'It all felt a bit exclusive': Leeds mums launch network for indie children's authors and illustrators
A pair of mums from Leeds have united to create a network to support independent children's authors and illustrators. They tell Laura Reid about their experiences.
It was a step into a new industry for Leeds-based Hannah, alongside her corporate work in compliance, risk and finance – and it reignited within her a creative passion for writing and drawing that she’s now continuing to pursue.
The 38-year-old has also recently joined forces with fellow Leeds-based children’s author and illustrator Leanne Beardsley to launch ICAN, a network aimed at supporting people in the independent publishing world.
"After navigating the challenges of indie and hybrid publishing ourselves, we experienced first-hand how overwhelming it can be, from finding trusted illustrators to understanding how to market and grow,” says Hannah. “So we built the space we wish existed.”
The Indie Children’s Author Network is a space for independent authors and illustrators from across the country to connect and collaborate.
It runs a skills lab of learning resources such as guides on how to market books, prepare for talks or school visits, and sell through Amazon, as well as hosting a suppliers directory that lists businesses including indie-friendly bookshops, photographers, and printing and editing services.
"It’s all about bringing things together in one place,” says Hannah. “Our members can just go on and go right I want to do a book reading, which bookshops will accept me so I don't have to have the door slammed in my face loads, for example.”
It also tackles a growing issue in the industry, she believes, of authors turning to AI simply because they don’t know where to find human creatives.
“I see regularly posts or books where you look at the image and think that’s AI,” Hannah reflects. “I think part of the problem is budget and part of the problem is people don't know where to go...
“From a creator’s point of view it's really disheartening because they're getting pushed aside for AI-generated images. By having a space for them and being able to promote them, we're giving them that little boost that they need to not give in.”
In essence, ICAN was created to make indie publishing feel less overwhelming, and to ensure that great and diverse stories are not held back by a lack of access or knowledge. It’s been built from their own experiences.
Leanne’s journey began last year with Please Cloud, Don't Cry, a book rooted in the words of her neurodivergent daughter. It has inspired the 46-year-old to create more story-led picture books exploring emotion and children’s imagination with her next, looking at how children experience and manage anxiety, set for release next month.
Through a hybrid partnership, Hannah also became a published author for the first time last year with Some Brothers & Some Sisters, a book for children with step-siblings, half-siblings, or siblings living in different houses, which aims to showcase that love knows no boundaries.
She too is preparing for the release of a second book, a rhyming tale about a young boy as he discovers that mistakes are a natural part of learning.
“Leanne and I met up, not knowing each other, for a coffee, and discussed what a difficult process independent publishing is and how we wished there was a resource for people like us,” Hannah says. “That's when we came up with the idea for ICAN.”
The network launched in April, with support from two advisory members, during the UK-wide National Year of Reading. Already the pair are working to develop it.
They have begun a spotlight series to promote the work of their members and now have a portal for ‘bookstagrammers’ and reviewers, as well as hosting a podcast with expert guests from the industry.
They’ll soon be building a base for educators, enabling them to arrange school visits with independent authors and illustrators, and also plan to launch their own publishing brand in the autumn. Before that, they’re finalising details for a summer book fair in Leeds.
“If you're an indie creator you don't really get invited to the literature festivals, and book fairs tend to be focused towards big publishers, so this is the first stab at having something exclusively for indies on a larger scale,” Hannah says.
"We’re also really proud to shine a light on northerners and have something up this end because there's very little…We are doing it for the underdogs, I suppose, centered within the north…it will be really great to have something like this, that we hope will grow and grow, that's founded in the north.”
Leanne agrees. “For a long time, it felt like if you wanted to make it in children’s books, you had to have a foot in the door in London,” she says. “It all felt a bit 'exclusive' and, honestly, quite daunting for those of us up here. Add to that, regardless of your location if you didn’t have an agent or a publisher you are totally forgotten.
“We wanted to create a space that felt like a warm, open door ra ther than a brick wall...It’s about making the whole process of writing and illustrating, publishing and marketing, feel a little less lonely and a lot more doable.
"We’re just a community of creators looking out for each other, making sure that brilliant indie books actually reach the kids they were written for, without anyone having to feel intimidated by the industry."
- To find out more visit indiechildrensauthors.co.uk