Why I commissioned... WILLA AND OLD MISS ANNIE

Berlie Doherty is a double Carnegie Medal winner for Granny was a Buffer Girl (now published by Catnip) and Dear Nobody but this book for younger readers was also highly commended in 1995 – perhaps because it is utterly wonderful.

We publish much of Berlie's backlist, as well as her new Peak Dale Farm series, and Willa and Old Miss Annie was a combination of the two – a backlist book that feels consistent with her new series. As with Peak Dale Farm, this book, a collection of three stories that read as chapters, is illustrated by Kim Lewis and her classic style accentuates the events of the stories perfectly.

The stories tell of the unusual friendship between young Willa and her elderly neighbour, Miss Annie. The pair are united by their love of animals, specifically a goat, a pony and a fox. Berlie is an author who knows the importance of honesty in the relationship between author and young reader and shows no fear in holding a mirror up to human nature. As a consequence Willa and Old Miss Annie touches upon the cruelty that can arise from ignorance and selfishness yet gently demonstrates how relationships can be forged in misunderstanding only to grow into something rewarding. As with everything Berlie writes the language is both perfectly clear and perfectly clever with gentle wordplay forming an integral part of each storyline.

Everything I’ve read by Berlie has been a pleasure but when I first read this, it delighted me beyond my expectations. But you have been warned: I cried. Yes, I am a big softie.

Why I commissioned... MILICENT'S BOOK

OK, so I want to be particularly clear as regards this title: I had nothing to do with the commissioning of this book. I wish this had been my catch but all credit must go to Andrea Reece who left Catnip at the end of 2009. She fell in love with Charlotte Moore's writing before I was even a glint in Catnip's editorial eye and commissioned her to write this semi-fictional work based on the diaries of Milicent Ludlow.

This book was a while in the making as Charlotte was working on a monumentally consuming non-fiction work for Viking about her family home. Milicent's diaries formed part of her research for Hancox: A House and a Family and as a consequence of the in-depth research into Charlotte's family background, Milicent's Book glows with the depth and intrigue of a BBC period drama and the snippets of gossip and family intrigue put the tabloids to shame.

But it is the language that takes my breath away: “Orphan. What a lonely word. It sounds like ‘forlorn’ turned inside out.” Charlotte's voice, writing as 14-year-old Milicent, has that wonderful juxtaposition of naivety and wisdom reminiscent of every teen girl the world over. The writing is so evocative that I marvelled at how someone could come up with such insightful and beautiful prose whilst maintaining immaculate narrative clarity.

Filled with promise, despair, family tragedy and the most delightful touches of levity, this is a book anyone would be proud to have commissioned. Thank you, Andrea.

A Rant About Reading Lists

Right, so everyone’s heard of Education Secretary, Michael Gove’s list of recommended reads for primary schools? If you haven’t, then that sentence sums up the proposition pretty succinctly.

Lots of very respectable writerly types aren’t too pleased at this idea and you can read about them on the Guardian’s website here. If you want to read a disreputable editorial type’s opinion, then read on…

I think a government sub-committee coming up with a definitive list of books for school children to read is lazy. It requires a quick trot through some classics and perhaps whamming on a couple of contemporary bestsellers that everyone knows can get some kids reading. Job done.

YAWN. This isn’t how adults read books, is it? You can actually watch how reading works by looking at the blogging community. Bloggers read each others’ reviews and ask each other for recommendations via twitter and they post their opinions on Goodreads and online retailers. Why? Because this is how recommended reading actually works – by recommending from personal experience.

Personal enthusiasm for books is what sells them to potential readers, not a finite list of things you “should” read. How many people like being told “You should read this” versus “I absolutely loved this book and I think you will too”?

That’s not to say that I don’t think it’s important for the government to take an interest in literacy (libraries, anyone?) and maybe a list of sorts is the way to go, but let’s not make it rigid. Perhaps give librarians/teachers examples of books that the government think are worth reading (because there’s only ten of those, right?!) as a starting point. The teachers and librarians could then expand this into an ‘Think you’ll like this? Then you might like this…’ selection tailored to the children they know, based on the books they enjoy themselves.

If anyone is stuck for inspirational reads to recommend then there are books specifically designed to help you out (The Ultimate Book Guide by A&C Black for example) and there’s a whole community of book bloggers out there sharing the love. Teachers can log on and check them out. Actually, for that matter, so could Mr Gove…

Why I commissioned...DETECTIVE BROTHER

Detective Brother is the third book in Pete Johnson's Jamie's Amazing Cape series for 7-9 year olds. The first was a re-issue of his excellent Bug Brother, but at Catnip we don't do things by halves (or thirds in this case) and we loved the characters in Bug Brother so much that we commissioned Pete to write two brand new adventures for them, Invisible Brother and this.

Written in the first person from Jamie's perspective I think any reader can instanty identify with Jamie's relationship with Harry. Jamie's a good kid, the sort of son parents would be perfectly happy with if it weren't for his younger but – grr – taller brother, Harry, who's always winning sports trophies, squealing on Jamie when Jamie tells him to go away and generally bugging his brother. When Jamie discovers a magic cape that grants him 7 wishes a day (but not necessarily every day – it's a tempermantal magical object), he thinks this should change things. It doesn't. Harry is still just as much of a pain as before, more so in fact because, like younger brothers everywhere, he wants what his older brother has.

I love this series for the chuckle-worthy bickering between Jamie and Harry – Pete Johnson captures the perfect tone for squabbles and his dialogue is used to great effect set against a narrative that glides along at exactly the right pace. As the cape causes more trouble than it's worth you're drawn into off-the-wall adventures where the characters behave just the way the reader might. Jamie's sensible bestie, Reema (who is shock horror a girl), provides "brilliant ideas" to get the boys out of trouble and into (slightly batty) Aunt Nora's good books.

Lively line-drawn illustrations by Mikes Gordon and Philips add that little bit of visual humour, helping along the imagination and providing that all important break for the slightly timid reader.

A series with excellently empathetic characters and one of the key elements for a book aimed at this age: a direct line to the funny bone.

Why I commissioned... THE DEEPING SECRETS

Twitter-style summary: A traitor lurking in their midst threatens village life during WW2 casting a dark and deadly shadow over Molly, Abigail and Adam's holidays.

The Deeping Secrets is the second novel set in Victor Watson's (fictional) Cambridgeshire village of Great Deeping; a follow-up to his beautifully written debut, Paradise Barn, which was shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award.

I know it marks me out as a grammar geek, but it the thing I love most about this book is Victor's use of sentence structure and punctuation. This technical mastery is what makes the narrative sing for me. It seems simple - and that's exactly the desired effect - but to deliver such simplicity is anything but. As an editor, I can't help but admire such skill.

Contained within such accessible writing are some very complex subjects. Confident in the intelligence of his young audience, Victor presents an insight into a villainous mind right from the outset - juxtaposing the children's innocent desire for an untainted Easter holiday against psychopathic traitor whose "hidden" Nazi sympathies threaten to consume him from within.

As with Paradise Barn, it's the attention to detail in characters' astute and amusing observations, and descriptions of the setting that draw the reader into the world, making Great Deeping a very satisfying place to inhabit. (Albeit a dangerous one...)

Victor is also adept at pace, slowing down to the dawdle of a day spent doing little but achieving a lot and speeding up, weaving together disparate POVs in a tight, fast, frenzy of action. There's a stand-out passage in which multiple viewpoints are cleverly played against the reader's own knowledge, which elicits (in me, at least) philosophical musings on chance and circumstance.

A book that truly respects its audience, which in itself deserves respect.

Pitch perfect

Book fairs are a lot like speed dates between editors and agents: you have thirty minutes face time to impress 3-2-1 GO! (There isn’t actually a buzzer at the end – but I would like to state for the record that there really should be, I’m sure it would facilitate better time keeping.)

You’ve really got to make these meetings at London or Bologna count since they may be your only opportunity to actually see the people with whom you hope to build a lasting (professional) relationship. At each appointment, you've got to strike a balance between talking about yourself and listening to the person(s) opposite.

Sometimes I get frustrated at the sound of my own voice telling people how many books we publish; what kind (reissues, buy-ins, one picture book, one YA and everything else in between); what I’m looking for. Then I remind myself that it's extremely important to give agents an idea of my tastes, my passions, my editorial proclivities. If I don't give them a clear impression of who I am as an editor, how can I expect them to send me the right kind of material?

So then it’s time for me to listen. As I do so, I’m thinking one thing:

Am I really in the market for this project?

Sometimes I stop a pitch before it gets going. I would never want to appear rude but since there’s only me at Catnip, if I don’t think something will fit, then there’s no one to disagree with me further down the line when the submission is sent over. Agents are busy people and I don’t want to waste their time chasing me in three months time for an answer I can give now.

Obviously if there’s even the slightest chance of a ‘yes’ to my question I’ll ask to see the submission. (Reviewing my meeting notes I see that I won’t have much time for sleeping over the next few months...)

But it's important to remember that although fairs are exciting and pitches might promise the world, it’s the writing that’ll deliver it. And I won't get to see that until I actually open the document.

Right, my thirty minutes is up. Time to move on to the next blog post.

MUG SHOT #1

Welcome to the first entry of another regular feature where I photograph an obsession of mine (my mugs) and tell you about the mug featured.

Thrilling, n'est pas?

WRITER GIRL mug was a Christmas present from the very lovely Cat Clarke, with whom I used to meet and swap writing. Since she now lives in Scotland, she gave me a mug to remind me to actually do some writing whenever I get the chance.

What actually happens is that I think about doing some writing, then make myself a cup of tea instead. Oh well.

I'm sort of hoping someone will buy me an EDITOR LADY mug so I can feel less guilty about drinking from this one when I'm on the day job...