Little Door Debuts: Championing New Illustrators

Talent to shout about

Little Door Debuts is a new strand by indie children’s publisher Little Door Books. Our mission is to give unknown illustrators a platform from which to launch their journey in publishing, and we hope to inspire them to produce exciting work now and in the future.

To do this, we need your help. We’d love you to be part of their journey by supporting them and joining our crowdfunding campaign.

Within children’s publishing, new illustrators can sadly be overlooked. By focusing our energies on helping emerging talent, Little Door Debuts aims to change that. We are dedicated to highlighting the importance of the illustrators' work in children’s picture books because it’s their creative talent that brings our stories alive.

Who are we?

Little Door Books (LDB) is a small independent publisher run by award-winning author and highly commended emerging publisher Alan Windram and his wife Susan. We specialise in publishing exciting children’s picture books, which include an audiobook and specially-written song, both of which are downloadable. So far LDB has self-funded the publication of 12 high-quality picture books, working with established authors and new, exciting illustrators, many of whom are recent graduates.

Little Door Debuts: The Story So Far

This year, 2019, we decided to launch a new publishing strand called Little Door Debuts (LDD).

LDD was established so that we can actively champion and publish the debut picture books of exciting, new, and creative illustrating talent.

We are really excited to announce that the first LDD title involves a collaboration with illustration graduate Will Hughes to publish his debut picture book, What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday. We hope to provide Will with a unique platform enabling him to showcase his funny, quirky and imaginative work globally.

As Will is unknown, our aim with this campaign is first and foremost to help promote him and his incredible talent. Of course we also hope that it will help us raise funds to make the project a reality.

Your support will help us pay Will a non-returnable fee and cover the costs of the design, layout, and the printing of 1000 copies of his picture book, along with the recording of the audiobook and song, and promotion and marketing of his title to make sure it is seen by as many people as possible.

Once Will’s book is published, we plan to use some of the funds to organise a schools and library tour around the country to further promote him, raise awareness of his talents and to reach a new audience with his work.

What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday

Now that you have heard a little about us, we thought it was time to introduce you to Martha, Stanley and Len.

Martha and Stanley want to buy a present for Len, an ogre who just moved in next door. As expert gift givers, the children have lots of ideas as to what to get Len, but none of them seem to be the right thing. It turns out it can be quite tricky finding the right present for an ogre… who knew? If ever you need to buy a present for an ogre, troll or other big hairy creature this book will certainly be a good place to start!

How will the money be spend? 

Alongside Little Door Books’ list of annual titles, we are planning to publish one or two Little Door Debuts titles per year.

The funds we raise with this campaign will go towards the production of Little Door Debuts’ first publication. It will cover the various production costs mentioned below, the writing and recording of the original Ogre Birthday Song, and the current and future promotion of Will and What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday.

So you know exactly how your money will be spent, Will has created this spectacular pie chart - presented by the wonderful Len.

We are passionate about discovering and assisting emerging talent within picture book illustration, and with your support we will keep championing the importance of illustrators and their work within the publishing industry. 

Thank you for your interest in Little Door Books, Little Door Debuts and, in particular, your interest in Will.

To learn more about us, go to www.littledoorbooks.co.uk

To learn more about Will, follow him on Twitter @willustrations1

Follow us on:
Twitter: @LDDebuts and @littledoorbooks

Facebook: www.facebook.com/littledoorbooks

Thank you to Chloe Holwill-Hunter for our beautifully-designed logo, Steevie Day for our video, and to Will Hughes for his wonderful What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday illustrations.

FAQ

When will I receive my reward?

Rewards will be received by the end of June, a full month before the general release. 

When will What Not To Give An Ogre For His Birthday be released to the general public?

The book is set to be published on 31st July 2019. 

Where will the book be sold?

The book will be available to order from all good bookshops and online retailers. 

How much will it cost?

The RRP is £6.99.