Buzz Words (All the Buzz about
Children's Books)
In 2006 I started Buzz Words, a subscriber-based twice-monthly online
magazine exclusively for people in the Australian children’s book industry. The aim of the magazine is to keep
readers abreast of what’s currently happening in the children’s book industry
and to give readers opportunities to become informed and published.
As Buzz Words aims to be as up-to-date as possible, I am constantly
searching for material such as local and international news, opportunities,
markets, competitions and awards, festivals and conferences and up-coming
workshops. To do this, I’ve had to subscribe to numerous newsletters here in
Australia and overseas, and to pay for memberships of writers’ organisations. I
spend many hours every week trolling the internet and social media as well as
sending emails, trying to contact individuals who work to publicise their
organisations’ events. Being in the industry for over 30 years, I can also rely
on my many contacts to keep me informed. A lot of emailing goes on, believe me!
Other features in every issue of Buzz Words are publishing house
profiles, short profiles of people in the industry, and an interview. As a
productive children’s author I’ve compiled an up-to-date database of in excess
of 100 Australian children’s book publishing houses (large and small), together
with the names of publishers, editors and their contact details. I use this
database -- as well as the internet -- to create the publishing house profiles,
supplementing them with logos taken from the publishers’ websites. A few recent
publishers I’ve turned the spotlight on are Black Dog Books, Book Island,
Laguna Bay and Bloomsbury Spark. Interestingly, while I was researching
recently, I discovered a new Australian children’s publisher, Dragon Tales
Publishing; I sent them a novel manuscript and they contracted it!
Profiles in Buzz Words are invariably of children’s writers and illustrators.
These people are usually subscribers. This provides a great opportunity for
other readers to see the ‘faces’ of fellow subscribers so I always include a
headshot of the person being profiled. Interviews are generally with other
people in the industry, such as publishers, editors, publicists, distributors,
booksellers, reviewers and librarians. Sometimes I am able to snare an
international ‘celebrity’ (for example Derek Landy, the UK author, in the 1
October 2014 issue).
There is always an article in each issue of Buzz Words. In the last few
– and upcoming issues -- there was/is a comprehensive survey of self-publishing
(with many links), a look at subsidy publishing, a peek at the behind-the-scenes
of book distribution, a recommendation of how to generate income as a
children’s author and the experiences of authors in schools. I have researched
and written all of these articles, but I have also paid writers who approach me
with appropriate ideas.
Other features of Buzz Words are recommended books and websites/blogs,
subscribers’ achievements, letters to the editor and -- of course -- book
reviews. There are lots of links provided to all of the above.
As Buzz Words editor I have the good fortune to employ twenty excellent
book reviewers. Publishers send these women copies of their latest children’s
and YA titles and the reviewers send their reviews to me when completed. Buzz
Words has a standard reviewing policy and format. If a reviewer feels a book
(such as a self-published title) is not up to standard, they are not required
to review it. I edit all incoming reviews and then schedule them to appear in
the Buzz Words blog http://www.buzzwordsmagazine.com All of the books are provided with
links in the magazine in every issue.
Researching, writing and editing Buzz Words – and sourcing photos and
illustrations -- certainly takes up a lot of time and energy. But the benefits
are many. Foremost I ‘meet’ many in the industry I might not otherwise have
met. I also learn much and keep abreast with trends and developments. The
feedback from subscribers is always positive. I feel as though I am
contributing to the industry which has been so kind to me for the past three
decades I’ve been in it.
Dianne (Di) Bates has published 120+
books for young readers, including books which have won state, national and
children’s choice awards. Di is a recipient of The Lady Cutler Award for
distinguished services to children’s literature from the Children’s Book
Council of Australia. She can be contacted via her website http://enterprisingwords.com.au or dibates@outlook.com
