Yesterday I attended a Ford Street book launch, where I met both friends and new acquaintances. One of the latter, who had read and reviewed Crime Time when it first came out(she loved it!) told me that she had been talking about it at the time and even then it had been banned for being too un-PC!
But kids don't use it for homework(except one student who needed information about Mary Wade, the child convict who became the ancestor of an Aussie PM).
Oh, no. And today I met the young man I gave a copy last week. I'd forgotten, but when I asked had he enjoyed his weekend, he smiled and said, yes, he'd been reading my book and was nearly finished.
That doesn't sound to me like someone reading for homework!
Who would have thought it? I do know that when Paul Collins was sending promotional emails to schools, some told him never to darken their doorways again because of this undoubtedly-evil book!
Personally, I think that wonderful Grant Gittus cover helped. But then, it also attracted the young audience for whom the book was intended.
Personally, I think that wonderful Grant Gittus cover helped. But then, it also attracted the young audience for whom the book was intended.
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| My evil, un-PC book! |
- The only time I was truly offended by a review for this book was when Sally Morgan suggested it might be okay for helping kids with their homework. (How dare you, madam! You, whose first book ended up on the VCE syllabus where kids did have to read it for homework. It made a lot of sales, though.) I'd rather my book was considered evil by those who haven't read it than homework material by someone who has. Oh, well. She admitted she didn't read kids' books, so was probably puzzled. I've long forgiven her. Besides, her book has probably been banned somewhere, anything worth reading usually is.
But kids don't use it for homework(except one student who needed information about Mary Wade, the child convict who became the ancestor of an Aussie PM).
Oh, no. And today I met the young man I gave a copy last week. I'd forgotten, but when I asked had he enjoyed his weekend, he smiled and said, yes, he'd been reading my book and was nearly finished.
That doesn't sound to me like someone reading for homework!
2 comments:
When I was young, I adored kids' books that were collections of short mysteries or ghost stories. Your cover looks like something I'd jump at! I'm lucky in that I don't think either of my books has been banned, and I got a starred recommendation from Library Journal for Bloodwalker which turned into a lot of sales to US libraries. The only downside is a recent upswing in low rates on GR from librarians (I guess) who bought and were then disappointed. Well, no accounting for taste (since the book still has aver. 4.4 GR & 4.7 Amazon) - and they already paid for it anyway. Ha! lol Have a good weekend!
My cover, by the wonderful Grant Gittus, is something the kids do jump at! Unfortunately, that's once it's in the library, not in the bookshops, where it was hidden among the adult books. One bookshop manager told me that when he put it face out in the children's section, he sold twenty copies in two days, so he had run out of copies for me to sign that day.
Sorry to hear the librarians don't like your newest book. Theh might not buy your next. I guess you'll have to be satisfied with fans pouncing on your books as they come out. ;-)
But you missed my point. I'm now part of an elite bunch of people whose books have been banned. That includes the likes of J.K Rowling and Harper Lee. Who, I admit, made a lot more money out of their work than I have.
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