Since I didn't know prior to the CYA Conference, maybe you don't either, but it was one of the things Paul Collins mentioned in his excellent session entitled 'Marketing Your Book'.

Unless you are on the A-list with your publisher, preparing an Advance Information Sheet is something you should do yourself and then send to bookshops and potential reviewers. Whether you are an author or illustrator, you should put one of these AI's together and distribute them. (Sometimes they get referred to as an AIS.)

So what is it? It is a single A4 page document that contains comprehensive information about your book. Nitty gritty stuff about page length, height and width, ISBN, recommended retail price, publisher as well as an image of the book cover, an outline of the storyline, something about the author, something about any planned media coverage, something about the target audience, and information on how to order the book.

You can read here how Joanne Phillips prepared her own AI for a self-published book, and see an image of it too. https://joannegphillips.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/getting-into-bookshops-advance-information-sheets/

This next link looks a bit dry, but it contains some need-to-know basics as well as a download link to a sample AI template. http://www.centralbooks.com/publisher/books/home_ai.html

And this link contains an excellent checklist to make sure you haven't forgotten anything, as well as some reasons why it needs to be included, for example if you send it as a Word document that will make it easier for a bookseller to add their own notations or cut and paste relevant information into their sales catalogue. http://www.globalbookmarketing.co.uk/default.php?p=advance-information-sheets

The earlier you are able to send your Advance Information Sheet to booksellers and reviewers prior to publication date the better.

Usually a rejection of a manuscript query comes without adequate reasons why it was rejected. Many queries get rejects at the query letter level. Another significant number get rejected on the first page of the manuscript. The rest get rejected further into the manuscript. Only a tiny fraction of manuscripts make it to an acquisitions meeting.

This year the 2015 CYA Conference helped writers understand what it takes for a manuscript to make it through that First Page test. To do this they asked volunteers to send in copies of the first page of their manuscript, and then asked a panel of publishing experts to indicate when they would stop reading a first page, and then talk about their reasons.

For this session the publishing experts were: Alex Adsett  a literary agent from Alex Adsett Publishing Services; Jacinta di Mase, a literary agent from Jacinta di Mase Management; Rochelle Manners, an independent publisher from Wombat Books and Rhiza Press; Paul Collins, the publisher at Fort Street Publishing; and Karen Tayleur, editorial manager at The Five Mile Press.

If you can answer 'no' to all these questions, your manuscript is odds on to make it through the First Page test:

Is your dialogue clunky?

Is your word count bigger than the average size of your genre?

Does your prose meander?

Is the amount of telling greater than the amount of showing?

Have you used the phrase 'This is how it all started…'?

Does your First Page describe a minor character?

Does your First Page lack action?

If a picture book, are your illustration notes missing?

Could your First Page be described as 'too wordy'?

Have you failed to make a reader curious enough to turn the first page to find out what happens next ?

Would a publisher get hate mail from history experts-upset at historical inaccuracies-if they published your work?

Do you get tongue-tied when you read your First Page out loud?

Does your first page include terms inappropriate for a child audience, eg 'hot date'?

Have you written your work for parents more than for children?

Have you failed to bring your reader into the story with effective word pictures?

Is your First Page ambiguous about being fiction or non-fiction?

Does your First Page include a list?

Does your First Page include a long epitaph or slice of poetry?

Does your First Page read like a prologue?

Do you have more description than action?

If a picture book, does it rhyme?

Have you used more than 12 adjectives in your First Page?

Have you taken more than 3 sentences to describe a scene?

Have you used the phrase: 'Once upon a time?'

Have you used trendy language that will date your book? For example: eco-farmer

Does the reader have to guess the age range of the main character?

Is the age group the book is written for unclear?

Is your book too funny or too serious?

Have you failed to include a hint on the First Page about the major complication/problem of your story?

Now that you have answered these questions for yourself, go find someone else to read your First Page and answer them. Then deal with any questions that received a 'Yes' answer. When your edits and re-writes are done, go through the process again. If you get all Nos from yourself and your someone else, then you can go back to querying your manuscript.



If you would like a copy of the more detailed Conference Notes that are being sent out to CBHunCC members via email, send through your name and email address through the Contact page.

This year there were 3 success stories.

Jennifer Loakes, the author of a picture book with a very topical story about making friends with someone who comes from a completely different culture and who has been wounded by trauma.

Helene Magisson, an illustrator who really did her industry homework, saw a niche in the market for illustrating classic children's stories, prepared her portfolio accordingly and now has a published picture book and at least 2 more in the pipeline. Her online portfolio at Illustrators Australia sells her abilities (better than her website does), and is a portfolio worth studying.

Georgie Donaghey, the author of a picture book, founder of Creative Kids Tales , the momentum behind the radio show 'The Author's Shelf', and the official CYA Conference Tweeter.

Why did their publishers think their work would sell? It is a commercial decision, and if a publisher can't see a sizable market for the proposed book then there won't be a contract.

For Jennifer's 'Mate and Me' there is an obvious market in primary schools looking for resources to help children think through asylum seeker issues, and the skills needed to welcome any new student who comes to the classroom from a different culture.

For Helene her consistent style, technical quality, compositional ability and lyrical approach were what a publisher was looking for in an illustrator for new editions of 'stood the test of time' children's stories. Classics like 'The Velveteen Rabbit' will always sell, but they will sell magnificently well if the illustrations are just right.

For Georgie her social media reach is so extensive and her personal connections so friendly and helpful that just about any book with her name on it would sell due to our innate human curiosity to find out more about what makes her tick. Having a beautiful cover for 'Lulu' is icing on the cake.

It doesn't take much of a crystal ball to predict that Georgie's book will have the best first year sales figures. Jennifer and Helene's online presences are less than 2 years old. Georgie has 4 years of consistent online presence under her belt, big numbers of media and publishing connections and well over ten times the number of social media connections than the other two.

What can we learn from them? 

Perfect your craft be it writing or illustrating. Do your industry research. Start working consistently on your online presences now. An hour or two set aside for social media once a week will pay big dividends when it is your turn to launch a book.




For my conference notes on their journey to publication speeches and an analysis of the effectiveness of their online sites, together with the rest of my conference notes as they progressively get typed up, send me an email address through the Contact page.

On Saturday 4 July 2015, four of our members were at the CYA Conference in Brisbane. One of them conducted a master class for children's book writers, one received a 3rd place in the Hatchling Illustration category, and all of us listened and learned a lot in a very short space of time.

These photographs were taken by Peter Allert, the official conference photographer, and a well respected illustrator in his own right.

After the competition winners were announced we started the day with three publishing success stories, two from writers and one from an illustrator. Then we discovered what it takes to keep an agent's and publisher's attention beyond the first page of a manuscript. From there we sat at the feet of Paul Collins of Ford Street Publishing and had a mini masterclass in marketing children's books. Ben Long walked us through his self-publishing experiences in printing and selling two picture books. Jacqui Honeywood took us through the strategic side of blogging, and an extended masterclass with Morris Gleitzman on what makes a story worth telling wrapped up the day.

It was a lot of information to take in, so I will be typing up my notes from each session on a more or less weekly basis. Digesting them at that slower rate makes them easier to absorb and put into practice. CBHunCC members will get them through the Yahoo feed. However, if anyone else would like to be on the email list for those conference notes, send your request through the Contact page.