The Bigger, the Better
Desert Lake might be Pamela Freeman’s 26th children’s book, but it’s her first Big Book.
For those who don’t know me, I write under two names. As Pamela Freeman, I write children’s fiction and non-fiction, and adult fantasy and crime. As Pamela Hart, I write historical novels set between 1900 and 1930. So far, I’ve had 35 books published – my most recent was Desert Nurse, about a WWI nurse in Egypt (yes, I do have a thing about deserts!).
Pamela and her Big Book ‘Desert Lake’
Desert Lake was my 26th children’s book, but this was my first Big Book. Big Books are used at libraries and schools and childcare centres and preschools for ‘storytime’, as well as being used in classrooms for older children for visual literacy lessons etc.
Only books which have been very well received are made into Big Books, and I was thrilled when my publisher (Walkers Books Australia) called to let me know that Desert Lake was going to be printed in this format. Thrilled for two reasons: I’d always wanted a Big Book, and these editions are used and reused for storytime, becoming a part of many, many children’s lives. It was lovely to know that so many kids would hear the story of Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, and that Liz Anelli’s brilliant illustrations would form part of their childhood.
Actually receiving the book was also exciting – as you can see from my expression!
I’m very happy to say that Liz Anelli and I are collaborating on a similar book about Kakadu. I’ve seen the roughs of her illustrations, and it’s going to be amazing (she’s a genius).
Although most of my books are fiction, I do love writing non-fiction picture books. I find them a great companion to adult historical writing, which is quite demanding (researching and writing a 95 000 word book per year is a big task). The fiction part of my brain seems to be fully occupied with the historicals, but I do love writing for kids, so doing non-fiction means I can keep up that side of my creative practice without two fictional stories competing in my brain!
It also gives me the chance to work with wonderful illustrators. Here’s a pro tip: if you want to write picture books, DO NOT ask someone you know to illustrate your text. And don’t do it yourself, unless you’re a professional artist. Publishers like to choose their illustrators, and will often put a new author with an experienced illustrator. They are always trying to find the match which will make the perfect book – and the chance that your friend will be that match are pretty low. If you send them a book with great text but not-so-great illustrations, they won’t take either, and vice versa.
Quite often, authors and illustrators never meet. Everything is done through the publisher. Liz Anelli and I didn’t meet until after Desert Lake was published, and I have had illustrators in the past that I still haven’t met!
It’s rare to have a collaboration like Liz Anelli and I are developing – but it is great when it happens!
So if you want to write picture books, just send in the text. Let the publisher worry about the illustrator. Who knows? You might get someone as wonderful as I did, and end up with a Big Book too!
Pamela Freeman is a multi award-winning author of children’s fiction and non-fiction, adult fantasy and crime plus many historical novels as Pamela Hart. Desert Lake won the Australian Standing Orders Librarians’ Choice (Non-Fiction) Award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (Patricia Wrightson Award) and the Environment Award for Children’s Literature (Non-Fiction). Her historical fiction romance Desert Nurse is being released as an ebook sale in July 2019 for $2.99. This was first posted on lizfoster.com.au in June 2019.