The Planets are Aligning in Banff!

More international recognition for David P Reiter's latest work!

David's recent win at the 2012 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards 2012 for the My Planets Reunion Memoir set the stage. And 2014 is looking to be bigger and better!

The International Autobiography and Biography Association (IABA) Conference has just invited David to present Planets to a global audience in Banff, Alberta, ironically, at the very place where he composed the work in 2012, in collaboration with the digital media staff at the Banff Centre for the Arts. The conference will showcase life writers such as Patrick Lane and Fred Wah, who David knew from his years in Canada. A key supporting organisation of the conference is the University of Alberta, where David did his Master's degree.

The Banff Centre will be promoting his work as "Made in Banff" and there are plans for the University to highlight in their alumni magazine.

IP also sends an extended congratulations to David, and Sona Babajanyan, for their work in Bringing Down the Wall. The heart-warming picture book about a young boy taking responsibility to resolve a family feud has been selected by the Canada's Children's Book Centre as a Best Book for Teens and Children! Bringing Down the Wall has also been included on The Chief Minister's Reading List in the ACT.

While in Western Canada, David hopes to tour schools and libraries to give readings his wonderful children's books Bringing Down the Wall and, hot off the press Tiger Takes the Big Apple (Project Earth-mend Series: Book 4).

We're accepting expressions of interest from schools and libraries for stops on the upcoming tour (mid May through early June). We're also offering the hardback edition of Bringing Down the Wall to them for a mere CA$20 (the same price listed by the CCBC for the paperback edition) – and free postage. Interested? Please contact us on sales@ipoz.biz – we'd love to hear from you!

First international reading of 'My Planets'

I was delighted to have my first USA reading from My Planets at Op.Cit Bookshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We had been staying with my long time friend David de Vaux and Molly at their cosy home on the other side of the Rockies, about an hour and half drive from Santa Fe, and David was kind enough to introduce my reading to the Op.Cit audience. It's a good vibe when browsers in the bookshop who weren't planning to attend the reading are drawn in to take a seat – and that's what happened with several people.

Here's the reading, which lasts about 30 minutes, filmed by my daughter Siobhan. Hope you enjoy it!

Key links: the book; the interactive website.

Come a-Waltzing with us this Australia Day!

As the country gears up for Australia Day and the long weekend, a new wonderful review has arrived for Christina's Matilda by Edel Wignell and Elizabeth Botté.

'With Australia Day almost upon us, what better opportunity to review this fascinating title by Edel Wignell focussing on the story behind the story of our unofficial anthem, ‘Waltzing Matilda’?  As Wignell asks, why is Paterson’s role in the creation of this song so well-known when that of Christina Macpherson is almost unknown, even though it is just as vital?   Wignell then tells us the story of Macpherson beginning with an encounter with bushranger Daniel ‘Mad’ Morgan at the family home of Peechelbar in Victoria, her childhood in a large wealthy Melbourne household, and her eventual meeting with A.B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson at the home of her brother on a station on the Diamantina River about 128km from Winton, Queensland. Evenings were a time for entertainment – Paterson sharing his poetry and Macpherson playing the piano, including a tune called “Craigielee” that she had heard at the Warrnambool Races some time before and which had stuck in her mind.  Paterson was well aware of the plight of many shearers displaced by the Great Shearers’ Strike in 1894 and the stories accompanying the hardships they endured, and it wasn’t long before he penned the words of  ‘Waltzing Matilda’ to fit the tune. Wignell then traces the story of the song through to its place in the Australian identity today, including the work of Richard Magoffin who relentlessly tracked the song’s origins, eventually being able to identify Christina’s contribution in 1983.

The story is accompanied by a variety of illustrations including paintings and drawings, maps, photos, posters and programs, letters and sheet music, each adding to the authenticity of the story and providing insight into the times that inspired the lyrics and the history of the song.  Perhaps the most interesting is a facsimile of an extract from a letter from Christina which explains how the song came to be. Each sepia page is bordered with exquisite line drawings by Elizabeth Botté which enrich and enhance the story. 

While it is written in a style and language accessible to a newly independent reader, its use of primary sources to support the text would be a great way to introduce the importance of these sorts of sources to support research and provide evidence, an integral element of the historical skills strands of the Australian History Curriculum for Year 7.   

This is a resource that needs to be on library shelves and a story that needs to be known by everyone old enough to sing the song!'

- Barbara Braxton, Librarian Teacher, M.Ed. (TL); M.App.Sci. (TL); M.I.S. (Children's Services)

And we couldn't agree more!

Add a lot more Australiana to your Australia Day with your very own copy of Christina's Matilda and come a waltzing with us!

IP to attend the upcoming Australia-China Publishing Forum 2014!

IP is one of only 5 publishers invited to attend the Australia-China Publishing Forum in mid-March 2014!  – who said the start of the year would be boring?

We are excitedly preparing pitches for Chinese publishing houses regarding prospective sales and rights deals and looking forward to brushing shoulders with our colleagues at with Penguin Random and New Frontier Publishing, who will be attending with us.

With a heavy focus on digital publishing, our team is keen to promote such titles as I Love You, Book, Even Grimmer Tales, No Matter Who We're With, and The Smallest Carbon Footprint (in ebook format, as well as physical formats). Though still awaiting advice on which publishers and agents we'll be matched with for the Chinese market, thanks to our wonderful and hard working authors, we'll have a well stocked list to show off!

As David prepares to travel to Beijing in mid March, he is thrilled to be arriving a few days early to meet in Hefei with China's largest publishing house, Time Publishing. Eager to learn more about the Chinese market, David is looking forward to a tour of Times headquarters and meeting with publishers of their various imprints. A meeting with the Australian Ambassador is also being planned.

While we send him off on these sorties, keep the excellent work coming in!

And keep up to date with the Forum events by following us here or on Facebook and Twitter.

... Are you as excited as we are?

What do President Obama and Madonna Have To Do with Project Earth-mend?

What do President Obama and Madonna Have To Do with Project Earth-mend?

Margaret Warner of Buzzwords had this to say in praise of Tiger Takes the Big Apple:

Tiger Takes the Big Apple is the fourth book in the Project Earth-mend Series by David Reiter. Once again the adventurous Crew consisting of native Australian animals (the blue-tongue lizard and the crow) and introduced species (the cat and camel) team up with Tark the shape-shifting extra terrestrial in the form of a frog, to combat The Great Danger threatening planet Earth.

Mick, the robot Commander of the Abell 2218 starship fleet and the robot crews are planning to destroy the Earth or at least the humans on it. Their reason is that humans have plundered Earth’s resources choosing wealth and waste over the health of the planet and in the process have caused widespread pollution of the air and water and are also guilty of ignoring climate change. They do not want the planet Earth to influence other planets so their mission is to destroy the humans.

Tark and his Crew set off in their Teleportation Module for the Big Apple (New York) stopping at various destinations along the way. They encounter different species of creatures who live in varying habitats aiming to enlist them to sign up to Project Earth-mend. Not surprisingly they hear that the future of all of the different species they meet (the timber wolves, the bats, beavers, eagles, racoons and rats plus others) is already compromised as a consequence of the humans’ thoughtless plundering of the Earth’s resources and it seems that Mick has already contacted them hoping to gain their support.

Just when the future of planet Earth look lost, Tark and his Crew manage to persuade President Obama and Madonna to address the United Nations Security Council in New York to convince them to pledge that all countries will work together to combat global warming and work towards a sustainable future.

Tiger Takes the Big Apple deals with important environmental issues but its quirky characters, fast-paced action, laugh out loud humour and sci-fi technology ensure that it is always first and foremost a great read suitable for ages 8 to 12.

 Tiger Takes the Big Apple is available for pre-order from IP Sales and our usual distributors, with release date of 1 February. Special bundle prices for the Series are available upon request.