Forays into animation

Working for Tradewind Books on iPad storybook app design for The King has Goat Ears by Katarina Jovanovic and Philippe Beha required that I be able to create small videos as well as image files. After deliberating over whether to buy Toon Boom or Anime Studio Pro, I went for the latter because it seemed better for cut-out animation - I knew I'd be animating picture book illustration rather than traditional frame-by-frame drawing. The first thing I created was the video invite for I Want to Go to the Moon. Then Mike Katz at Tradewinds gave me the job of creating a trailer for their new chapter book Nutz! by Virginia Frances Schwartz and illustrated by Christina Leist. I got the scans of the illustrations from designer Elisa Gutierrez and proceeded to storyboard and create this 35-second video. RascalMedia is my new company for trailers and storybook app design.

Publishers, please take note, Rascal Media is here!

Silken Laumann's kids loved Mr. Got to Go

Very interesting and gratifying video by the extremely articulate Olympic rower Silken Laumann on her children as readers and their love of Mister Got to Go.

Moon chosen!

Wonderful news from the association of Vancouver elementary school principals and vice-principals that Moon has been chosen as this year's book to be given to every school library in Vancouver.

"the book committee [met] last night and everyone absolutely LOVES your book, those of us that have also listened to the CD are absolutely sold on it!"

Amazingly, I had the honour of also being chosen for my last book, Fred and Pete at the Beach,and posted about the wonderful ceremony and children's art on the Fred and Pete blog.

Moon Launch Performances

A video collage of some of the wonderful songs and poems performed at the launch by my talented and generous friends. What a wonderful night! I am so lucky to know so many kind and brilliant people!

Vancouver Book Launch

Here's the video invitation for the Vancouver launch of I Want to Go to the Moon by Tom Saunders and illustrated by yours truly. There will be children's activities, refreshments, book sales and a moon stage for performances featuring the word "moon".
All stage hams are requested to contact me to get your name on the lineup.

Great lift-off at White Rock Moon Launch!

The launch of I Want to Go to the Moon in White Rock was very well attended with great book sales thanks to Tom's loyal and loving fan base. Tom's long musical career may be taking a turn into the world of children's music and books. I certainly hope so - he's a natural!

Canadian D&Q graphic novel publisher goes digital

There's a fascinating article in today's Publisher's Weekly online about Canadian graphic novel publisher, Drawn and Quarterly. They have a well-respected international reputation, publishing authors like Lynda Barry.

Long hailed as one of the best literary graphic novel publishers today, Drawn & Quarterly has not rushed into announcing a digital strategy for its list of highly regarded graphic titles. Now the publisher has teamed with Kobo to make its entry into digital delivery. D&Q/Kobo will release Chester Brown’s 2006 Harvey award-winning work of graphic nonfiction, Louise Riel: A Comic Strip Biography, a fictionalized biography of the 19th Century champion of French Canadian aboriginal people; and the controversial 2011, Paying For It: A Comic Strip Memoir About Being a John, a nonfiction account of his experiences with prostitutes. D&Q print titles are distributed by Farrar Straus Giroux.

I was fascinated to read about their publishing contract and that they are influenced by the Writers' Union recommendations. I've found in contract discussions that publishers flap their hands dismissively when you mention TWUC recommendations, so was really pleased to read the following.

D&Q publisher and editor-in-chief Chris Oliveros said that e-book proceeds will be split 50/50 between its authors and the publisher, citing rights recommendations from the Writers Union of Canada. “D+Q has always been an author-centric company, it is this ethos that has shaped us into who we are today,” Oliveros, “it only seemed natural to offer the fairest proposition to our authors.”