Hi all: this is from my efriend in England, an editor. It's off-topic because it doesn't concern spec-fic. But it's a good prestigious antho and if anyone dabbles in "realistic" kid stories, then send Tony something. Something good, please! I told him I'd only send good writers to him. -Carole *
Tony Bradman 29 The Heights Foxgrove Road Beckenham Kent BR3 4SE Tel: 020 8663 9334 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Dear writer/agent, * Short-story anthologies for A&C Black * I am currently seeking contributions to two anthologies of original short stories to be published for the educational market by A&C Black in 2008. The target readership is 9-11 (ie primary years 5 and 6), and I'm looking for stories of the highest quality, probably no shorter than 3000, and no longer than 4500 words. The themes for the collections are School and Family. The school collection is provisionally entitled *My Kind of School*, and my intention is to find stories that explore what it feels like to be a child in a contemporary primary school. I'm a governor at a south London primary where 23 languages are spoken and many of the children have come from countries with terrible problems, and still face some difficult challenges. But I've also done author visits to schools all over the country all-white, rural schools, schools in well-heeled suburbs, schools in areas where industries collapsed in the 80s and the local economy is still blighted, schools in parts of the country where 90% of the kids come from Asian backgrounds So it would be good for the stories in this collection to reflect this range. That said, the emphasis will be on character-led stories I'm looking for writing that explores real situations, and characters who face the kinds of problems real kids face. It should go without saying that I'll want an equal balance in the final collection between boys and girls, and that there will be room for both comedy and a more serious approach. In fact I'm hoping for a variety of styles and approaches that will match the variety of our schools, but as ever I'm always more likely to choose stories that are well written, full of insight about childhood and human nature, are accessible *and* gripping. The family collection is provisionally entitled *All In The Family*, and my intention for it is to find stories that explore what modern family life feels like from the point of view of children. If schools have changed, families have changed even more. Forty or fifty years ago divorce was rare, and most kids grew up in households with two parents, Dad working, Mum probably staying at home or only working part-time, at least when the children were small. But talk to the kids in a classroom today and you'll find a very different picture widespread divorce, kids growing up with step-parents and step siblings, plus kids from a much wider range of backgrounds in some of which attitudes to family structures might be very different. I an therefore searching for stories which reflect this range stories single parent families, step-families, families with problems, even boring old nuclear families, families of different cultures. Again the emphasis will be on writing that has a feel of the real, and characters who leap off the page, and of course a variety of approaches comic, serious, a mixture of the two. Of course it would be great if all the right stories simply turned up in my inbox perfectly formed, but an editor's life rarely runs so smoothly. So I'm happy to respond to ideas, outlines, rough drafts and make suggestions at any stage of the process. I do have a wish list of stories I'd definitely like one featuring a school inspector's visit, and maybe a couple that centre on major events in school life (the Christmas play, a school outing), a family gathering, a story about an absent father who returns, and so on. But these are only backgrounds that need a great character and plot to enliven them. I may only be looking for 12 stories in total, six for each collection, and the deadlines for both are June 30th 2007, although as ever, the sooner the better. We'll be paying competitive fees for a limited licence (period to be negotiated), and the in-house editor for both books is Susila Baybars. I look forward to hearing from you in due course! * * [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Community email addresses: Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe Digest Mode: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiNoir_Lit/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
