Books / Children's Picture Books
Bristol children’s publisher secures EU funding
Bristol children’s publisher, Book Island, has received a significant boost to its growing reputation. It is one of only five UK publishers, and the only UK-based children’s publisher, selected for funding by Creative Europe’s Literary Translation program.
In the past six years the Horfield-based publisher, headed by Greet Pauwelijn (pictured), has published more than 20 picture books from around the world in English translation. The funding for the European translation project has enabled Greet to select three “extraordinary” picture books from Belgium, Sweden and France for publication in English.
Greet says: “Each of these three titles represent the vanguard of children’s literature in their country. Not only will the subsidies from the EU allow us to explore innovative ways to promote these books, but they will also help pay for the production costs, which are always very high for us, as we print in hardback and full colour. I’m thrilled and proud to be bringing these three picture book gems to the UK. Through publishing European picture books in translation we build bridges between the UK and the rest of the world, which is very important in the current political climate. It is something we wouldn’t have been able to do without the support of the EU.”
is needed now More than ever
While initially focusing only on picture books in translation, Book Island have recently started working with local authors. On November 6, the company is launching their first Kickstarter for Mum’s Jumper, a picture book about grief created by Bristol-based illustrator and comics maker, Jayde Perkin.
For more information on Book Island and their Kickstarter campaign, visit www.bookisland.co.uk/en
Read more: Inside Max Minerva’s bookshop
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