Editors selected for Children’s Editorial Program

14/08/2024

Twenty-six editors have been selected to participate in the Children’s Editorial Program’s inaugural initiative, the Picture Book Editing Intensive taking place in October 2024.

Inspired by the highly esteemed Residential Editorial Program, which has been running for over 25 years, the Children’s Editorial Program will address training gaps for editorial staff working in children’s publishing. As well as practical skills development, the program will also provide opportunities for community building and knowledge sharing among editors working in this diverse field.

The successful participants were chosen by a working group of the APA’s Children’s Publishers Committee out of 42 applicants from across the ACT, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia. The editors selected for this year's program are:

  • Arlie Alizzi, Magabala Books
  • Emily Bauch, Ludo Studios
  • Anna Carlsson, Thames & Hudson Australia
  • Nea Close-Brown, Indigenous Literacy Foundation
  • Melena Cole-Manolis, Magabala Books
  • Johanna Gogos, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing
  • Mark Hamilton, CSIRO Publishing
  • Amelia Hartney, NLA Publishing
  • Fay Helfenbaum, Thames & Hudson Australia
  • Coral Huckstep, Affirm Press
  • Guy Iverson, Scribe Publications
  • Amanda Louey, Hardie Grant Explore
  • Erin Middleton, Walker Books Australia
  • Clare Millar, Lake Press
  • Lee Moir, Hachette Australia
  • Nicola Nelson, HarperCollins Australia
  • Rosie Outred, Simon & Schuster Australia
  • Sucheta Raj, Allen & Unwin
  • Luna Soo, Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing
  • Sophie Splatt, Allen & Unwin
  • Rochelle Stephens, Wombat Books
  • Cathy Vallance, UQP
  • Meg Whelan, Affirm Press
  • Kate Whitfield, Allen & Unwin
  • Joanna Wong, Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
  • Annie Zhang, Hachette Australia

Clare Halifax chairs the CPC professional development working group, and said of the applications and selected editors: 

‘It was wonderful to see such an enthused and positive response. The applicants represented the breadth of experience in our industry, and the passion for creating beautiful, engaging picture books for the young (and young at heart!) was obvious and admirable. We found it difficult to whittle the list to 26 attendees, but feel sure that all those selected will benefit personally and professionally from the opportunity on offer.

Not only will they be able to share their own knowledge with other participants, but they will bring back insights to their editorial work and teams. The committee is eager to see what unfolds.’ 

The program for the Picture Book Editing Intensive has been developed by the Children’s Publishers Committee (CPC) with esteemed children’s book publisher and author Jane Godwin. The two-day program comprises a mix of interactive presentations and panel discussions, including:

  • A practical look at each editorial stage in the development of a picture book with publishers Clare Hallifax and Clair Hume

  • Jane Godwin in conversation with Erica Wagner and Chren Byng on the key relationships in a picture book team

  • Davina Bell on editorial approaches to different projects, covering fiction, non-fiction, rhyme, rhythm and prose

  • Margrete Lamond on art direction and the successful integration of words and illustrations

  • Miriam Rosenbloom on visual storytelling, and how editors can work effectively with design and production

  • Insights from author Anna Walker’s experience of working with different editors and publishers

  • A case study of Do Not Lick This Book with publisher Anna McFarlane and creators Idan Ben Barak and Julian Frost

  • Literary agent Annabel Barker on creating picture books for an international market

  • A chat between publisher Erica Wagner and Trawlwoolway creator Dave mangenner Gough about First Nations publishing: collaboration, challenges and best practice in this growth area.

  • Erin Wamala, Michael Earp, Jade Wood with Tash Besliev discuss market trends, gaps, and selling to the various stakeholders, covering metadata, blurbs, covers, and the influence of gatekeepers: parents, teachers, librarians. 

  • Publisher panel and Q&A on 'where to from here': lessons learnt, mistakes made, and key tips from members of the Children’s Publishing Committee

The two-day Picture Book Editing Intensive will take place at RMIT in Melbourne on 24-25 October 2024. Our thanks to the APA’s Children’s Publishers Committee for their development of the program, the Independent Publishers Committee for their contribution of the bursaries, and RMIT for the venue.

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