 by Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, given the state of my copy it could well be an original. I read this to my children who think it’s quite fun that I am reading them a story that I had at their age.

Who are your favourite designers and/or brands?

The books we get now are very much decided on by the kids, we have quite a few books by Nick Sharratt which we enjoy, as well as a few by Julia Donaldson such as The Gruffalo and Room on a Broom.

Do you prefer ebooks or physical books? Why?

Physical, not sure why, there is just something about holding book compared to holding and eReader.

How much does your book cost?

£1.99 for the eBook and £5.99 for the paperback, 25% of all royalties are being donated to Tommy's  (http://www.tommys.org/)

Where can we find your book / where it is for sale?

Ebook - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucys-Loo-Loo-Land-Matthew-Evans-ebook/dp/B00O96HSYW/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424103135&sr=8-1&keywords=Lucys+Loo+Loo

Paperback - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucys-Loo-Loo-Land-Matthew-Evans/dp/1507747217/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424103135&sr=8-1&keywords=Lucys+Loo+Loo

Is there anything else you want to add?

Due to some guidelines from the Create Space service my book didn’t have enough pages so I added a version of the book with no colour or text which means this is a book and colouring book all rolled into one.

Thankyou for reading, and a huge thank you to Matthew Evans for the interview!

Racing Pigs, Rescue Dogs, Chameleons and so much more! - 'End of the Year' Blog Post by Izzy bean Illustrations!

2014 has come to a close, and what a fantastic year it has been!

I've been lucky enough to work with some incredible people on such fantastic projects - every time I get an email from a potential client I can't wait to see what adventures I might be getting up to next! 2014 did not fail to deliver, so let's see what it brought...

Racing Pigs!

The year started off with a new Fairy Tale Trail book from a long time client Evergreen Creations LLC. Adding to an impressive line of books I've illustrated for this super company, including 'Beauty and the Bees' and 'Ciderella', The 'Three Racing Pigs' was a great way to start the year!

The Fairy Tale Trail is a great series of modern twists on old classics - all in the name of promoting agriculture education! Check out these pictures of children following the stories through corn mazes and farms across the US.

Doesn't it look like fun?!

You can find out more about the Fairy Tale Trail by visiting their website;

http://www.thefairytaletrail.com

And you can purchase the books through Amazon;

www.thefairytaletrail.com/order-now.html

The Three Racing Pigs set the standard for 2014 and the rest of the year whizzed by! 

I couldn't possibly talk about all of them, in fact I couldn't even pick out my favourite as they are all so fun! Here are a few random highlights that I'd like to share with you. 

The Sea Creatures are back!

Do you remember the loveable Sea Creatures battling the tide in Grandma PaintPot's beautiful book? Well they make a second appearance in Book Two - Leonard Limpet Makes A Splash!

Grandma PaintPot doesn't disappoint, this book is packed full of action, adventure and daring acts! 

You can buy this, and the first book in the series, through Amazon

Featuring the letter L...

2014 saw a lot of repeat custom, with Elinor Hamilton bringing me another book from her delightful range of 'speech therapy' sing-a-long nursery rhymes. This one is a favourite I'm sure you will all know, go on, have a little sing!

You can visit the official website here;

www.bookcastle4kids.com

A Promise and A Pledge...

I had heard of '1000 Books Before Kindergarten' before being contacted for this project. However when I started to find out more, I really appreciated just how great it really is.

"The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book, including this one) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes you can repeat books) before your precious one starts kindergarten. Does it sound hard? Not really if you think about it. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think."

You can find out more about the project on their official website, which features articles, advice, reviews and tips!

www.1000booksbeforekindergarten.org

They even have an iTunes app!

Candy Chameleon...

In all my years of illustrating, I get to draw all manner of things. However, I had yet to draw a chameleon. So when Roxanne Dial contacted me about her book, I couldn't wait to get started! 

Candy Chameleon is the story of a lizard who has to find a way of standing out when she naturally blends in. I loved the premise and I loved using all the colours to bring Candy to life. This was a project I really enjoyed! 

You can buy the book right here!

The Missing Cakes

Last, but most definitely not least, is Policeman Paul by Chris Cader. A well written story about missing cakes - with loveable characters and a great plot twist! I'm not giving the game away, you'll have to read it for yourself!

So that's it for 2014. It's been a fun ride, thanks to everybody who shared it with me! My diary for 2015 is already starting to fill up fast, so I'll be sure to share some updates with you very soon!

I'd like to say and extra special thank you to all my clients - thank you for bringing me such fun and interesting projects to illustrate - you're the reason I love my job!

In the meantime, if you have a project you need illustrating, you can email me at izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

I hope you all had a year as good as I did, and I hope you have an even better 2015!

Izzy Bean

How to draw for kids - a guide by a children's illustrator!

I’ve been illustrating children’s books for years now. I’ve done it all; baby books, rhyming books, counting books, books about grief, books about monsters, books about eating healthy and books about sustainable living, books about having fun and everything in-between.  

So what’s the secret?

Well, drawing for children isn’t as easy as it sounds. Children are the fussiest of readers, any parent will know how hard it is to keep a child interested in one thing for more than a second. They think differently, have different priorities, they’re still learning and they look at the world in their own unique way.

So I’ve got together a little list of tips and tricks for anyone drawing for children - weather that is for your own children for fun, or professionally as an illustrator. 

CHILDREN ARE NOT STUPID

First and foremost, don’t ever think that because children are young, that you can get away with cheating them. No chance! They gobble up information and process it faster than you can turn a page, and if you’ve drawn four pigs but the text only said three - busted! Perhaps you think they won’t notice your inconsistencies, but as everybody knows, children will ask all manner of questions and are very persistant. If the story says the main character wore a red coat - you better make sure that coat is always red. If you drew a tiny egg hidden amongst the clutter of a well detailed kitchen and forgot to draw it on the last page, parents will hear, ‘Daddy, where did the egg go?’ 

CHILDREN LOVE POOP!

And slime, and splats, and gunk, and smears, and any other disgusting, and dirty manner of filth. Forget keeping that bedroom looking spick and span to set a good example, that’s just no fun! Kids love mess. Picking noses, smelly socks, you name it - kids love it.

RED AND YELLOW AND PINK AND BLUE…

This one’s a given, but well worth mentioning as it’s one of the most important. Kids illustrations are almost always bright, bold and beautiful. Things which are quite neutral colours in real life, can be jazzed up for kids. A donkey can be light blue, a fish could be a strong orange... A good tip is to use a colour wheel to see what colours go best together, and utilise them in your art. Use your imagination too! A bright red jumper might be good, but how about a red and yellow striped jumper, with a green bow tie? If you page looks like the rainbow exploded, you’re probably on the right track, but there are ways to use eye-popping colour without using every colour known to man too - play around and see what works. I often employ a ‘colour theme’ per page. So if I’m drawing a little girl’s room, I’ll use lots of different shades of purples and pinks.

PEEK-A-BOO!

A lot of children’s books, especially rhyming books, rely on repetition to capture their audience.

This is fine, but there are other ways you can sneak in visual surprises for the little ones to keep them on their toes. They’ll be grateful!

Try and use changes in angles when illustrating, a page looking down on your main character, or from behind shake things up a bit and provide a much better response when read in sequence. If the story involves a ‘peek-a-boo’ or ‘hello!’ then you might want to try some extreme close ups to make the kids laugh. Next time you’re watching a cartoon on the TV, count the number of camera changes and angles from which they tell the story, and use some of the ideas in your illustrations! 

HOW MANY RABBITS CAN YOU SEE?

This is an all-time favourite and a way of making the book last all that longer. Finding objects or counting doesn’t have to be written in the text, you can add this bit yourself without the author! Try adding some mini-games for your readers to entertain themselves with. It will be the difference between a child putting your book down after it’s been read to them, or not letting their parent turn the page until they’ve found all the flowers. Another little trick is to sneak a friendly face onto every page (without stealing the main character’s limelight!) so your child can look forward to finding him when they turn over.

THINK LIKE A 5 YEAR OLD

Or at least try to think about what your target audience likes. Countless times I’ve seen children’s books that were apparently made for adults. A 6 year old has no care about their clothes matching; princess dresses and trainers. Shorts and wellington boots. They have unbrushed hair, stained shirts, and mud on their face. Children like to see themselves in the book, so try to relate to what is most important to them, and make that important to your drawn character. 

NEVER TRUELY SCARE THE CHILD

They might like to be playfully scared, or surprised so they squeal in fright, but never, ever draw something too scary. You’ll lose the reader instantly! So forget realistic blood, or too much gore. Don’t make your character appear dead or ripped apart horrifically. You may think this is a little obvious, but you’d be surprised how many illustrators draw fangs dripping with blood, or an eyeball falling from the bloody socket of a dinosaur’s victim. They’re just kids! Keep it safe.

And finally…

HAVE FUN!

Be inventive, enjoy your work, have fun and laugh a little. It will show through in your work. Good luck!

If you're looking for a professional illustrator for your book, you can check out my site, at www.izzybean.co.uk for my portfolio of work, or email me at;

izzybean@izzybean.co.uk

Thanks for reading!

EVERGREEN CREATIONS BOOKS; Thankyou to family farmers everywhere!

I've been illustrating for Aaron Burakoff for a while now, and every time he sends me a new script, I can't wait to see what fun illustrations I'll get to draw this time!

Aaron sent me some of the printed books (Written by Aaron Burakoff, illustrated by Izzy Bean) for the Fairy Tale Trail recently, and I just couldn't wait to show you all! Don't they look great?

The Fairy Tale Trail is a series of timeless fairy tales you know and love adapted to the agri-tourism industry to help teach children about farming in a fun way!

Each story features a different food and takes you on a magical journey to help understand where this food comes from and how it's made. 

There's important life lessons for kids, but also supports farmers and similar family-friendly venues.

The books are 10" by 10" - making them easy to read, hold and look at. They feel great, and the bright, bold colours are superb for getting the message across!

The books are available to buy over at the official Fairy Tale Trail website right here;

http://www.thefairytaletrail.com

Or you can get them as ebooks too! 

See the books on Amazon

See the books on the iBookstore

See the books for Nook (Barnes and Noble)

And that's not all! The Fairy Tale Trail website features lots of activities for kids too, including colouring in sheets, word searches and more! Check it out here.

What's great about these stories is they can be applied to activities such as mazes and walk-throughs too - here's a few shots of the spreads up in the Corn Mazes, have you been yet?

Lacombe Corn maze sign

The Fairy Tale Trail is packed full of fun with a really important message about healthy eating, where our food comes from and more - be sure to follow their website for updates and more stories!

http://www.evergreencreationsllc.com

Thanks for reading, I can't wait for the next instalment, can you?

Sifting through the jargon; Ebook and digital publishing words and what they mean

Sifting through the jargon; 

Ebook and digital publishing words and what they mean

Weather you're a writer looking to venture into the digital ebook world, or an illustrator who has been asked to illustrate an ebook for someone else - the jargon can sometimes be confusing.

In my years of illustrating I have learned a lot about ebooks, how they are made and what terms to use. I now find myself using these words without much thought - but for those who are new to this language I have compiled a list of commonly used words, and decided to share them here with a short and simple explanation for each one - some of these may be pretty obvious, but you might just learn something new!

Author - the person who has written the book

Indie author - an author whose work is published either by themselves (self publishing) or a small, independent publisher rather than one of the 'big' companies

Illustrator - the artist who has provided pictures for the book if needed

Editor - an editor usually reviews the book or script and corrects any errors such as text, spelling, grammar, flow and so on

Ebook - an electronic version of a book that can be read on a computer or handheld device (e-reader)

Enhanced ebook - ebooks that are accompanied by music, audio files, animation and other added effects

Ebook reader - an e-book reader, also called an e-book device or e-reader, is an electronic device that is designed for the purpose of reading digital books - such as a kindle, iPad, Nook, etc

Script - the written text, sometimes refferred to as the 'manuscript'

Self publishing - publishing independently at your own expense

epub - short for 'electronic publication' - it is an open standard format for ebooks. It has reflowable content and the files have the extension .epub

mobi - a 'mobipocket' ebook file that is used by popular ebook readers such as the Amazon Kindle

Reflowable content - content that can 'adapt' to which ever device it is being read on. So, for example, text may flow into allocated space or wrap around an image to look and read better when the device has different screen dimensions

Fixed format - the opposite to reflowable - the content does not change from how it was originally intended. PDF files are fixed format

Calibre - calibre is a free computer software application that organizes, saves and manages e-books, supporting a variety of formats

PDF - a portable document file, it is a very popular way of sending documents and displaying ebooks

Android - google's operating system designed for smartphones and tablet computers

Hyperlink - a link from a file or document to another location or file, typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word, web address or image on the screen - taking you to a website. An example of a hyperlink is shown below;

I'm a hyperlink! Click me!

ibooks author - iBooks Author (iBA) is an e-book authoring application by Apple. Documents created with iBooks Author may be published to the Apple iBooks Bookstore. iBooks Author is available free of charge and a popular choice for many ebook authors.

iBookstore - an ebook application by apple where ebooks can be purchased and sold

iOS - iOS is Apple's mobile operating system. It is currently used on iPhones, iPods and iPads

Kindle - the Amazon Kindle is a series of popular e-book readers designed and marketed by Amazon.com

kindle direct publishing - also known as KDP - Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing allows you to self-publish your books and make them available on Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Mac, and PC

kf8 - Amazons new format used on the Kindle Fire e-reader

Nook - a brand of e-reader developed by large book retailer Barnes & Noble, based on the Android platform

ISBN - the 'International Standard Book Number' is a unique numeric commercial book identifier code made from a number of digits. All books for commercial sale need an ISBN number which can be bought, or in some cases provided by the company publishing / distributing the ebook

RTF - a text file format used primarily by Microsoft products, such as Word and Office

URL - a Uniform Resource Locator used to specify addresses on the web, a URL for this blog would be; 
http://izzybeanillustration.blogspot.com

Cloud - a relatively new but popular invention, cloud computing, or 'The Cloud,' means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of your computer's hard drive

download / upload - downloading is transferring a file or files from one computer or the internet to your computer. Uploading is to send a file from your computer to the internet, or another computer

Adobe DRM - a 'digital rights management' format that allows publishers to restrict sharing and specify permission settings on eBook files they provide for sale

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language is a system for tagging and coding text files to achieve font, color, graphic, and hyperlink effects when published on the internet

I am aware there are plenty more terms associated with ebooks and digital publishing, but hopefully this little blog explained some of the most common for you. 

If there's anything you think I've missed that should really be on the list - please let me know and I can add it!


If you're interested or currently making an ebook - check out my handy guide;
 'Making an Illustrated ebook.'