Rockpool Children's Books
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 June 2013 we will have published 35 titles and moved into animation, ebooks, and Apps!
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 see our Illustration, design, publishing services and e-books.
Rockpool Children's Books Blog!
We now have a blog where up to date information is fed in on a daily basis...well maybe not daily, but whenever there's time or something interesting happens!
Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013, 25 - 28 March, Hall 25 B84
Rockpool Children's Books, Hall 25 B84, will be attending the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013. We'll be on the UK Publishers Association stand again. Appointments are being taken now. We look forward to hearing from you. This year is the fairs 50th Anniversary.
Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013
Great 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! To see more of Heathers illustration:
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 great reputation for animation, documentary, drama and commercial post-production, working on many award-winning shows.
Visit the Flix Facilities Web SiteSimon Partington animated Sam Walshaw's Rose’s Rainbow and Poppy’s Magic from Little Fairies. Superb animation. On DVD’s, and certified a 'U' by the BBFC, they are available bundled with the books. Although only two 'Little Fairies' titles are in print in the UK, Bookpoint of Thailand published all six of the 'Little Fairies' stories in 2010.
Since then, Koala Books have published Little Fairies’ in Australia in 2011.
Stuart Trotter illustrated Polar White and Polar White’s Woo Hoo Day, published November 2009, and Susan Larkin's books 'All the ways I love you' and 'Good Night Little One' in 2011.
2011 saw 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 was unique as it was a Rockpool App Bookshop containing 10 enhanced e-book readers from our back list and one fabulous brand new title from Sam Walshaw, Neandersmall and the Egg. 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 1 in Apples App Store New and Noteworthy’!
Susan Larkin's delightful and heartwarming picture books, 'All the ways I love you' and 'Goodnight Little One' published with Link Dyrdahl and Big Box in the US, selling to Barnes and Noble, Costco, and Sams Club. 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. A new book by Isabelle will be available for viewing at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2013.
Sam Walshaw submitted her first books to Rockpool Children's Books in 2006. Since then she has seen 8 titles published, selling in France, US, Thailand, Australia, South Africa and of course the UK. There are several more projects unpublished....as yet. Maisey and the Pirates, her first submission in 2006 was published in South Africa, US and UK in 2012/2013. Maisey and the Pirates - The Sea Monster / Maisey and the Pirates - The Ghost Ship have published in the UK January 2013. Maisey and the Pirates - Grandpas Treasure / Maisey and the Pirates - Parrot Island will publish summer 2013.
Barnes and Noble bought Maisey and the Pirates - The Sea Monster and Lulu Ladybug publishing both in 2012. They have just ordered a reprint of Lulu Ladybug for Fall 2013.
One of Sam's early submissions, 2006, was Neandersmall, a delightful story of a little cave boy. Then in 2012, several of Rockpool's books, including Neandersmall, were produced as ebooks, for the ibookstore, by a new New York publisher, Bish Bash Books.The conversion to ebook format was done by Inkebooks, UK internet and digitally skilled designers, Paul Simpson and Tim Richardson, and the results were splendid...so good in fact that 'Neandersmall and the egg' has been shortlisted for a Publishing Innovation Award/Ebook - Children's at the Digital Book World Conference in New York 16th January 2013. Fingers firmly crossed.
The other titles taken by Bish Bash Books were - Stuart Trotter's - Scardey Cat, Boomerang Bear, My Perfect Pet, What am I? asked Butterfly, and Heather Heyworth's - Riding on an Elephant
We look forward working with Bish Bash Books and Inkebooks in 2013, producing ebooks for the iPad, Kindle HD and Kobo.
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 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.
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.
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).
Bounce Sales and Marketing
With 13 field sales representatives based around the UK and Ireland, and an 8 strong marketing, export and special sales team at head office, Bounce Sales and Marketing is well known for having the largest children's books sales team in the UK. They sell books into traditional accounts (bookshops, libraries and schools) as well as non-traditional accounts (such as gift shops, museum shops, farm shops and garden centre shops). They also supply all the online retailers, mail order companies and book clubs with our publishers´ wonderful books. Rockpool Children's Books is very grateful for the work Bounce Sales and Marketing and it's representatives do for us!
Rockpool Children's Books - Packager
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!
Submissions - Manuscript and Illustration
Rockpool Children's Books is closed to submissions of both manuscripts and illustration for the time being. Postal submissions, inadvertantly sent, will be returned only if a stamped addressed envelope is included.
For a catalogue, please contact us
