October 2014

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188 October14
ARTS&LEISURE
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Sarah Mounsey
Australian primary school teacher and Singapore
expat, Sarah Mounsey, won a bronze medal for
her Paw Prints books in the Moonbeam Children’s
Book Awards in the category for best picture
book series. A member of the ANZA (Australia-
New Zealand Association) Writers’ Group, she
has three boys, whom she thankfully notes were
not the inspiration for her very, shall we say, lively
characters.
Why did you self-publish?
Friends from the Singapore Society of Children’s Book Writers
seriously encouragedme to do so. I’d hoped to be published by
a traditional publisher, but publishing houses can get hundreds
of submissions every month, and may only publish two picture
books in the year.
As printing costs in Singapore are a lot lower than in Australia
or England, the risk was lower. It was both exciting and daunting
to have complete creative control over my books.
What’s involved in the process?
A lot of work! You take on so many roles, including editor,
marketer, salesperson, small-business administrator and public
speaker. For the editing, I’m lucky to have experienced friends
who help me.
After registeringmy business,
Brindal Books, I applied for an
ISBN number and got quotes
from printing companies.
I then looked online to find
an illustrator, and found the
wonderful Jade Fang. We hardly
ever meet up while working
on a book together, but are
constantly emailing each other.
When the artwork is complete,
my graphic designer works
with me to lay out the text and
prepare the cover. For Paw
Prints and the Itchy Spots , we tried over 25 different colour
combinations for the cover, and three different illustrations! Then
final edits are done and the book is sent to print.
Who is your distributor?
I work with the brilliant Closetful of Books (closetfulofbooks.
com), and my books are available in bookstores throughout
Singapore, including Bookaburra, Kinokuniya, Playdate
Books, Woods in the Books and Tango Mango. They are
also sold at Ni-Night and at Groovy Gifts. For signed copies
with a personal message from me, you can order through my
website,
and the
Sarah Mounsey Jade Fang
Paw Prints
Itchy Spots
WRITERS’ FESTIVAL
Themed “The Prospect of Beauty”, the 2014 Singapore
Writers Festival (SWF) will be celebrating beauty inwriting,
literature, and the world around us. It features award-
winning writers Raymond E. Feist, Karen Joy Fowler,
Paul Muldoon and Naomi Wolf, alongside Singaporean
and other Asian writers. Join the panel as they debate
the notion of aesthetics, especially unrealistic ideals of
female beauty; the tensions between pristine nature and
development; and thepursuit of truth, freedomand justice.
Dates: 31 October to 9 November
Venues: Singapore Management University’s Campus
Green, The Arts House, the National Museum of Singapore,
the Singapore Art Museum, the National Library, School of
the Arts, Molly Roffey’s Irish Pub and Centre 42.
More info: singaporewritersfestival.com