Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Favourite Self-Published Children's Books

Have you ever thought about self-publishing? 
There are so many things to think about when you remove the traditional  publishing house from the equation. As a self-published writer, you take on the conventional and additional roles of editor, designer, salesperson and marketeer. You have the opportunity to make every decision regarding the publishing process and juggle all of these aspects until, finally, the book is ready to be published. You have full control and responsibility for everything but you also have to get it printed, market, promote, distribute and sell the book. It sounds like a daunting task but it also can be very rewarding. 

Here are some of my favourite self-published reads that managed to create, not only a brilliant story, but also establish and promote themselves effectively as a self-published writer. It set the foundations for most of these authors to then land a traditional publishing deal and go on to have a brilliant writing career. Here are some of my favourites. If you haven't read or heard of some of these then I would recommend that you check them out - you won't be disappointed.

* Christopher Paolini - Eragon - Paolini International, 2001.

One boy . . . 
One dragon . . .
 A world of adventure.
When Eragon finds a polished stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. 

Overnight his simple life is shattered and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands...

* G. P. Taylor - Shadowmancer - Published by Mount Publishing Ltd, 2002.

Shadowmancer takes you into a world of superstition, magic and witchcraft, where the ultimate sacrifice might even be life itself.

Obadiah Demurral is a sorcerer who is seeking to control the highest power in the Universe. He will stop at nothing. The only people in his way are Raphah, Kate, Thomas and the mysterious Jacob Crane.

Packed full of history, folklore and smuggling, Shadowmancer is a tale of an epic battle that will grip both young and old. The thrills, suspense and danger are guaranteed to grab the attention and stretch imaginations to the limit.

* Charmian Hussey, and illustrated by Christopher Crump - The Valley of Secrets - Published by Saint Piran Press, 2003.
Abandoned as a baby, Stephen had nearly given up hope of ever finding his family. This epic adventure follows his change in fortunes as he receives an unexpected letter from a strange source and sets off on an unforgettable journey. From a drab room in London, where the rain comfirms the greyness of his life, Stephen travels to a Cornish Valley; remote, exquisitely beautiful and heavy with secrets.

* Mark Lamb and illustrated by Matthew Armstrong - Farperoo - Published by Madriax Press, 2005.
Dare to enter a fabulous tale of angelic magick, dark ritual and strange, inedible food. Thirteen year old Lucy Blake is an orphan with a talent for telling lies, or as she prefers to call them, inventions. Our heroine has the power to move between worlds and can conjure changes in reality simply by telling stories. Not that her life isn’t interesting enough already. Before her fourteenth birthday comes round she’s going to steal a priceless work of art and find herself pitched in combat with the winged hordes of heaven. An evil angel has kidnapped Lucy’s friend Fenny, but the mistress-of-lies has a few problems of her own. Her wafer-thin stepmother wants the family boarding house, and is prepared to have her lying stepdaughter committed to an insane asylum in order to get it. And the despicable Doctor Veraciter is only too willing to help, because he’s noticed something interesting about Lucy’s lies. Bentley Priory, a penniless private detective, thinks the talent might be linked to Lucy’s real mother, who vanished from a locked room years ago and has never been seen since. In a move that soon has the police on her trail, Lucy comes into possession of a manuscript that existed before the world was created. Raziel, the angel reputed to have written the book, is prepared to do anything to get it back, and Lucy and her friends are forced to flee into a sinister world known as Assiah, where even the handbags aren't quite what they seem. Surrounded by tales of lost rivers, fabled dragons and mythical cities, they explore a strange world of shew stones, talking maps, and truth cabinets. What exactly is the ‘Light’ and where did it come from? Will we ever discover the identity of the Grand Architect of the Universe? And who are equally mysterious Sisters of Perpetual Mercy? Why are they so interested in Lucy that they're willing to destroy an entire world in order to get their hands on her?

* Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams - The Highfield Mole: The Circle in the Spiral - Published by Mathew and Son Limited, 2005.
The Highfield Mole - The Circle in the Spiral is the first volume in a series of Highfield Mole books to be published. It is a story of discovery and adventure in which Will Burrows embarks on a quest to find his father, an archaeologist, who has inexplicably disappeared. Will’s investigations lead to a deadly conflict with the sinister forces that have abducted his father, and a dark and tyrannical world from which he may never return.

* Panama Oxridge - Justin Thyme (Tartan of Thyme ) Published by Interrobang, 2006. 
Justin Thyme is a self-made billionaire living in a castle overlooking Loch Ness. The day he turns thirteen, he receives an anonymous gift: a fabulous watch with a puzzling message hidden on it. When he tells his father of his plans to build a time machine, the Laird of Thyme reveals tantalising fragments of past espionage and warns his son of a ruthless enemy keeping him under constant surveillance. At first, Justin fails to take Sir Willoughby seriously, but when a stranger arrives claiming to be his long-lost grandfather, Justin is wary – especially after his beloved Nanny insists the old man is an impostor.

*Marcus Alexander - Who is Charlie Keeper? - Published by Marcus Alexander Publishing, 2008.
'Who is Charlie Keeper?' tells the tale of Charlie, an iron-willed, twelve-year-old girl suffering an unjust and unhappy fate. Forced to flee her home in the gloomy, rain-drenched landscape of London by a bloodthirsty and terrifying new foe, she escapes to the vibrant, parallel land of Bellania with nothing more than her common sense and razor-sharp wits to keep her safe. Bellania, a land of myth, magic and marauding giants with bad attitudes and poor anger management. With the fate of a world resting squarely upon her shoulders, Charlie must learn about her destiny in order to defeat Bane, the Stoman Lord. And even with all the unspeakable betrayals, vicious enemies and terrible odds that are stacked against her, Charlie could probably succeed... ...if only she could learn to keep her big mouth shut and her opinions to herself. Who is Charlie Keeper? is the first installment in the Charlie Keeper Trilogy. 

Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books: Marcus Alexander - Keeper Of The Realms - Self-Publishing (Yay or Nay)

There is no better person to ask about the road to self-publishing than my good friend Marcus Alexander. In my opinion, he is a super "five" star person and a fantastic ambassador for children's books. No other person comes near to him in motivating and enthusing a classroom of children. Armed with his big sonic-boom personality, his cheeky smile and a range of nifty acrobatics. 

Check out his vlog it's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! It should help you if you are thinking about the road to self-publishing. 

This post will be followed by my favourite self-published children's books article so make sure that you check it. It is coming out very soon. There are some brilliant reads. Check it out HERE

http://whoischarliekeeper.com

Marcus Alexander - Keeper of the Realms Book Cover Competition Spring 2015

Marcus Alexander is running a funky fresh competition to produce a one of a kind book cover for the Keeper of the Realms series. Your cover can have any image on the front and produced in anyway that you think best represents Charlie Keeper’s adventures in Bellania. But in order to win any of the truly funky prizes available it’s up to you to let loose both your passion and your creative flow in order to produce an epic book cover that let’s the world see how awesome your imagination is!



For full competition details please go to: http://whoischarliekeeper.com/book-co...

Imagination is King and I’ll always be game to champion it.

Author Interview with Marcus Alexander - Keeper of the Realms (Charlie Keeper) Who is Marcus Alexander?

The only thing that I would like to to say is read this... Thanks Marcus for taking the time out of your hectic jet- setting life to do this Q&A, you are an inspiration to us all!

Who is Marcus Alexander? 

Me. Big, bald and ugly but hopefully making up for my shortcomings with a passion for life, adventure and adrenaline.

Tell us about the Keeper of the Realms series? 

KOTR is a fantasy adventure that follows the dark path of Charlie Keeper as she struggles to survive the attacks of her foes and the betrayals of those she foolishly presumed to be close to her. And even though she doesn’t stand a chance against all that confronts her she continues to use her will and common sense to claw her way forwards.

Bellania is a realm of dragons, twisted giants, greedy daemons, blind mercenaries and assassins spun from shadow. (Heh. What kind of fantasy series would this be without these?)

If you could have superpowers, what would they be?

Don’t smack me for this but I’d have to go with…immortality! The idea of extending my life so I could really go out there and chase everything, try everything, be everything sounds amazing. (I know our lifespans offer a lot of opportunity but I’m a greedy boy when it comes to living life.)

If you could change one aspect about the world, what would it be? 

Balance. There should be more balance or at least a little less greed and a more awareness of consequences.

How much influence does art/travel have on your writing?

Travel has everything to do with my writing! When I was a young teenager I used to devour books. For real I used to read a book a day then get upset with bookstores when I had consumed everything on their fantasy and sci-fi shelves. But it was reading all the adventures of these heroes and heroines that inspired me to go off and seek my own. I started travelling the UK at 14, Europe at 16, then off to the rest of the world at 18. 

Sandboarding in the Sahara, fighting in the Golden Triangle, climbing across frozen waterfalls in the Khumbu Glacier…and now that I’ve had all these manic adventures, now that I’ve chased my fears and lived for adrenaline these in turn have inspired me to turn full circle and start writing my own stories.

(And for my young peeps out there who have not yet thought to start travelling remember that if you stay at home your mind will reflect the small environment that you’re in. If you want to grow, to really expand knock down all the boundaries that stand in your way and travel the world like you only live once…)

If you could own one item, that you don't already own now, what would it be? 

A tour bus so I could take my crew snowboarding and chase fresh powder all season long. Yum*

Or if realism and budget was truly no option…a spaceship! (For some truly epic travelling and adventure. No doubt said spaceship would come with a truly momentous soundtrack, oh-so-fine intergalactic uniforms and 1970s inspired control centre.)

What would you say that would encourage more children to read?

Too many adults offer nice solutions and reasons to read but such an approach doesn’t always work. So when I talk to young students about reading I offer reality and the repercussions of what they can expect if they don’t get to grips with their books.

Sure, if you don’t read you might be able to go out there and carve yourself a slice of life but it’ll always be a small slice and you’ll never maximise your potential. 

You’ll never be all that you could be.

If you don’t read you’ll never make as much money as you could.

If you don’t read you’ll never have as many options as you should.

If you don’t read you’ll never earn as much respect as you desire.

If you don’t read you’ll never build that ability to think outside the box or develop the brightest of imaginations.

I’m a big believer in dreams and it’s one of the themes that I always push the most during author events. Dreams could and should be fulfilled. But dreams never come easy, dreams have to be earned. And for me, as soon as I can illustrate this point to students, as soon as I can get them to see that their dreams will only come to light through hard work and diligence that I can then get them to see books and reading as a building block for their ambitions.

‘Read more, play more, do more and chase life with a furious appetite.’

If you were to meet the infamous Banksy, what would the topic of conversation be?

If we could shoot the breeze for a couple of minutes I’d love to know how many times he’s been busted? And I’d be fascinated to know what tips and tricks he has to avoid detection?

What gives you an adrenaline rush?

Fear! Being on that razor edge between control and total wipeout really does it for me.

What makes your school events the 'talk of the town'?

I’m a breaker of stereotypes, a shatterer of preconceptions and a believer in dreams. I show students that they can take what they love and on the provision that they work hard, that they rely on common sense to overcome obstacles and always pick themselves up when they fall then they can achieve all that they desire.

How cool is cool? How cool are you?

Man, I can’t answer that! In fact if you find anyone fool enough to big themselves up for being über cool give me a shout and I’ll come over there and shake my head woefully in their general direction.

looooooooool

Have you ever been mistaken for somebody else? If so, who?

Nope. Too bald, too ugly.

Is there anything that you would like to share with us?

Fo’ sure. 

Books rockthaspot but every once in a while you’ve got to put them down, get out there and take whatever inspired you between those pages and make it happen. Forget living a little. 

Live a lot.

Librarian Problems? Not any more! Videos for Reluctant Readers, Young Writer's Tips & a huge collection of literacy inspired posters to pimp your library with! All available here: http://whoischarliekeeper.com/library-resources 

Guest Post: Marcus Alexander - Keeper of the Realms/ Who Is Charlie Keeper? Graffiti a Road to Publishing.

Thank you so much Marcus for taking the time to put this guest post together.  It's definitely one the best that I've read to date - it really had me gripped.  I hope it has piqued your imagination to read this great magical fantasy series.   

Over to Marcus.......   

I knew I didn’t want an agent and I knew the chances of me going the traditional route weren’t good so I decided to self-publish my first book with the intent of proving its commercial viability. It worked and I eventually got signed to Puffin but it wasn’t an easy ride. The two biggest hurdles I found with self-publishing were distribution and marketing. Both were painful obstacles and to be honest, if I had any hair left on my big bald head, I would have pulled it out. But as word got out and the reputation of the book started to grow Charlie Keeper themed graffiti began to appear around London and that unusual occurrence, perhaps more than anything, changed everything.

                                       

Tags, throw ups, poster boards and pieces began to appear in Shepherd’s Bush, Notting Hill, Camden and Vauxhall. The graffiti came in a mix of styles some great, some good and some that were er…discordantly messy and poorly thought out. But it was a huge boon, more people began to take notice, sales grew and reviews followed.

And I think that of all the factors that helped me get signed I think the graffiti was one of the larger elements that saw the self-published book ‘Who is Charlie Keeper?’ get converted into Puffin’s Keeper of the Realms fantasy series.

                                

I’m a huge fan of graffiti. I was struck by the imagery of its slick graphics and twisted calligraphy from a young age. As much as I love London and all the funk and flavour that comes with it, it would be a struggle to call it a beautiful city; the sky is often overcast and for some bizarre reason city architects have a fetish for building with materials every bit as grey as the sky so for me, a splash of graffiti has always come as a welcome delight – eye candy amidst a sea of urban blandness.

However I can appreciate how many people hate graffiti, there is after all a lot to dislike about it. You get thoughtless graff artists who piece up private homes, places of worship and blemish the few genuinely beautiful buildings there are in London. And then there’s the endless sea of scribbled tags that you find in every borough. You’d have to be wearing the most warped glasses to find these attractive. I find all of these examples only add to the dreariness of the city and do little to promote the potential of the artists involved. But on the flip side you get amazing works of art that are well thought out and delivered with such style and grandeur that you can’t help but fall in love with them. Pieces of art that not only scream with flavour but adds not detracts to the neighbourhood and it is graffiti like this, something that gives not takes, that I’d be thrilled to see more of.

                                                           

As much as graffiti is frowned upon I think it should be encouraged. It is a powerful tool and an amazing form of self-expression. It’s a multi-million dollar industry too. The artists at the top see their pieces sold for big money, there’s the spin-offs too; the clothing, the options for marketing, advertising, backdrops for MTV videos, fashion – the list goes on. And for those with sharp minds it’s a great lifestyle that offers a chance to be independent, be creative and potentially financially stable too. (I appreciate that the mention of money is a shallow argument and that art should be done for passion and not pocket but the backing of money to the industry validates its potential).

I’d love it if more councils offered legal walls and welcomed new talent. If young artists were given the opportunity to produce beautiful and responsible pieces of art it would be a win-win situation. Unused, concrete eye-sores could be given a make-over and artists would get a chance to practice their skills. There’s also an opportunity for education with legal walls too. Young artists could be taught the value of a great piece versus the destructive elements of thoughtless tags and Londoners averse to outsider art could be encouraged to see graffiti less as an act of vandalism and something that is to be valued and admired.

Graffiti. Love it.

Check out London Vandal for a list of legal walls here:http://www.thelondonvandal.com/2013/05/legal-graffiti-walls-london/