soa_news_feed

Call for children's comic book writer

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:16:23 BST

Medikidz is a comprehensive, multimedia, health education offering for children. The Medikidz Mission is to improve the quality of life of young patients, through education. It will explain medicine to children in a way they can understand. The difficulty obviously is to convey what is often complex, dry (and scary!) information into something engaging and exciting for children. Hence we created the 'Medikidz' - a gang of 5 superheroes from Planet Mediland.

All authored by doctors, we have manuscripts written that follow the Medikidz on an action adventure through planet Mediland, explaining the medical basis behind a specific disease along the way. We have 30 so far, including asthma, epilepsy, leukaemia, brain tumour and haemophilia. We want to entertain the kids with these stories but also empower them with the knowledge they need to take ownership of their disease, providing them with skills for self-management. So in the end, children can understand what is happening to them and why it happens, taking away their fear of the unknown.

Here's the problem - yes the manuscripts are medically correct, but try as we might, us doctors just don't make good authors! We need them to be funked up, made more zany/crazy/funny (and a little bit mad!) and we want them in graphic novel style. We have Virgin comics in New York doing our graphics - they heard about our project, loved it and offered to do the illustration for us.

If you think this would be something of interest then please contact Kate James - katejames@medikidz.org, pH 07957749950.

The Big Write

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30:25 BST

The Big Write is a new three year programme of creative activities led by Discover to encourage adults and children aged between 0 – 11 years to share stories together through writing, listening, telling stories, and most importantly playing with words and pictures to create new worlds and stretch imaginations.

The Big Write is about the joy and deep satisfaction to be gained from reading, writing, drawing and creating your own art whether that is a story, poem, drawing or giant sculpture.

From September 2008 – March 2009 The Big Write would like to deliver a number of workshops, readings and events by some of the UK’s most exciting children’s writers and illustrators. The culmination of the Big Write will be an annual festival of children’s literature to be held each March, coinciding with World Book Day and the East Festival. The first Festival of the Imagination will take place from the 4th until 8th of March 2009.

The Big Write would like to invite children’s writers and illustrators to join us in the poorest and most rapidly changing part of London to create something special with the communities who are in the middle of all the enormous changes.

For details visit www.discover.org.uk or call telephone Sally Goldsworthy on: 020 8536 5555

Call for ghost writer

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:15:53 BST

Following the death of his 16 year old son of meningitis, Peter Rowlands has been involved in extreme challenges including skiing to the North Pole, rowing the North Atlantic Ocean from New York to the UK, and running 150 miles of the Gobi Desert. In these challenges he has, with others, raised over £280,000 for the Meningitis Trust. Peter is now looking to write a book on the loss he suffered and the challenges he has faced. Profits from the book will be donated to the Meningitis Trust.

Peter is looking for a ghost writer to provide their services free for the charitable cause. If anyone would like to apply, please contact Peter on 07740 959429 or peterowlands@btinternet.com.
Information is also available on www.commando-joe.co.uk.

Resources for Translators

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:07:55 BST

Isabel Duran, a translator and guest researcher at the University of Wolverhampton, is interested in learning about translators’ needs and expectations regarding the terminological resources available at the moment. If you have a few moments, please complete Isabel’s online survey. Click here to begin. Once you are in this page, click on "Terminological Resources for Translators".

House and dog sitter/s sought for two weeks in (very) rural Bulgaria

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:27:40 BST

Good writing/painting/unusual break spot. Appx 25th September to 10th October 2008.

Accomodation not luxurious but area a gift to those with vision.

info@lucyirvine.com

Age Guidance on Children's Books

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:31:56 BST

View the latest statement from the Publishers Association click here

View the results from the CWIG age guidance poll click here

Find out about the age guidance debate at the CWIG Conference click here

Tax on Foreign Income

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:30:40 BST

Relief from double taxation is usually provided through a double taxation agreement (DTA). The UK has DTAs with more than 100 countries, a list of which can be obtained from HM Inspector of Taxes, FICO, Fitz Roy House, PO Box 46, Nottingham NG2 1BD and is also included in Inland Revenue leaflet IR20 (see below).

The History Press - Feedback from members

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:26:32 BST

For much of last year authors and agents had great difficulty with the various imprints owned by NPI, including Sutton and Tempus. Royalties were long overdue, a good many members of staff left and communications were very poor. We pressed NPI very publicly to honour its commitments and improve its performance.

In late 2007 NPI went into administration, as did Sutton and Tempus. The History Press was, formed on 18th December and purchased some assets of the companies. Tony Morris is in charge of the Press; Alan Sutton is no longer involved.

In early June we invited members to report briefly on their recent experiences with the History Press. The range of comments received has been remarkably wide...

Free Tax Helpline and Guide for Members

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:52:52 BST

The Society is always pleased to give members routine advice on tax queries - particularly over the tax treatment of professional writers.

In addition, HW Fisher, a firm of chartered accountants specialising in the tax affairs of writers, is now providing a Tax Helpline, free of charge to Society members.

To accompany the helpline, HW Fisher have also produced The Authors' and Freelance Journalists' Guide to Tax 2008, which is available to download (together with our full series of Quick Guides) in the members area of this site.

Please log-in to the members area and click on the 'Quick Guides' link for details of the free tax helpline or to download your copy of the Guide.

Summer Newsletter

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:05:29 BST

July 2008

Dear All,

I hope this finds you well. I apologise if this letter is somewhat rushed and if I have forgotten to include anything. Taking a leaf from my daughters’ books, I blame “stuff”.