Moomins Case Study

The amount of Moomin merchandise I own is almost embarrassing and this isn't even all of it.
The success of Tove Jansson's Moomin books has extended to hundreds of applications across the world, including:

Stamps - First Day Issue
Homeware - plates, mugs, lamps, cushions, bedding, wallpaper,
Cuddly Toys/plushies, plastic figures, dollhouses,
Stationery/Postcards/ Calendars
Enamel pins - VERY POPULAR AT THE MOMENT! I wonder how you can get these made?
Fashion - dresses and t-shirts, pyjamas (Even PRIMARK got hold of the licensing for Moomin Characters!)
Experiences - Moominworld in Finland, The Moomin themepark in Japan, The Moomin Cafe in Hong Kong - (Mary Chu told me about this), exhibitions, plays

CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING

Our group arranged to meet in the studio at 9.30 today so that we could get a good start on the presentation. I always end up taking control because I worry that things won't get done if I don't, so I sat at a computer and started compiling all the images we'd shared on a group chat together.
A couple of people turned up but not everyone (disappointing), but I've learned that this is the way to do it. It's done now and we have a good presentation compiled together. My strength is being here early and being productive in terms of getting my head down and just doing the work so I'm making the most of that and taking the reigns with the presentation.

The comic fair is tomorrow which explained why people were rushing about/had print slots today. We didn't really need everyone in anyway since we had all shared our research on the group chat, we just needed to make decisions as to what goes in - what stays out. Although I was sat at the computer doing the clicking, Joe, Kieran, Kat, Mary, Penny, Amy and Dana were all super great with suggesting places to look/posting things on their blogs for me to grab into the powerpoint/popping by and checking how it was going.
Dana made the case studies which I'm really thankful for, gave a focussed and in-depth review of some classic children's books.

Still not sure who's saying what - how we are going to present it but WE HAVE A POWERPOINT - HUZZAH!

Study Task 1: Case Study - Wildwood

I've been wanting to read the Wildwood books since seeing the beautiful sting video for it in 504.

It's a middle-grade adventure/fantasy story and looks exactly like my cup of tea. Since I've decided to explore children's publishing in this module, I think it's about time I ordered the first book!

I've studied and made picture books before but they have always been early readers/pre-reading books because I haven't had the time to write longer stories. I would really love to write a book for this age range and embrace the challenge of illustrating bigger chunks/chapters of text. Looking at Wildwood will help me to see how Carson Ellis has achieved this: analysing the format of the illustrations, the relationship between art and text (and author+illustrator) and also get a real feel for the adventure/fantasy genre.

While I wait for that to arrive, here's some photos of my drooling over it in Waterstones. These are paperback versions, so I imagine that the hardback copies feel even more precious and special than these do. 

The covers are elegant and really beautifully illustrated. It's immediately obvious that this is an adventure story as the result of capturing the children on the front running - running to or running from something? - intriguing and exciting, suggests a fast pace, a journey, an adventure.

It's interesting to see that a serif typeface has been chosen because that's not typical of children's publishing. Serif fonts are often deemed too sophisticated/complicated for young readers but these books are for middle-grade readers (7-12 years) so might be trying to establish a step-up from 'childish' books and a stepping stone to the teen/young adult genre.

The covers remind me of the Narnia Chronicles by C.S.Lewis. I remember feeling really grown-up and clever when I moved onto the 'free-reader' zone in the school library and I got to choose which books I wanted to read. I was a bookworm and a daydreamer, so it had to be fantasy, but I was also aware that I was too big to be reading fairy stories. I thought looked clever reading these books, especially reading a series of books and being able to say "I've read the whole series". Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings looked too boyish to me.

These full-page illustrations have caught my eye because they don't interfere with the text. They're on a completely separate page, like colour plates (although this one is black and white), presented more as 'figures' in the book, not illustrating that page but a reference for the reader to go back and find. It feels momentous to reach these pages and it's almost a reward for reading all that chunky text when you finally get to another picture.

Study Task 1: Case Study - Little Ripon Bookshop

An independent bookshop. Values: local, small, independence, quirky

https://worksbyclaire.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ripon-outside.jpg?w=676

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jwKCV3snmnVmo0smVfqpbVSkHxlqOqh24sdZ0lEmBaWDf7X3M1fXntHhtem8o0rubWEHZbxDavbP6o36y1Gb0Bbl7X_NTgZBtwgiDb-ZIQwEDNArXcYyIS42bvHlnPd2QZxGmCYoc8I/s1600/rip+front+room.JPG

Study Task 1 - Online Resources

Publishers (resource for finding existing products/exploring market/contacting the publishers)
Bloomsbury - www.bloomsbury.com/uk/childrens/
Nosy Crow - www.nosycrow.com/
Hachette Children's Group - https://www.hachettechildrens.co.uk/
Walker Books - www.walker.co.uk/
Penguin RandomHouse - www.randomhousechildrens.co.uk/

Other Online Resources
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - https://www.scbwi.org/
(advice, articles)
Creative Bloq - http://www.creativebloq.com/
Illustration Age - https://illustrationage.com/
Business of Illustration - http://businessofillustration.com/

Study Task 1 - Trends

Summary:

Lessons in kindness in response to the year's political/social news (Trump/Brexit/Refugees/War) - CONTEXT informs CONTENT.

Anniversaries and films introduce new readers to modern classics.

Children will choose humorous titles for themselves. Parents/educators will choose non-fiction for them. Classics with a twist (modernised) will be popular.

Special editions and artistic presentations - emphasis on books as objects and possessions.

(Gift edition cloth-bound Classics in Waterstones, January 2017)

Study Task 1 - Facts about the Industry/Market

Summary:

Books are doing well, the children's market especially.

People are taking the children's and YA market seriously.

Children learn about new books from peers.

If targeting avid readers, a purchase trigger is cheap price/sale.

If targeting disengaged readers, purchase triggers are point of sale/in-store factors.