Look how far we’ve come!
Rockpool Children’s Books published its first four titles in October 2006. Since then, its international reputation for high quality picture and board books has grown steadily, with sales to Australia, the USA, South Korea, Italy, Colombia, and now France. By October 2009 we will have published 21 titles and moved into animation! More of that later.
The first phase of Rockpool's development was to publish children's books written and illustrated by its creator, Stuart Trotter. Now that Rockpool is established, it is publishing other talented new illustrators and authors. If you have a book you wish to self publish, or wish to have your title produced as an e-book then put into ibooks, see our Illustration, design, publishing services and e-books.
Great new authors and titles
Heather Heyworth’s first picture book, Riding on an Elephant, published in September 2008, combines gentle rhyme and beautiful illustrations to describe a little girl’s adventures as she rides an elephant through the jungle to a lovely surprise ending!
In September 2009, in collaboration with S.D.L. France, Rockpool published the exciting Little Fairies, a series brilliantly written and illustrated by first-time author/illustrator Samantha Walshaw . The first two in the series are Rose’s Rainbow and Poppy’s Magic.
With Little Fairies’ in mind, summer 2009 saw an interesting major development when Rockpool Children’s Books began an association with Flix Facilities, one of the leading Post Production houses in the UK. Over the past 17 years they have earned a reputation as the go-to guys for animation, documentary, drama and commercial post-production, working on many award-winning shows. Rose’s Rainbow’ and Poppy’s Magic’ is now available independently or bundled with the DVD’s. Although only two 'Little Fairies' titles are in print in the UK, Thailand published all six of the now existing stories in 2010.
S.D.L., also published Sam’s heartwarming Lulubell Ladybird or Margaux la coccinelle. The Lulubell character has been adopted by S.D.L. as the imprint logo for its new trade list, Margaux & Cie. Sam is prolific in her talent and output, and her new books, Maisey and the Pirates and Maisey and the Pirates: Ghost Ship are scheduled for publication in 2011.
Stuart Trotter hasn’t been idle either. He been wrote and illustrated Polar White and Polar White’s Woo Hoo Day, published November 2009. These books have since sold out and are now being reprinted!
Bounce Sales and Marketing
I´d like to take the opportunity to thank Robert Snuggs and Bounce for taking on Rockpool Children´s Books last year.
We´d experienced a rather unpleasant episode which I´m sure many other publishers do at some time in there lives, but Bounce and their timely intervention, helped save the day! Their support and efficiency is superb, and it´s like being part of a family. A huge thank you to you all!
News from Bologna 2011
Rockpool attended its sixth Bologna Children´s Book Fair. We had an excellent fair, and welcomed potential customers/clients from all over the world. We didn’t exhibit in our conventional way but joined the UK Publishers Collective stand. With the support of Gloria Bailey and Helen Brown, from the PA, it was an enjoyable experience, and we may be back next year if all is well. A big thank you to them. Also I’d like to thank Mark from GBH for delivering our books safe and sound to Bologna for the sixth year running.
This year has seen a major development in Rockpool Children’s Books as it’s Rockpool App became available on iTunes three days before the fair. Created by App developers Fingers’n’Thumbs in collaboration with Rockpool Children’s Books, the App is unique as it’s a Rockpool App Bookshop containing 10 enhanced e-book readers from our back list and one fabulous brand new title from Sam Walshaw, Neandersmall. I attended the Tools of Change conference in Bologna which addressed the digital world of Apps, e-books, tablets, Apple and Android. The conference was very interesting with light being shed on this very new and fluid side of the industry. Whilst at the fair, information passed back and forth to the Fingers’n’Thumbs team in the UK, only to be told, as the conference came to a close, that our Rockpool App had gone to number one in Apples App Store New and Noteworthy’! Needless to say, interest in Rockpool’s App from publishers at the fair has been extremely strong. Follow up meetings will take place at the London Book Fair 11th 12th April. We still have a few slots available, but going fast, so if you’re interested in us developing you high quality, cost effective App, contact us quick.
Although digital was of great interest at the fair, we’re publishers first and foremost in whatever format so traditional publishing goes on unabated!
We presented new titles from Susan Larkin that we published with Link Dyrdahl and Veronica Aragon of Big Box in the US. We’ll be doing more with them in the coming years I’m sure. Isabelle Marinov, author of Scarlett and the Snail visited the fair to see her new book. It’s a fantastic love story, and very unusual as the two unlikely protagonists tell their heartwarming tale. Not to be missed.
Also from Sam, to be published in Spring 2011, are the delightful 'Minnie the Minnow' with 'Minnie the Minnow and Jasper the Jumping Jellyfish' following in the Autumn. We'd like to say a special thank you to Maisey Walshaw, aged 7, for her contribution to this book! A star in the making!
Once again we'd also like to thank Chris Mercer at YPS for printing Rockpool Children’s Books catalogue and excellent prototypes. The quality of printing and binding of these books, gives our presentation a truly professional feel.
On the Rockpool team
Rockpool’s books are proofread and edited by Jude Irwin of Word Doctor, ensuring the sense, rhymes, grammar, punctuation, and spelling are tip-top before going to print. If you wish to contact Jude, you can do so at theworddoctor [at] btinternet [dot] com or visit www.worddoctoronline.com
Paul Simpson and Dave Elsdon of LynkIT are responsible for Rockpool’s fabulous website. Beautifully designed, it has attracted a great deal of well-deserved praise. They constantly strive to improve the experience of visitors to the website, for example with our superb flip the page, see inside feature. Before you buy from the Rockpool Book Shop, which is in association with the excellent YPS, you’ll be given a taster of what to look forward to when your Rockpool book arrives!
June 2010 saw Rockpool Children's Books join Bounce Sales and Marketing. After four years with the excellent York Publishing Services who's support and help has been invaluable, our books moved to Grantham Book Services (GBS). Rockpool Children's Books was with YPS for four years but in that time developed, with them, a wonderful working relationship, one I'm very proud of. Not only do YPS house our expanding list, but printed and bound our prototypes for the Book Fairs, the quality of which impressed publishers much bigger and longer established than us. YPS's attention to detail gave us the edge over the competition! The distribution service was faultless too, with titles being despatched to customers not only in the UK, but also, to over 38 countries worldwide. I shan't name names because collectively YPS are contributed, without question, to the success of Rockpool Children's Books. I'm immensely grateful to them all. We haven't totally detached ourselves, as our books can be bought through YPD, York Publishing Services online bookshop.
Bespoke service
2008 saw Rockpool’s publication of What am I? asked butterfly, a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Stuart to accompany the opening of the new butterfly house at Chester Zoo. Spreads from the book created in resin to withstand the humid tropical conditions so loved by the occupants lead visitors on a butterfly journey through the facility.
If you too would like to commission Rockpool to create, design, write, and/or illustrate for you, from initial concept to delivery to your door, we will be only too happy to talk to you just get in touch!
For a catalogue, please contact us
