Add a Comment

As of the beginning of October, the brilliant team at MMS are working across all the different sectors (trade, education, libraries) to sell our books. Their focus on children's books makes them a perfect fit for us.

Its not just in this corner of Europe where MMS are selling our titles, they are already helping us 'go global' with our titles being released in North America through Trafalgar Square publishing (part of IPG USA). Our books will hopefully be spreading even further afield after MMS's hard work at the Frankfurt Book Fair earlier in the month and following the Shanghai Fair in November. We'll keep you posted ...

Add a Comment

We are really pleased to announce that Three Silly Chickens was released this month in the USA and Canada through Trafalgar Square publishing. Details of this book and how to buy it are found here.

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

Does your child suffer from the search for endless knowledge of tiny  interesting things?
Parcelled in tiny  interesting books?
Just between you and me, I think I can give you a solution.
Have you heard about our alphabet books?
(We have some other ones too)
(Go on.)
(Bookshelves full of books are the best.)
(That's all I'm saying.)
(Go on.)
(Be awesome.)
(Not that I'm telling you what to do.)
(I'm just pointing you in the right direction of cool-parenthood/legendary gift-giver.)
(You can thank me later.)

Add a Comment

Southwark Cathedral is London's only Gothic church. Standing at the oldest crossing point of the tidal Thames, it was once the only entrance to the City of London across the river. Buried here are John Gower, poet laureate to Richard II and Henry IV (also known as the 'first English poet' because at that time most wrote in French or Latin), Elizabethan playwrights John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, and Shakespeare's brother Edmond and fellow actor Will Kemp.

Sadly we didn't have time to peruse any of these literary graves, as Noemie and I were rushing through to meet with The Bookseller's children's editor, Charlotte Eyre, in the Cathedral cafe.

Charlotte was having a manic day following the announcement of the merger between children's divisions of Random House and Penguin. It was great that she took time out of her busy schedule to chat about our latest activities and our future plans. Let's hope that Charlotte will help us to sell our million!

Graves of John Fletcher and Edmond Shakespeare

John Fletcher (1579-1625 (circa))

Will Kemp (birth unknown -1603). After selling his shares in the Globe Theatre in 1599, Kemp undertook the curious feat of Morris dancing from London to Norwich, which he wrote about in a pamphlet. His burial record simply describes 'Kempe, a man'

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 252 (published June 1 - not going too well)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 748                                    

Add a Comment

Fantastic news -Inpress Books, which specialises in selling books (mostly poetry books) produced by small and innovative publishers, has agreed to add Hogs Back Books to its list. Children's books are a new area for Inpress, and we are delighted to be the first children's book publisher to join its catalogue.

You can check out Inpress on its website www.inpressbooks.co.uk. Fans include Andrew Motion, who writes of Inpress: "It is a powerful force for good, matching diversity with high quality, and old technologies with new. It deserves widespread support and admiration."

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 82 (published June 1 - not going too well)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 918

Add a Comment

Today has been a good day! Our quirky pre-school book Mr White by Yiting Lee is to be stocked by the Tate Modern shop. This is thanks to Ellie - an undergraduate who joined us for some work experience during her university holidays and was tasked with sending out AI sheets to art shops and galleries across the south of England.

We also received the September issue of Gardners' Select, which will go out to most booksellers and which includes our feature and advertisement - both of which are quite prominent. It's our first display ad with Gardners and I'm interested to see how it will affect sales.

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 50 (published June 1 - not going too well)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 950

Add a Comment

Promo videos for books don't come much better than this! This jaunty jungle story set to a catchy tune is great entertainment for children and adults - I found myself humming it all day long. The story, written by Marion Clark and superbly illustrated by Tanya Fenton, has been set to music by Darcy Coxall - author of Where is my Bear?  With no end to his talents, he also created the video...




This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 50 (published June 1 - not going too well)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 950

Add a Comment

Our first review of Boris has appeared - it was in Early Years Educator (EYE) and Martine Horvath (the reviewer) described the book as 'a superbly illustrated, funny story'. It had top billing too, but that may be down to the fact that the frog is called Boris, not Zebedee (which, when I think about it, is quite a nice name for a frog).

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 50 (published June 1 - not going too well)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 950

Add a Comment

Whilst it isn't bricks and mortar (rather canvas walls and trestle tables) - Daisy White's pop-up indie bookshop still follows the traditional model of books on display and face-to-face customer sales. The good news is that when people do look at our books, they seem to like them and want to buy them. That means we are doing something right. The problem we have is putting the books in front of our potential customers.

This is also a problem even if we do manage to get our books into a large high street chain because, whilst the books are in there somewhere, they are difficult to find among thousands of others.  I know because I've gone in to look so it is little wonder we are still short of our million target (and why worry about the colour of the cover being green (see footnote) if you are only ever going to see a glimpse of the spine).

To have sales success, a publisher needs to draw people in whichever way you can - perhaps because a title is familiar to children through TV as an example - or because you have a big-name author (see how sales of The Cuckoo's Calling shot up when it was discovered (or revealed?) that JK Rowling was the author.

Our Books etc. pop-up shop - take a look

The problem of 'discovery' is more extreme when we move away from bricks and mortar to the web.  Yes, all our books are available on Amazon and other websites, but what is the chance of someone stumbling across them (when there are literally millions of other titles out there) - unless you happen to have a son called Hugh, you may never see "Hugh's Blue Day" and, unless you type in the word blue too, then you're more likely to find a cookery book by Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall or a jazz record by a Mr Laurie.

That is why we are so pleased to have a small pop-up shop which opened last week on the Books etc site  - a name once associated with a chain of shops, but now operating as a completely new venture online.

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 28 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 972

Add a Comment

The third instalment of The Granimal series arrived on Friday and I was looking forward to reading it on the beach at Whitstable on Saturday. Like all best laid plans, things didn't work out. The sun shone (which it wasn't forecast to do), but there was a big distraction in the form of the town's annual Oyster Festival. Music pumped out from the harbour and hundreds of people lined the streets to watch a marvellous parade. I decided 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. I didn't eat the oysters though (too raw!).

Last night, I began Book 3 - and the opening chapter was every bit as great as Book 1.


This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 28 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 972

Add a Comment

It was great to hear the news that Jane Austen is to be the face of the Bank of England's £10 notes in 2017. I can't imagine what she would have thought of the honour, although I'm sure she would have seen some irony in it. Most of her novels were published anonymously and some of her contemporaries believed that her books were too eloquent to have been written by a woman! How wonderful that she should now be the face of what was such a male dominated institution as banking.

Male or female, it's great to have a writer back on our bank notes. As Jane herself said, and as the £10 note will now say, "I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!"

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 28 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 972

Add a Comment

While William and Kate were busy thinking of a name for the new Prince we were busy trying to think of a pen name for our latest author (Don't get excited - it's not JK Rowling!).  It's a surprisingly difficult task as the name needs to do justice to a fantastic book The Granimal. It's going to be our first chaptered book and we're very excited about it and you can see why from this eight-year-old's reaction:

http://youtu.be/B_-kTPyyzLk

He was also inspired to produce a few illustrations:

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 28 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 972

Add a Comment

Hot weather is good for sales - at least outdoor sales and we were pleased to see how popular Daisy White's pop-up indie bookshop was at Horsham market on July 13. Boris the Boastful Frog had already sold out before we arrived. We restocked and it sold out again!

Daisy will be moving indoors for the winter season - and is hoping to occupy some of the empty units in high streets and shopping arcades.

We really value these local events - they help to 'get our books out there', but we need to focus on our national audience too, and we're also 'popping up' on the Books etc website for two months during the summer. We're going to have a guest blog on its site too.
http://www.booksetc.co.uk/features/view/174-174-hogs-back-children-s-books!

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 28 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 972

Add a Comment

Our editor Abi kindly sent this pic from Ardingly Arts Festival

- it seems you're never too old for picture books!


This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 18 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999, 982

Add a Comment

If we're going to sell a million, we'll need a strong advertising campaign. We decided to start with an ad in Gardner's Select + magazine. It won't appear until September, but here's a sneak preview:

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 6 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999,994

Add a Comment

At the weekend I dropped off more of our books with our editor Abi who is restocking for the Ardingly Arts Festival. I really fancied joining the Pop-Up Bookshop team at the Festival for a day, but as I'm already taking time out this week for my son's sports day, I decided I'd better focus on calling the library stock teams instead - only 10 more councils in England to go!

On the way back from Abi's, I drove through Cranleigh and noticed the empty space where the little rickety bookshop used to be. The Cranleigh Bookshop, which had been around for decades, closed in September, and no one seems to have taken the lease on. Today, I received an email announcing that yet another long-standing independent bookshop had folded - The Lion and The Unicorn in Richmond, Surrey. The reason - crippling rent. I wonder how long that will stand empty and what will replace it?

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 6 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999,994

Add a Comment

I've now called 22 of the 90 counties listed on Wikipedia and spoken to, or emailed, their library stock selectors. (I thought Wikipedia might be more reliable than my jigsaw of the UK! - see earlier post.) The task is taking longer than I thought. The list is out of date and some counties, eg Tyne and Wear (I never did like that name), have been carved up into smaller councils (Gateshead, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside), which means more stock selectors and more phone calls.

The trouble with this sales approach is that you don't really know how much effect you're having until further down the line. Still, I had a friendly email from Jo Dixon, Stock Librarian in Suffolk, who has ordered a copy of Boris, as well as Where is My Bear? and j.

Whilst I've been tied to the telephone, Daisy and co from the Pop-Up Indie Bookshop have been busy preparing for their visit to Ardingly Arts Festival, which 'stars' Hogs Back Books (see flyer below).

I'd love to join the Pop-up team for the event, but I'm told that book buyers are selecting stock for Christmas so all working hours have to be devoted to sales.

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 6 (published June 1 - not looking great so far!)
- Copies still to sell - 999,994

Add a Comment

It's hard to regain focus after a holiday, even just a week at half term, and it's taken me three days to get back on track - there's all that unpacking and laundry and letter opening and email answering to do.

Among my emails for the week were 38 more submissions. Sometimes it feels as though the whole nation is busy writing for children, which must be a good thing. I haven't responded to the authors of the submissions yet. It took me a whole afternoon just to read the stories. If we had as many sales as submissions, we'd be laughing.

Over the last couple of days, I've sent off sample books to the key library suppliers. I also drafted a letter to the children's stock selector at Surrey County libraries. I decided to write to the selector in all the counties across the country, but first I had to do my son's jigsaw of the UK (with a bit of help from him) to remind myself what those counties are. I forgot how difficult the jigsaw is...

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 4 (not yet published)
- Copies still to sell - 999,996

Add a Comment

Add a Comment

In order to sell a million copies of Boris, it would help to have a little bit of press coverage and today I decided to try my luck with three very different different publications.

The story I was pitching concerned the fish restaurant chain #LochFyne, which has decided to introduce story telling sessions into its restaurants in order to attract customers with young children. Loch Fyne is piloting the scheme in Guildford and as we are Guildford's only children's publisher (as far as I'm aware), the regional marketing coordinator approached us to see if we could supply authors.

Boris the Boastful Frog is therefore going to be read, alongside other books, at the launch of the Loch Fyne's story telling scheme and (as luck would have it) a week before the books own launch. As this is the first time that a restaurant has linked up with a publisher in this way, I decided to see if the press might be interested.

The Surrey Advertiser said that it liked the story, as did #TheBookseller. Unfortunately, I couldn't get through to #CatererandHotelkeeper's news editor, but I will persevere with this and other publications.

The only problem with seeking press coverage is that, although journalists may like a story, there's no guarantee that it will be published - it can easily be 'bumped' by more exciting news should it materialise before the copy deadline.


This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 4 (not yet published)
- Copies still to sell - 999,996

Add a Comment

I love fetes and fairs - they have this oldie world feel about them. I love poking around the bric-a-brac and second-hand book stalls; I like buying home-made cakes and chutneys; and I even like the excitement of the raffle. So on Saturday, I headed off with my husband and son to enjoy the first fete of the season at our local village green.

It was supposed to be a cheap afternoon out - full of innocent fun, but between the three of us we managed to blow £87.40 in two hours! How? you may ask. Well, like this:

- £10.50 on books (all bargains, including a 1938 edition of Old Peter's Russian Tales by #ArthurRansom; and a set of five Readers Digest gardening books for my mother-in-law at 50p each)
- £4 on 2 second-hand board games (the Cluedo was still in its cellophane)
- £2 on a jar of home-made piccalilly (will be delicious with cold pork)
- £8.50 on 2 burgers and a hot dog (it was lunch time)
- £2 on 2 glasses of summer punch (I resisted the Pimms!)
- £2.50 on a Loseley ice cream
- £35 on various plants and herbs (our biggest expense but hopefully we should recoup some of this when (or if) the vegetables and fruit grow)
- £5 on the raffle (I'm bound to win one day)
- £2 at the British Legion Poppy Appeal stall on a key ring and out-of-date diary
- 80p at the bric-a-brac store on a second-hand plate and a pair of nutcrackers for me (more bargains!)
- £5 at the bric-a-brac store on an artist's pen and nibs for 'his nibs'
- £5.50 on tea, cake and squash (it was tea-time)
- £2 on the coconut shy
- 60p on #TopGear and #Match-of-the-Day DVDs for my son
- £2 donation to a local gallery (conscience money after my son made a clay plate, which the gallery is going to glaze)

Our neighbour '#GordonRamsay' with champion #GordonSetter Enzo

Even though my purse may be lighter, we did have a good time, and all the money spent went back into the community and for good causes. It's got me thinking, though, that fetes and fairs may be a good outlet for local independent publishers and that Daisy's pop up indie bookshop may be the way forward.

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 4 (not yet published)
- Copies still to sell - 999,996

Add a Comment

If we're going to sell a million copies of our green book, we'll need to reach even the remotest corners of Britain. Today I spoke to booksellers in the far reaches of Scotland. I came across some really interesting shops. I spoke to a friendly lady in Achins Bookshop at Inverkirkaig, reputed to be the most remote bookshop in Britain. She took the time to talk to me despite being rushed off her feet in the bookshop's cafe.  Forty miles south in Ullapool, I spoke to Avril at the Ceilidh Bookshop, which, as well as selling books, also offers rooms, and an evening meal! In Stromness, I spoke to Tam, owner of Stromness Books and Prints - a shop which, despite the name, sells only books. It's been in business more than 40 years serving a community of 2,500 without making any concessions to online sales and marketing - there's no website or email - and it doesn't offer any complementary services. It sells books - simple as that.

This blog describes the quest of a small independent publisher to sell one million copies of Boris the Boastful Frog to disprove the theory that a book with a green cover won't sell:  

- Copies sold to date - 4 (not yet published)
- Copies still to sell - 999,996

Add a Comment