Nine hundred people, most of whom were children in their book groups, gathered in the Queen Elizabeth Hall yesterday for a very entertaining ceremony for the Red House Children’s Book Award. All the nominated authors were asked various questions and the one which they all had to answer was about what was so important about this award in particular – and they all gave the same answer. That it was a competition judged by children and therefore it meant a lot to them.
It also meant a lot to us that the winner of the category for older readers was won by Patrick Ness and Jim Kay for A Monster Calls. In his acceptance speech Patrick was very generous in his praise of Jim for his illustrations as well as for Siobhan Dowd whose idea for the book he has so movingly brought to life.
We were even more delighted when we found that A Monster Calls had been voted the best overall, from each of the categories. Congratulations to Patrick and to Jim and to Walker Books on the most successful of collaborations. More on the awards here.
Gordon Crabb worked on a new cover for Earthseed by Pamela Sargent for Tor Books last year, and has now followed up with Farseed.
More of his illustration work here.
We’ve added more of John’s landscape paintings. He’s been quietly painting the trees of Devon and we’re going to add these luscious views to the landscapes part of the site. There are also more book cover originals. However highly praised they were when he did them, he was never that careful about relevance to the novel. He was just enjoying himself painting the trees and skies.
John Harris landscape paintings for sale here.
It’s fascinating to see how different people have used Gordon Crabb’s stock photography on their covers. We’ve just added more images to the site, and they’re divided into centuries to make your life slightly easier. Gordon Crabb stock images.
Among my Christmas gifts I found a new spirit and a new appreciation for fantastic illustration. I was given beautiful books (admittedly sometimes ‘given’ to myself) about artists and their work (Harvey Kurtsman, John Burningham, William Steig) and about illustration (All the Art that’s Fit to Print – and Some that Wasn’t, Sketchtravel), and also a copy of A Boy and a Bear in a Boat which is a fine example of the kind of children’s illustrated novel for which publishers are getting an appetite.
This is all very heartening. It seems that far from heralding the doom of the book, the success of the Kindle is opening another door. Perhaps we’ll read more of our novels on the Kindle but I think we’re also going to have more well-produced, beautifully-illustrated books – perhaps even more so than before. They might not be cheap, but some will be for children, some for adults, and some for anyone of any age who likes to relax with a good book and some chocolate on a wet afternoon. In 2012 I shall certainly do my best to help this idea along.
It just occurred to me this morning, watching Eric Idle on Breakfast TV, that Paul Hess’s painting for the cover of The Road to Mars would make a lovely Christmas present for someone.
It’s 330 x 480mm and, of course, it doesn’t have the text on the painting. Paul’s asking for £600 for it. The perfect gift for lovers of Spamalot.
I met Ian last week so that he could give me the drawing I’ve just bought from him. It’s now framed and I’m delighted with it. There are more for sale on his website. A mighty collection spanning many years of his work.
Always the master of unsual perspectives, Paul was able to handle a tricky brief from Rita Frangie at Penguin US for Murder for Choir (left). Also a cover for Guy Kennaway at Vintage. Bird Brain is a book about a man who likes to shoot pheasants – and when he dies he comes back as a pheasant himself.
Paul’s originals for sale here.
A Monster Calls is now beginning to win prizes. Written by Patrick Ness, of course, and many congratulations to him and also to Jim Kay whose illustrations have also made a huge contribution to this marvellous book. Patrick is very generous with his praise, as are Walker Books.
Last week the book was awarded highly commended in the British Book Design and Production awards, and while I was away for a week there was even more recognition for Jim, with Dragonborn as well as A Monster Calls nominated for the Carnegie Medal. More information on that on Jim’s own blog.
And now the book has won the Children’s Book section of the Galaxy Book Awards. Here is the programme where it’s announced, and Patrick Ness gives a gracious thank you to Jim for his work. It starts at 14.30.
A trip to Illuxcon, the exhibition and sale of fantasy art in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is something not to be missed by anyone interested in fantasy art. The organisers of the show, Pat and Jeannie Wilshire, also have plans to extend the show and to take it into a museum setting in Allentown in 2013, with the idea that it will be easy to reach from New York. The standard of the work is high and it represents the very best in its field.
I was lucky enough to go with John Harris to help him with his presentation. We met many people who had previously bought his work from our website and it was such a pleasure to get to know them better. It was also a good chance to catch up with our New York representative, Alan Lynch, and his wife, Julie Simmons-Lynch, ex-editor of Heavy Metal Magazine.
Click on “More blog”, above, to see an overview of the show, the John Harris stand, and Alan Lynch with Didier Graffet, an artist from France who has recently attracted a lot of interest.
