‘Oh, What a Tangle!’

Family Favourites

writer Richard Sinclair

What Will I Be?

‘Alonzo and Molly the Mermaid’

And in Hall 8 of the Frankfurt Book Fair the difference between us and Harper Collins was just 18 metres – I measured it out. That and about £250 million in annual revenue of course, but still it’s exciting.

The week was amazing in so many ways. In terms of business opportunities we got a sackful that we’re now developing. Our apps and books got a very positive feedback (which of course they would amongst publishing folk, the politest and most genteel of industries). But we have interest in our books now from China to Turkey, in Canada, USA, South Africa and Norway. Our apps too may well be translated into various languages on the basis of offers made during the show.

In other ways too the week was a success. We met so many interesting (sometimes downright wacky) individuals. Writers and illustrators are few and far between at Frankfurt but we met a great writing/illustrating team from Norway with a book we may well wish to develop. Sally Greer from Beatnik Publishing was a lovely lady we met with a great attitude and energy. Through her we met poets and publishers from New Zealand, the Fair’s special guests this year, and drank a Kiwi beer or two. The Kiwis put on a great show as the special guests (I particularly enjoyed the Samoan dance team, Tatau).

Lucky for us Anita Pouroulis, the author of our latest books and apps, was there to promote her work and us. She pulled on a Digital Leaf t-shirt and wore it with pride! And it looks like we have a distribution deal in the bag for South Africa, Anita’s native land, so her friends and family will have no trouble getting their hands on her work now.

I can’t go without saying a word about Phaidon. They were exhibiting after having just been bought by billionaire Leon Black. And you can see his thinking. The books by Phaidon are all incredibly beautiful. Incredibly expensive too, yes, but what a thing to hold and to experience. We admire your work.

So even though our hotel was right be a nightclub that boomed out techno until 8am and Neil, my business partner’s, snoring was at times annoying even this could not put a damper on our time in Frankfurt. I suspect our fond memories of Germany will continue long after all the Schnitzel and Frankfurter have passed from our systems.

Arnold  Schwarzenegger was the big celebrity name at this year’s Fair, there to promote his new autobiography. It would be fitting then to sum up Digital Leaf’s experience of the Frankfurt Book Fair by paraphrasing one of his most famous sayings: ‘We’ll be back!’.

We are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting for the very first time at this years Frankfurt Book Fair.

We’re really excited about exhibiting at our very first Book Fair, and what a fair to choose. The Frankfurt Book Fair is the biggest individual book fair in the world. We will be located amongst all the UK’s biggest publishers including Penguin, MacMillan and Scholastic to name a few.

Our core focus is to launch our four, hot, new titles Pancake Pandemonium, Oh, What a Tangle!, Mum’s Cronky car and My Monster Mayhem, all by brand new children’s author Anita Pouroulis. What’s even more exciting is that we are launching these as both digital interactive apps and printed books all simultaneously.

We’ve designed our stand on a brand-appropriate, leafy theme, having a pair of big green trees built to make our little space appear like a mini forest. We’ve got a fancy new Ipad stand to hold an Ipad so passers by can play with our new apps. And we’ve just finished filming our showreel, to play at the back of our stand on a great big plasma screen.  I think we’ll be ready to make that crucial, right, first impression.

Apart from Anita’s four book we have some other very exciting projects to showcase at the Fair. Our list has grown in a year from our debut title, Feed-’Em Fred, the Chef of Dread to almost double figures and there’s lots of projects in the pipeline too.

If you’re reading this and you’ll be at the Fair in Frankfurt please come visit us and say hello. We’ll be at stand J919 in Hall 8.0, beneath the trees.

View online article here.

It was an education for us. The fair itself was overwhelming in terms of its sheer scale. Illustrators, translators, publishers and the like met, mingled and sold rights. This is the place to come with a vague storyline and a roughed-up front cover and sell the rights to Europe. With the right connections, meetings and the whiff of a succesful product this is the place to make a deal. We will return next year older and wiser.

The Digital Café was where we felt most at home. Here we heard interesting talks on all aspects of the digital publishing business. We saw some impressive new software (not even on sale yet but apparently just around the corner). Such software promises to make the very expensive business of building apps into a much more affordable proposition.

Two companies, App Generation and Robot Media both had software in the pipleline that looked interesting. While you’re not able to deliver the cleverness and originality of a bespoke app they will deliver much of the animation and interactivity of the best children’s apps, including word highlighting and other great features, for a fraction of the cost. Needless to say we’re on the waiting list for that software and hope to use it in future to offer individuals more cost-effective ways to get into the market with a decent product.

Bologna itself was charming and over-run with students. Our bed and breakfast was perfectly located to explore the city a little and we did just that. Coffee on the main square at sunset was the highlight. Suffice to say it was an enjoyable business trip and we will return next year, minus the learner plates and with enthusiasm.

London–Independent publisher JJ Books is proud to announce the launch of ‘Tales for Great Grandchildren’, the app (for iPad), which they believe will set a new standard for children’s illustrated book applications.

Author John Jackson wrote this enchanting collection of 13 folk and fairy tales after trekking through northern India and Nepal. He has recreated a world of flying turtles, truculent tigers and talking lotus flowers. There’s even a man-eating giant who has his eye on a shepherd girl! The app is aimed at children 7-12 years.

The app builds on the success of the original hardback version published in October 2011 as a limited edition. Bound in buckram, block printed and hand-bound, the book was produced using the same methods and attention to detail used to create the earliest illustrated gift books by Rackham and Dulac in the glorious ‘Golden Age’. It is listed on Amazon at £29.99.

John, 82, who is the chairman of the high profile solicitors, Mishcon de Reya, is a polymath. He is not only an established author but a lawyer, a businessman, and a political and constitutional campaigner, who is probably still best known as a founder of the Countryside Alliance.

He set up JJ Books last year because he is passionate about publishing beautiful books using traditional methods, but he is also enthralled by the potential of digital delivery. ‘An illustrated hardback book is a luxury item, as it was at the turn of the twentieth century. With the emergence of the iPad, we found a format that would allow us to transform our books so that they can be enjoyed by everyone,’ Mr Jackson said.

‘Tales’ is JJ Books’ first app. Mr Jackson said the challenge was to communicate the beauty and quality of the book in digital form while making sure that ‘none of the magic’ was lost. ‘I didn’t want to do anything that was any less beautiful than a nineteenth century children’s book,’ he said.

‘We put the same effort into the app that we put into the book, and where possible, we wanted to enhance it. We have held the digital technology to the same superior standards that we have brought to print.’

The acclaimed illustrations by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, including 13 full watercolour plates, have been animated. Daniela worked closely with the app developers to make sure that the richness of the Indian jewel colours and the dazzling details were fully realised, down to the elephant’s eyelashes. She is ‘thrilled and delighted’ with the result.

The app will delight children and adults who will appreciate its artistic approach. There are no bells and whistles here; the stories and illustrations speak for themselves. There is the great thunder of hooves as elephants, rhinoceroses and all their friends from the forest run for their lives from ‘The End of the World’. In the ‘Hole in the Roof’ a hideous giant sleeps after a heavy ‘man’-made meal, his snores gently lifting his blood-spattered blanket. The sadness of a grieving elephant and the quiet beauty of a princess bride are captured in ‘Lovely One’.

The ‘Tales’ are narrated by John, himself a grandfather of five and a great grandfather of two, with great character, warmth and wit. There is also a Read Alone function so that children can read alone or with their parents.

The app format enables JJ Books to offer readers additional material on the background to the book. ‘Tales Behind the Tales’ is a chapter of extras which includes two short ‘making of’ films featuring John and Daniela titled ‘Inspiration Behind the Tales’ and ‘The Illustrative Journey.’

The app was developed by Digital Leaf (www.digitalleaf.co.uk). Co-founder, Neil Jeffries, said it was ‘refreshing to create an app using the latest technologies but which still stays true to the original hardback book’.

‘It is important that children’s apps are educational as well as entertaining. This app is intelligent, interesting and beautifully simple. It’s the winning combination of Daniela’s stunning illustrations, John’s distinctive voice and the Tales’ exotic characters,’ Mr Jeffries said.

‘This is one app that adults and children will want to read together over and over again, just for the sheer pleasure of it.’

The app will be available on the App Store from 28 February 2012. The free download includes ‘Introducing the Tales’, ‘The Hole in the Roof’ and bonus material. Further tales are priced at 69p (99¢) each or £4.99 ($6.99) for a bundle containing all 12 tales and additional bonus material. ‘Tales for Great Grandchildren’ will also be available on iTunes as an iBook priced at £3.99 ($5.99).

Read article on website here

I was surprised but my 6 year old likes this story more than any other.

My 4 year old son loves this book. He keeps asking if they have others out but alas… No others yet.

This is a hit with my boys. It has a great storyline and message (stop complaining about your food!) We love the narration and illustrations. Fun animations and use of rhyme too! Everything is top-notch. I plan to use this with my speech and language students at some point too, this could lead to some interesting discussions! Also I’ve got kiddos working on their r sounds, and this book is full of r-blends like dread, grisly, hungry, bread, etc.