Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Thoughtful teen book tackles difficult subject

Adrian and the Tree of Secrets by Hubert, Marie Caillou (Illustrated by)
September 9, 2014, Ship Date: August 18, 2014
9781551525563,
1551525569
$18.95 USD
Juvenile Fiction / Comics & Graphic Novels / General
Ages 12 to 18, Grades 6 And Up
Arsenal Pulp Press
128 pages

Color illustrations throughout

This well-illustrated and thoughtful book is difficult to review, because the Kindle versions distorted the formatting.  As a result, words jumped out of speech boxes in such a ways as to make it difficult to follow the story.

However, it was worth persevering with from the point of view of finding out how the author, with the single name of “Hubert”, handled a challenging story-line.

The blurb says “Adrian and the Tree of Secrets is a poignant, beautifully illustrated graphic novel about first love, growing up, and having the courage to be true to yourself”.

Rather than the usual story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, they fall out, then fall back in love again and everyone lives happily after, this “bittersweet” story is about Adrian, who is described as a nerdy teenaged boy who falls in love with Jeremy, the cool kid in school.

This being France, the twist here is that the boys are at a Catholic school where the principal thinks rumours Adrian is gay as a sign that he is “ill”.  When cool-kid Jeremy takes the lonely Adrian under his wing (literally) in a tree hut, there can only be one outcome – the popular boy’s girlfriend spies them kissing – almost too predictably in the bike sheds – and tells the world. 

The crux of the book is what happens next, so it would be unfair to go into too much detail.  However, it is fair to say that Hubert does not spare the reader’s feelings in the concluding section.

The illustrations are by Marie Caillou, who studied fine arts in Strasbourg, France.  The illustrations are spare in both their form and use of colour but at the same time manage to be evocative. 

This is a thoughtful book that I would recommend.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Self-publishing News 11 July 2014


Hi - Some more inspirational, helpful and downright challenging stories on the business of self-publishing. Thanks to those contributors below.
Mike Smith
Business Media Services Ltd
Email: ms@bms.co.nz 
URL: www.bms.co.nz 
Breathe...New...Life into your writing


Writing About Writing About Taylor Swift’s Writing
Everyone’s writing about Taylor Swift writing for the Wall Street Journal. Note to readers: Although not strictly about “self-publishing” this highlights virality of internet-based publishing tools.

Self-Publish Like a Pro: Finding an Audience
Nothing diminishes an author’s self-publishing dream quite like watching sales stagnate after a title’s release. An author aggressively promotes the book on social media platforms. Her friends, co-workers, and family members buy copies and write reviews to show support. But within days or weeks of the book launch, the author is hit with the sobering realization that sales have dropped off because no one outside of her immediate social circle is looking for it.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/63264-self-publish-like-a-pro-finding-an-audience.html

How to Get Successfully Published TODAY: Big 5, Indy, or Self-Publish?
It's the greatest time in history to be a writer. There are more ways to get published than ever before. While it's great to have so many options, it's also confusing.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-henry-sterry/how-to-get-successfully-p_b_5554920.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ir=Books

5 People You Need on Your Team When You Self-publish a Kids’ Book
It doesn’t quite take a village but you might be surprised at how many people you should have on your team to self-publish a children’s book.

9 Self-Publishing Fiction Writers You Should Follow Today
Smart indie authors learn from each other.  One way to do that is through lots of scrutiny. To become a better writer, read those who write well. To improve your marketing, learn from the people with that skill. It’s likely that there’s already someone who has done what you hope to do.

Breaking the Literary Atrophy
When we hear or read the word atrophy, we tend to think about muscles . . . parts of the body as the definition above suggests. But what about writing? Can't it suffer from atrophy, too?.
http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/breaking-literary-atrophy.html

Is your book a self-published masterpiece?
The Guardian newspaper UK is running a new self-publishing competition


Business Media Services Ltd
Email: ms@bms.co.nz
URL: www.bms.co.nz
Tel: (07) 349-4107; Int: 64-7-349-4107
Mob: 0272096861
Skype: southemer
5 High Street, Rotorua, New Zealand 3010
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