Inkspiration Calling

S1 01 Welcome to Inkspiration Calling: Embarking on a Chapter Book Adventure

• Abigail Horne • Season 1 • Episode 1

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Abigail Horne, of Authors & Co. welcomes you to the debut episode of 'Inkspiration Calling', where creativity meets craft, and authors find their Inkspiration. Join her on this exciting journey into the enchanting world of children's chapter books.

Summary:
In this episode, Abigail shares the backstory of why it took time to launch the podcast, emphasising Authors and Co.'s vision to fill bookshelves with meaningful and heartwarming stories. The season starts with a focus on chapter books, offering insights for aspiring writers, those dreaming of writing for children, and literature enthusiasts.

Abigail explores the challenge of defining chapter books by age range and instead proposes a definition based on word count—10 to 20,000 words. She delves into the importance of chapter books in a child's reading journey, shaping their views and simultaneously providing writers with an opportunity to educate and entertain. Abigail reflects on bedtime routines, the shift from traditional storytime to digital devices, and the impact of literature on shaping young minds.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Chapter books are short novels (10 to 20,000 words) suitable for readers of any age.
  2.  The industry struggles to agree on age ranges, prompting a focus on crafting stories for the reader's choice.
  3. Chapter books play a crucial role in a child's coming-of-age reading journey, shaping their worldview.
  4. Abigail encourages writers to create inclusive and diverse stories, highlighting the power of literature to impact lives.

The episode concludes with Abigail's call to writers to embrace this season dedicated to chapter books, promising a deep dive into this underserved market.

Inkspiration Calling invites you to explore the magical realms of chapter books, discover the joy of crafting stories that matter, and embark on a journey where imagination knows no bounds. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep writing, and let your story unfold here. 

Authors & Co. Resources:

Abigail Horne:

Hello and welcome to Inkspiration Calling the podcast where creativity meets craft and authors find that inkspiration. I am your host, Abigail Horne. And this season we are embarking on an exciting journey into the captivating world of children's chapter books. Over the course of this series, we'll be delving deep into the heart of storytelling for young minds, exploring the ins and outs of crafting chapter books that not only entertain, but inspire our young readers. So if you've ever found yourself daydreaming about whimsical worlds, unforgettable characters, and tales that ignite imagination, and you are in the right place, get ready for a season packed with invaluable insights, practical tips, and above all else, endless inkspiration. Welcome to our first ever episode of exploration calling, we've got big plans for this podcast. And I must admit, it's been such a long time come in, I guess I want to explain to you before we get started, why this has taken so long. And I think it's had to be acceptance on our part that we just don't want to niche down as a company into health being just one group of authors one certain set of people, because that Authors and Co. we've got this vision you see to fill your bookshelves, with books that matter books with heart, and books that are truly going to make a difference to their readers. And so we've had to accept that in being able to reach all the authors that we want to work with in their many genres that we've had to design inspiration calling with that in mind. And so we can't just have a sort of running podcast where we we record and release an episode every single week. Instead, we've had to create seasons. So we can allocate sort of different seasons to different genres and therefore different authors. And so we are here now, in our first season. And as you will have heard in the intro, we are going to be spending this series together talking all things chapter books, and in its future seasons, who knows, we're always going to follow our hearts and talk about what is on our mind at that moment in time. But you can expect it's going to be about different sorts of books. So in this season, it is going to be for you if you have always wanted to write for children, if you have often dreamed what it would be like to write and publish a book for children, but you just don't know where to start. And if you haven't decided yet, what sorts of books you'd like to write. So you're keen to learn more about chapter books just in case. That's the sort of route that you would like to write for children. Or if you are just a lover of all things, children's literature. So over the course of this season, we will be helping you discover more about what I feel is the most wonderful worlds of chapter books. So shall we get started with what on earth they are, I think it would be a great place to start, especially in this intro episode. Now, the industry cannot decide what they are. My editors and I had a long discussion about this before I came to record this episode, the industry is so modelled on the perfect age range and what defines age appropriate content. So in some corners of the internet, you'll find it's for say, five to nine year olds, all other areas of the internet will tell you that a chapter book is for seven to 10 year olds, and some articles will tell you that Charlotte's Web is one of the greatest chapter books ever written a personal favourite of mine, by the way, and others will go on to call that a middle grade book because of the book length and the theme of dealing with loss. So how do we define a chapter book if the internet and articles and writers and reviewers and publishers can't agree on it? Well, here's how we would define it a short novel that anyone of any age can enjoy. Yes, our younger readers may appreciate them more. But even I often sneak a little roll dial into my day even at 36. Okay, probably when this recording goes out, I'm going to be 37 So let's define a short novel. We will define it as anything from 10 to 20,000 words. What a fantastic place to start for an aspiring writer to begin because let's face it, the The bigger the novel word counts, the more daunting is going to feel, especially if you are a brand new writer. So why are we defining chapter books by lengths and not age range, the industry can't even agree on an age range, because it's seeing our young readers as ticks in a box. And we all know that ridiculous. Some children are going to be reading materials aimed at readers far beyond their current years. But this will be much older, while still enjoying Roald Dahl on a rainy day, what the industry as a whole fails to understand is that books should be written for the reader that chooses to read them. And that's it. That right there is a chapter book, a shorter novel. And whether you are writing it for a six year old or a 10 year old, you can be taught exactly how to get into the mind of your reader. And yes, that may change the complexity of your story, depending on the age. So why are chapter books so important? A chapter book, I feel like this coming of age, it's a really special moment in a child's reading journey, taking them from being read to, to reading independently. And this can be such an important time for our young readers. They are so bright eyed, and in complete an otter wonder about the world around them. And chapter books are this like moment in time, which helps shape their views of the world. It's such a huge opportunity for writers to help educate and entertain simultaneously. How cool is that? So there is a responsibility here, not just from writers, but for parents to to make sure that books remain an important part of a child's upbringing. I was a child of the late 80s, early 90s. So my bedtimes were just naturally filled with books. But let's face it, iPads didn't exist then. And things are possibly a little bit different now. Well, okay, a lot different. In order to feel settled in bed at night, a routine for lots of years, maybe not all of us, but lots of is was having a bedtime story, hopefully that little bit of one to one time with a parent or a guardian. Like I treasure those memories. Now I hear so many people say that their kids just go to bed with iPads. And I'm gonna level with you. Mind you, too, sometimes. Sometimes we've only got so many spoons in a day. And that day is depleting us as we go on. And by giving them something else at bedtime that isn't putting extra pressure on us. They absolutely can lift a load from us. So I'm going to put my hand up and say sometimes at bedtime, there is so nothing left of me that I will let my children go to bed with iPads. But we have to remember that when we are shaping these little minds, do we want them going to bed with their heads filled with YouTube shorts, or literature that has been crafted to make them feel safe, happy and loved? And like they can go to sleep with their favourite adventure? Do we want their role models to be characters that they will treasure for a lifetime? Going back to Charlotte's Web? I don't think I will ever forget Charlotte's as long as I live? Or do we want that iPad scrolling to mean that they never truly connect with anyone? You're short after short of mind numbing content. That's not for me to answer for you. I'm answering here for myself pretty much what start in life I want to give my young people and what I want books to mean to them. Helping writers create these books is the cherry on top of a dream that I feel I'm already living as the bookish kid who would happily live between the covers, then in any real world sometimes that kind of escapism is absolutely priceless, especially for our neurodivergent children. And admittedly screentime can also be priceless for them too. It can be very, very calming. I know it certainly is for my son is actually living in a neurodivergent household that has made me want to explore children's fiction far more deeply over this last 12 months. So, I guess I just wanted to pick up a children's book where I recognise my own family. And I certainly wanted my children to recognise themselves. There was such a lack of inclusion in children's fiction, and authors and CO are going to continue to be a driving force for change in this area. Over the last 12 months, we have worked so hard on creating our very first inclusive book for children. The Enchanted Christmas Treasury is a book that we've recently launched. It's a book of 24 stories. For advance written by different authors, we've all come together to fill a book full of diverse characters and stories. And what a joy that has been to bring together, I can't even describe the emotion of seeing the reaction of children that are seeing themselves for the first time in Christmas stories. That is the power that we have as writers. So I would urge you, if the book you would love your children to read does not exist, then write it chapter book, readers are such an underserved market. And there is such a lack of inclusion, and diversity, to make it even more so to us. When identifying where we wanted to begin with supporting children's writers, it was an absolute no brainer to talk to you about an area of publishing that's actually crying out for new authors and fresh perspectives. This opportunity is available to you. So I urge you to throw yourself into this season as we deep dive into this area of publishing that has become so muddled with the perfect age ranges, it's almost getting lost. Let's for a moment remember that these books support children with their development, regardless of age. Let's stop popping our small children into pigeon holes and meet them where they are at and what better and to meet them with the most precious gift we could ever give them a life long love of literature. And that love begins with chapter books. Well, that is it for this episode of Inkspiration Calling. As we close this chapter, I hope you are leaving with fresh ideas, practical tips, and most importantly, a renewed sense of inkspiration. Until next time, keep dreaming. Keep writing and remember that your story can start here.

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Abigail Horne

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