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Friday
Jul272012

Here is some news...

Well, since this is the news area of the new site, I thought I'd better write something newsy. Luckily I have some news. This is pretty fresh news too!

I have been warming myself in the sunlight ever since the US deal for Herman and Rosie was announced - especially as it went to auction. I never expected that to happen. Macmillan/Neal Porter Books won the North American rights to publish H & R and I have only just found out that they will be publishing in the Fall of 2013 - don't know the exact date yet. Pretty excited I must say. Looking forward to getting over to New York next year for the launch and we are planning a bit of a tour as well. Anyway, to other news stuff... (and I am really chuffed about this), we have just secured publishing deals in France and Germany! In France H & R will be published by Gallimard and in Germany it went to auction (these auction things are new to me) where Knesebeck won the rights to publish. My agent in New York, Charlie Olsen and the foreign rights team at Inkwell Management brokered the deals. Charlie has been bloody amazing. Boy, do I owe that guy some beers!

I am so pleased. You have absolutely no idea whether or not your book will resonate with people or if it will just miss the mark somehow and no one will get it. I try not to think about it during the creative process but picture books are a long process and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't cross my mind now and then. Mostly you just brush those thoughts aside and get on with it. The book isn't out yet (early September in Australia & New Zealand) and it may well sink to the bottom upon release but at least it's got off to a steady kind of start. Not a great deal I can do now.

Well, that's my news. This section will probably go south from here. We are working to get the rest of the site up soon. Organising prints at the moment to sell in the store area if anyone is interested. Back soon people.

Tuesday
Jul032012

... and here it is!

Well, it took a while (more than I had intended, sorry) but I've finally got my site up. I have no idea how people find time to do these things. Web sites can look simple enough, but geez Louise, they take some fiddling and tweaking. And thinking too - I didn't want to put up something that was just 'here are my illustrations, now go away.' I wanted something a bit different. Something with a style that (hopefully) reflected my illustrations and my books. I'm not sure if I have achieved it but that has been the aim all along.

A huge thanks to Sean Pinwill at SMPC who is a master at all website technical, codey, function-please, wizardry. When I talk to him about anything 'web sitey', I wear my best furrowed listening brow and all knowing nose for about fifteen seconds when at which time I begin to nod my head at a rapidly increasing rate while 'The Entertainer' plays on a piano accordian in the background (at least that's how it feels). I then hope he doesn't ask me what he just said. Then he goes away and does things... and then BAM!! There it is! Like magic. He has spent a crazy amount of time putting it all together.

There a still good deal of things I (Sean) need to do yet but it's well on the way. Please let me know if something isn't loading or working or if it just looks crappy. I will be putting stuff up and tweaking things on a semi regular basis - just like my old blog. In the meantime, grab a coffee, take a look around, sample a vegetable or too. Love to know what you think. See you soon - I have some exciting Herman and Rosie selling into other countries, news!

PS. Busy working on 'I am Cow, Hear Me Moo! at the moment. The illustration above of Nadine appears on the title page.

Thursday
May172012

New site - it is coming (no, really!)

Sorry it's been a little quiet around here. I have been busy illustrating a picture book called 'I am Cow, Hear Me Moo!' for Penguin US and working on the site with the very clever Sean of SMPC at every opportunity I get. This blog will become the 'News' section and it is all going to be hosted on the Squarespace platform which is pretty flippin' cool. I am very happy with the way it's shaping up so far - really clean looking and really me. A clue: think vegetables.

Anyway, ah... it's going to up sometime soon. Hope all's well with everyone. Cheers, Gus x

 

Friday
Mar232012

New site

Hey everyone. Just letting you guys know that I am changing this blog and transforming it (rather slowly!) into a bona fide website with a whole lot more stuff going on - woah!

Anyway, stay with me (please) while a bunch of tweaking (that's code speak people) and prodding is happening. I'll try to keep the noise down. Stay tuned.

Wednesday
Mar142012

Herman and Rosie cover

 

Click to embiggen

 

UPDATE! 
  
I can finally, officially tell you my news! Herman & Rosie has been sold to a US publisher! My agent in New York ended up taking the book to auction where Neal Porter Books (Macmillan) won the rights to publish. Very exciting! There is a bit about it in Publishers Weekly here: (http:// us1.campaign-archive1.com/ ?u=d684790bedf89afe76e7b915 6&id=874e62f3f2&e=cf2ee82a e1) Will let you know US publishing dates when I get them. Huge thanks to my agent Charlie Olsen at Inkwell Management. Have been sitting on this for two weeks - couldn't hold it in much longer!
Woah! It's been awhile huh - sorry. Well, my book, Herman and Rosie is in the bag, done and dusted. It is now doing the rounds overseas (I have some exciting news about this but can't tell you just yet!) So happy to have finally finished what has been a huge project for me - one that was both fun and exhausting. I don't want to crap on about the hours I put into this book but I can safely say that I have never spent as much time on one singular book. There is a little more about this in an interview I did over here at the Kids Book Review (KBR) site. Thankfully Penguin Australia were very patient (they were probably freaking out underneath but I'm glad they didn't let on!) I also worked with some really great people - my editor Katrina Lehman, my designer Tony Palmer and my publisher Laura Harris. These guys put in some hefty hours as well. 
Herman and Rosie comes out in Australia and New Zealand in September and as far as elsewhere in the world, I will let you know soon - when they let me talk about it!

 

Anyway it's done and I am allowed to show you the cover (above). Hope you like it.