Reply to Diane’s blog on the future of Caribbean children’s books.

Diane Browne

In response to Diane's Blog I really hope some way can be found to reprint and sell some of Diane’s books, and to celebrate her contribution to Caribbean children’s literature. How about approaching the Calabash Festival, which every year reprints a book which has gone out of print?

An alternative for authors is to get grant funding or to find a sponsor. Annick Press, which published Olive Senior’s picture book Birthday Suit, acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for their publishing activities. (Even so, booksellers in Jamaica are reluctant to sell it, as, when it reaches Jamaica, the price is way above the average price for similar books.) I don’t know if there’s an Arts Council in Jamaica, but there are several foundations, such as NCB, Scotiabank, Jamaica National and Digicel to which authors should be able to apply for funding. Perhaps the Commonwealth Foundation also gives grants to writers.

Joanne Gail Johnson recommended to the authors of the Island Fiction Series that we find private sector sponsors as she did for her children’s books. The model she followed was to ask the sponsors to buy 500 copies of her book, after which she has a book tour, reading to groups of thirty children at a time and donating the books to them. This goes along with giving samples of the company’s product to the children and a print advertising campaign. That suggestion has so far been too daunting for me.

When I consulted Diane about the feasibility of doing a print run for Delroy and the Marog Princess, she laid it out for me pretty much as she has done in her blog. The initial outlay itself is prohibitive, after which you have to find storage space for your books. If you sell through a distributer, either the selling price is above what the market will stand or you lose money or at best break even. If you decide to sell it yourself, it means putting gas in your car to drive around to potential purchasers. Based on these considerations, I decided to go the e-book route. As yet I can’t say how successful that will be.

You don’t have to have a specific e-reader to download a book. Any computer will do. Kindle has an app you can download to your computer to download kindle books, including picture books. In fact a computer would probably be better for picture books, as pictures on the regular kindle are on the gray scale. We don’t know how many children in Jamaica have access to a PC, a lap-top or a tablet, but I think we should look at the historical perspective. In the 1960’s it was said there would never be such a thing as a PC. In the 1990’s, any cell phone was a status symbol, and they were huge by comparison with today’s. I don’t think the time when children in Jamaica have their own e-readers is that far away. India is trying to manufacture an e-reader to sell for US $50.00, which when compared with what parents have to spend on school books every year is not excessive. We should at least prepare for the eventuality that the future of Caribbean children’s books may lie in the digital realm.

1 Love Medusa Reunion Donate Books

    A group of friends, originally from Montego Bay, gathered here with their families, for a week of activities to celebrate Jamaica 50. The name of their reunion group, “1 Love Medusa”, is derived from a disco named Medusa which they operated in the 1970’s. Now most of them are living abroad from Texas to Canada. During their stay they enjoyed outings to Xtabi Resorts, Negril; YS Falls; and Port Antonio. In Montego Bay, they sampled gastronomic delights at Pier One, Seahorse Grill, Cornwall Beach and at homes of friends and family. They also found time for one of their favourite haunts, Doctor’s Cave Beach.



    Amidst their fun activities, they remembered the schools they attended. They decided to donate to these schools copies of my book, Delroy in the Marog Kingdom. I will give a book reading at the same time as delivering the signed books to the schools, when the new school term starts in September. Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, a fantasy/folklore chapter book for 10-15 year-olds, was judged Best Children’s Chapter Book (Readers’ Choice) by the Book Industry of Jamaica in 2011. It was chosen by the Jamaica Library Service to be used in their Summer Reading Competition 2011.
    I have now published the sequel, Delroy and the Marog Princess, as an e-book available for sampling and purchasing at Smashwords. Also available to download free at Smashwords is “Flash”, a short story for 8-12 year-olds, about a boy who was inspired by Usain Bolt. This story was awarded a silver medal and “Best Junior Short Story” in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s Creative Writing Competition 2010.


If you, too, would like to donate Delroy in the Marog Kingdom to the school you attended, please email me at hwms54@hotmail.com to make arrangements to sign your book. If you live near that school, you might prefer to donate it personally.

1 Love Medusa Reunion

In photograph, left to right


Back row: Joshua Williams, Leann Williams, Donna Delgado, Audrey Tenn, Marjorie Jones, Alistair ‘Wally’ Jones, Bobby Chin, Richard Lam.

2nd row: Michael Williams, Dawn Kelly, Helen Williams, Valerie Marshall, Cherry Wilson, Pam Morris.

Front row: Karen Lue, Dana Lue, Tiffany Chin and Kimberly; Shannon Chin, Brandon Chin.

Missing from photograph: Justin Lue, Paul Chin and Steve Chin.

"Flash" available free on Smashwords

You can download “Flash” free from Smashwords. It is a short story for 8-12 year-olds, set in Kingston, Jamaica in 2008. Abandoned by his father, his mother in prison, 10-year-old Flash has a rough life. His only talent is that he can run fast, hence his nick-name. He lives with his grandmother in a depressed part of the city. When Weesie, the local gang leader tries to recruit him, Grandma sends him to live with his aunt in a nearby community. Flash and his cousin begin their summer holidays getting into all sorts of mischief, but when the Olympic Games begin, they are thrilled to watch the Jamaican athletes on television. Inspired by Usain Bolt, Flash finds renewed hope for the future and motivation to turn his life around.

I wrote this story a few years ago, but with the 2012 Olympics soon to start in London, it has become relevant once more. It may help to explain to non-Jamaicans how desperately important the achievements of our athletes are to this country.

"Flash" won a silver medal and Best Short Story Writer in the Jamaica Cultural Development Creative Writing Contest 2010.

No pen-name for me on Smashwords

I like my pen-name Billy Elm and it has several advantages, not least of which is that it is unusual. If you google Billy Elm, I will be up there on the first page. Unlike Helen Williams. There are at least 2000 of us in the N. American region. However, I can't produce any I.D. to say that I'm Billy Elm! I had to register with Smashwords as Helen Williams, as a result of which Delroy and the Marog Princess has to be by Helen Williams, both on the first page and on the cover. I have made this change at Smashwords, so hope I will now be eligible for their premium list.
       It is available at Smashwords for $5.99 and for the month of July is 25% off. When that offer closes, I will be putting it on Amazon. You can still download to your kindle direct from Smashwords. You can also have a sample read to see if you like it or if you think your 12-15 year-old would like it. The link to it is

http://smashwords.com/b/175987

Publishing my e-book "Delroy and the Marog Princess"

When I wrote Delroy in the Marog Kingdom, I had no idea that I would write a sequel to that story. After some prompting form my critique group, Delroy and the Marog Princess began to take shape and after many rewrites gelled in its final form. It is a fantasy story for 12 to 15-year-olds. Although it is a sequel to my first book, it can be read as a stand-alone book. Set in Jamaica, there are echoes of myths and legends, and an aura of romance. Delroy isn’t sure if his adventures in the Marog Kingdom really happened, (becoming a type of frog called a marog, when he was swept into an underground river). His resolve to forget that awful event is shattered when Rana, the Marog Princess, becomes a girl and appears in his village. After his goal to turn her into a marog fails, he realizes he’s falling in love with her. Now his greatest fear is that she will transform before he can win her heart.

The story can be viewed or purchased at Smashwords.

 When I wrote the sequel, I had an inkling that I might self-publish, but I was yet to discover the enormous potential of e-publishing. Winning the Best Intermediate Writer Award in the JCDC Creative Writing Competition 2011 spurred me into investigating this option. I had been given a Kindle for Christmas in 2010, so was able to read several helpful e-books, including We Are Not Alone - The Writer’s Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb and Smart Self-Publishing : Becoming an Indie Author by Zoe Winters. Shevi Arnold wrote a most informative blog post on self-publishing and recommended both these books.

Looking into the possibility of doing a print-run, I consulted with Diane Browne who self-published The Ring and the Roaring Water. I got as far as contacting a few printers for estimates, but as Diane had warned, the cost was prohibitive. However, the main impediment to doing a print-run is the marketing and distribution. One has to have storage space for 1,500 books (the most economic number) and be in a position to distribute them. Book distributers charge 40% of your selling price, which either results in the price going out of range at which the consumer will buy, or the author making no profit at all. To do one’s own distribution means driving around to potential customers, which with today’s gas prices and hazardous road conditions is a definite no-no. Hence my foray into the world of e-publishing.


My main source of information was Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker. Following his recommendation to have the book professionally edited, I asked Hazel Campbell if she would do so. Hearing from Curdella Forbes that the artist who designed the cover of her latest book Ghosts, published by Peepal Tree Press, was Erold Bailey, I enlisted his services also. I decided to do my own formatting, as it gave me an opportunity to have a last read-through of my manuscript to pick up anything that I might have missed previously. Although I followed the Smashwords Style Guide to the letter, it was with great trepidation that I uploaded it. Apart from having to make it Word 1997-2003 compatible, I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to upload without difficulty in a short time. My book is now pending review for premium catalog distribution. They say that should take about two weeks, but considering that over 100 books a day are being uploaded to Smashwords, I could understand if it takes longer. I’m hopeful that it will make their premium list as it passed the EPUB validator test. If it does, it will be passed on to distributers like Barnes & Noble, Apple’s iBookstore, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, and Baker & Taylor. I’m still a bit confused re Amazon. As I understand it, you have to sell quite a few books at Smashwords before Amazon will distribute, but you can download to Kindle direct from Smashwords. I’m also investigating the possibility of downloading direct to Amazon.


My next project is to write a sequel to Delroy and the Marog Princess. The whole story is already in my head, waiting for me to make time to write it down!

Racial and cultural bias in books for children

I came across an interesting article in the Mar/Apr 2011Bulletin of the Society of Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI. (No matter that I got it over a year late - it is still relevant.) The title of the article by Suzanne Morgan Williams is "Supporting Diversity, Supporting All Our Children". She refers to data from the Cooperative Children's Book Centre, University of Wisconsin, Madison which received 3400 children's books out of the estimated 5000 published in the USA in 2010. (See www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/pcstats.asp )
Williams compared the % of the US population with the % of books received by CCBC in relation to race, authors and content of the books.
                                              % of US population         % of  authors              % of books
                                                                                                                      
African/African-Americans               14%                             2%                                4.5%

American Indians                               1.5%                           .02%                              .06%

Asian Pacifics
/Asian Pacific Americans                   6%                             1.7%                              1.8%

Latinos                                             16%                            1.5%                              2%

Caucasian and not Hispanic               63%                          95%                              91%

Willams asked "What does this mean for the almost 40% of US children who come from different backgrounds? Do Caucasian kids come to believe the whole world is like theirs?"
She also quoted the SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver and President Stephen Mooser who are both in favour of diversity in books for children and in those who write for them. I hope SCBWI is now putting some pressure on the powers that be to change the situation.
I think these findings have a great deal of relevance for us here in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Jamaica's population is about 95% of African origin, but most of the books available in our libraries and bookshops are by Caucasion authors, about Caucasian protagonists. This is a situation which Diane Browne, among others, has written and spoken about extenisvely, but their recommendations are not reflected in the available books.

This situation originated in the books supplied for children by Jamaica's colonial masters in England. Children's classics about English children were the recommended fare, not only in Jamaica but in all British colonies in the Caribbean, Africa and India. Amidst all the clamour for getting rid of the last vestiges of colonialisation, it is surprising that more people aren't actively searching for Jamaican and Caribbean books for their children.  It would be interesting to have a similar analysis of children's books published in the UK, given the changes in the racial composition of the population there in the last fifty years.

Perhaps these observations also indicate that there is an opportunity for Caribbean authors to break into the North American market. While continuing to make sure that our work is of the highest quality, we need to be persistent in the face of repeated rejections. Maybe one of these days Caribbean stories will be in demand both here and overseas.

More Children's Drawings

In the end, only one more child, Ciara, aged 5, gave me drawings to display. Thank you, Ciara.
Here they are.

Flag

Flower

Ciara's House. You can see beds inside.

Ciara's aunt in front of her house. 

A football



A flower