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If you have a testimonial you would like to send me, please feel free! Send to info@barnybooks.co.uk Jan Beattie The Bare Bones of Hope June 2011 Having never had any of my work published before, I was delighted to
Testimonials from some students of William Farr School - April 2011 Frank Whittle The Dawn of the Jet Age Alexandra Burkitt: "Looking back over the time we have been involved in the project, it has been a hugely valueable experience. Not only do we see our names in print but we have also learnt new skills that we can now put into practice for other things." Georgina Connolly: "It was great to come together as a team and everyone got on brilliantly! We have all really enjoyed the experience." Lewis Margetts: "It has been a rewarding experience. Highlights include trips to Cranwell and I am looking forward to getting the finished book." Laura Maple: "It has taught us a number of skills, including working with people we wouldn't normally work with and organising larger projects than the usual ones that children of our age would have the opportunity to do." Lis Berreen - January 2011 All Creatures Small and Smaller I first discovered Barny Books around 20 years ago when I started to write children's poetry and was looking for a publisher. Molly Burkett read my early efforts and gave me constructive and helpful advice that I took on board. At that time I was busy with a young family and poetry for children was not popular with publishers so I put the idea on hold. Some time later, I put together a small booklet of poems with black and white illustrations by a local artist under the title “Pets Aloud” which was desk-top published with the help of friends. We sold over a thousand copies in aid of charity and people started to ask me into schools to read to children. In 2003 a new edition of Pets Aloud was published by a small company and over 1000 copies were sold for my church restoration fund. By now, poetry was an important part of the school curriculum and I started to get more and more requests to go into schools and was asked to do poetry workshops with children as well as readings. I started to write more poems for children and realised the time had come to produce another book. Once again I phoned Molly Burkett who surprisingly remembered me. She invited me to meet her and Jayne Thompson, Barny Books Business Manager to discuss my work. I was immediately put at ease in Jayne's house and the meeting was friendly and enjoyable. I was introduced to another budding author who had been seen before me and then over tea and biscuits Molly read my poems through and asked me to read some aloud as well. My poems are designed to be read aloud by parents and children so this is important. Molly and Jayne were very encouraging but business-like too. They felt I had something to offer and would be in touch when they had had a thorough look at the poems Very soon I received an email saying which poems they felt would make a saleable book for children aged up to 12 years old. They chose a selection of my original poems and the illustrations and all my new poems. They also offered the services of Roger McKay to create an illustration for the cover and some additional line drawings. They advised me about costs, ways of getting funding and how to launch the book when it came out. After a little time to think I applied to the Arts Council for funding but was unsuccessful. I did however get help from a local charitable trust and my District Council who also gave me opportunities to perform my poems in their annual Street Theatre. Once the funding was secured I gave Jayne the go-ahead and very quickly the book started to take shape. Molly did some minor editing and Jayne found me competitive rates for printing. As the book was laid out, she sent it to me page by page on line. At every stage I was in control of the process and could make any changes I wanted to make. If Jayne felt something was not right she would tell me politely but firmly and she was usually right. The total cost including editing, proof-reading, contract, illustrations, type-setting and printing worked out at less than £1.50 per copy and I received 1000 copies that retail at £5.99 each. In November 2010 my new book “All Creatures Small and Smaller” was launched with the help of my council with a stunning cover by Roger and a lay-out which showed all my poems to advantage. All this has taken under a year from start to finish despite many personal set-backs along the way. The help I have received from Barny Books has been professional and exceptional. I can thoroughly recommend Barny Books to any aspiring author who really wants to make it happen. Your work will be well-produced and will be publicised on their website, Amazon and other websites. They will find the most competitive rates for every aspect of the publication but the rest is up to you. Lis Berreen All Creatures Small and Smaller January 2011
Cathy Brown May 2010 Testing the Water Getting set for your proretirement:a fresh approach to retirement "I have worked with Barny Books over the past 3 years on writing and publishing two books. They have provided an excellent service in proof-reading and publishing the books so that they can be ordered from all leading book shops, including Waterstone's and WH Smiths. I would recommend them to anyone who has always wanted to write and publish a book." Cathy Brown |
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