In 2008 I came to the realisation that I had bored everyone I know to utter saturation point by talking about picture books and illustration.
There was only one thing for it, I had to find a wider (less fatigued) audience, and so it began.
There peering at me from across the room perched upon bookshelf groaning with picture books was a small dog shaped cushion, just begging for a voice.
The Book Sniffer was born...
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From that moment on I became an avid and passionate voice for beautiful picture books and wonderfully talented illustrators. I blogged away for a few months reviewing books which had inhabited my shelves for some years, it was utterly liberating.
I am lucky enough to call some of the countries absolute best illustrators my dear friends so unashamedly I called upon them to help me with my blog - Dearest James Mayhew, Clara Vulliamy, Emma Dodd, Chris Mould and David Melling were amongst the first illustrators to appear on the blog and soon I was gathering new followers at such a pace that I was able to contact illustrators I had admired for years but not had the fortune to work with like Chris Haughton and Polly Dunbar.
To my surprise and delight publishers who I had long admired began to send me books to review which has been a complete privileged. I can't thank you enough for your support and the continuing stream of inspirational books each and every one I treasure.
I now have a regular picture book review feature in WRD magazine (tBK) and review for Little Media parenting magazines.
So for the past 5 years I have travelled the country interviewing illustrators, visiting studios, sniffing books and supervising the Book Sniffer at various soirées, and do you know what dear chums? it's been the best time ever.
STATS: (17/12/13)
- Blog Followers 240
- Twitter followers @maybeswabey 2970
- Facebook 'Likes' 1683
- Blog hits - OVER 100,000
Authors and illustrators who have been interviews for the Book Sniffer Blog -
Alex.T.Smith / Clara Vulliamy / James Mayhew / Andy Stanton / Steven Lenton / Benji Davies / Leigh Hodgkinson / Chris Haughton / Polly Dunbar / Claudia Boldt / Oliver Jeffers / Jonny Duddle / Adam Stower / Chris Judge / Chris Mould / Levi Pinfold / Grahame Baker-Smith / Paul Thurlby / Holly Surplice / Tom Mclaughlin / Emma Chichester Clark / Sarah McIntyre / Guy Parker-Rees / Neal Layton / Shirley Hughes / Alison Murray / Giles Paley-Phillips / Shaun Tan / Mark Chambers / Tor Freeman / Emma Yarlett / Gemma O'Neill / Michelle Robinson / Kate Hindley / Nadia Shireen / David Roberts / Sam Lloyd / Cressida Cowell / David Melling
On my wish list:
Jon Klassen / Quentin Blake / Lauren Child / Ben Newman / Matias Adolphson / Emily Hughes / Michael Foreman - and MORE
THANK YOU - to each and every one of the authors and illustrators who take the time to answer interview questions and send me books, to all of the designers and editors who work to create these perfect picture books and finally to the publicity teams at the publishing houses who continue to ensure I receive a steady supply of sniffing material.
Footnote: I'd like to say a special THANK YOU ...To all of those people who said I shouldn't write a blog because I couldn't spell, or that my punctuation and grammar weren't very good and to those who said I shouldn't bother at all and especially to those who said the voice in which my
blog was written was a 'bit too strange' - I salute you! Here's to another 5 years.
