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The Snowman Glows!

What a year, hey? We’ve been busy down at Sojo Publishing Mouse.

After Sophie visited our schools and got some amazing creations from the children involved she beavered away at the illustrations (although there are no beavers in the finished book; squirrels and rabbits, yes)

Helen spent the majority of the first half of the year learning how to Mum. The plan was to also to write a few more bits and bobs, but turns out Mumming is super tricky! Luckily Helen already has 2 or 3 projects up her sleeve anyway.

Then came October, and it all started coming together. And there was this little campaign

Which was just amazing! 138 backers helped us raise money to print all our books, and have funds to help market it and invest in further projects.

So now we have these! And we’re ready to get them out there, at just £6.99 each (plus p&p)

…well, nearly ready. Helen just has to set up the online payment portal for you, do please check again at the weekend, it should be ready.

But if you’re super eager, and can get yourself to Nottingham, head to the Five Leaves Bookshop who have our first few copies on their shelves!

OR you can join Helen on the 1st December at The Milk Lounge in Beeston for a reading/workshop session for 5s and under (please book via our Facebook page) where copies will be available for sale.

OR you can head to the Sherwood Community Centre Christmas Fayre on the 3rd of December for similar, as well as a few left over goodies from our Kickstarter!

So, here we go! The Snowman Glows, and the Mouse has been let loose. It’s all go, go, go!

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‘The Glowing Snowman’ Kickstarter Campaign

Kickstarter campaign pic

Hooray! The Glowing Snowman Kickstarter campaign is live and already creeping towards the halfway mark.  We have 11 days left to hit our target of £3000 or we get nothing…nada…zilch!

We hope you enjoy our slightly bonkers campaign video.  Apologies about the badger poo.

Please check out the rewards because they are all designed to make your Christmas very easy.

Donate.  Share.  Spread the mother loving’ word.

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Sojo Publishing Mouse comes to Cotgrave Church of England Primary School.

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Yesterday we were at Cotgrave C of E Primary School to meet the BRILLIANT kids in reception, year 1 and year 2, to pick their brains about the illustrations for our brand new Christmas story ‘The Glowing Snowman’, to be published October 2017. Thank you to all of the children and the staff, Sophie loved her morning with you.

If you would like a Sojo Publishing Mouse workshop at your school you can send us a message via our Facebook page or email sojopublishingmouse@gmail.com

 

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Sojo Publishing Mouse Workshops @ Nottingham Schools this November & December.

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We’ve written a book.  Well actually, Helen has written a book.  We want to share it with the world, but there’s a problem… we need help. Serious help.  The type of help you could only expect to get from kids.

So, we’re running a handful of creative workshops during November and December for no more than five lucky schools.  The children (years 1-3) will have the chance to inspire the final illustrations for ‘The Glowing Snowman’.

Cool huh?! Not only that, there are some lovely perks for the schools involved in the project.

Join us over on our Facebook page or send us a speedy email if you think your child’s school would like to grab this unique opportunity.

sojopublishingmouse@gmail.com

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Sojo Publishing Mouse…We exist now!

Hello world.  We are Sojo Publishing Mouse.

‘Sojo what now?’ I hear you ask.

Well, let me tell you…Sojo Publishing Mouse is a publishing house with a difference. Our aim is to create wonderfully original children’s books, which provide a platform for authors and illustrators to share and showcase their work on a much larger scale than the increasingly popular self-publishing route.

In an industry where many established publishing giants don’t have the capacity to take on new writers, and keep with what they know, this publishing mouse actively seeks out fresh and original work, and work that breaks the mould of the traditional children’s picture book.

It is the brainchild of two creative-education practitioners, who day-to-day use their craft to stimulate and inspire the imaginations of young children. Helen, a drama practitioner, and Sophie, an illustrator/animator, both regularly work with primary age children in schools and on other private projects, and see the wonderful effect that stories and pictures can have in firing up young minds.

When working on a collaborative workshop with their respective companies, Sojo Animation and Sprouts, they created a story that had to be told! But when finding out that regular publishers have many guidelines and tend to dismiss children’s books already with illustrations, and not wanting to tear apart the wonderful work they’d already done, they began to look into other ways of doing it. And never ones to want to do things by halves, Sojo Publishing Mouse was born…!