News - Leigh Cunningham

Children's book is bestseller

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -1000

Article in the Morning Bulletin, 16 February 2010.pdf

The Glass Table hits Amazon.com bestseller lists

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -1000

I am pleased to announce that The Glass Table has made it onto bestseller lists for children's fiction with Amazon.com in three categories: action/adventure, nature/environment and science fiction/fantasy/mystery/horror. This followed the launch of the video book trailer for The Glass Table earlier in the week.

The sequel, Shards, is due for launch March 2010. The two books will be exhibited at the Bologna Children's Book Fair later that month.

New association meets needs of independent authors

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -1000

The Association of Independent Authors (AiA) was launched 1 February 2010. The vision of the AiA is that independent publishing will be the preferred, first choice, for all authors. Their mission is to create a culture of excellence, teamwork and professionalism in a community environment where sharing and collaboration benefits each individual member and independent authors as a whole.

The publishing industry as we have known it for centuries is quickly being broken down by advancing technologies that have enabled the independent author. The Amazon v Macmillan stoush and Waterstone's return to its local bookstore roots are evidence of this. More doors are opening, and it's becoming clear that authors can make the journey to publication and beyond quite satisfactorily on their own. Professionalism now comes into the equation.

The Glass Table, top 10 bestseller list for children's fiction, Times Bookstores

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -1000

I am very pleased to announce that The Glass Table is on the Times Bookstores top 10 bestseller list for children's fiction. A huge thanks to the dedicated staff at all the Times stores in Singapore. See more store photos.

Times Bookstores, Singapore, introductory offer for The Glass Table

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -1000

To celebrate our exclusive arrangement with Times Bookstores, Singapore, The Glass Table will be offered at an introductory 20% discount commencing January 2010.

If you would like to pre-order a copy of The Glass Table, please visit any of the Times Bookstores at Centrepoint, Tampines Central 1, Plaza Singapura, Marina Square or Jelita.

Kindle independent author’s novel gets optioned for film

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -1000

Karen McQuestion's self-published novel, A Scattered Life, has been optioned for film by Hollywood production company, Hiding in Bed with Eric Lake slated to produce the film.

Karen's novel came to the attention of the production company via reader posts on Amazon.com. It appealed for a movie adaption due to the quirky character-driven nature of the story, similar to the likes of Sunshine Cleaning and Little Miss Sunshine.

Exclusively at Times Bookstores, Singapore

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -1000

I am very pleased to announce that The Glass Table, for children 8-12 years, is now available exclusively at Times Bookstores in Singapore. Many thanks go to Lynette Lee and Kenneth Wong for making this possible.

For further information on The Glass Table, eg the characters, environmental theme and key messages, and origins of the story, please visit FAQs and my Blog.

The first two chapters of The Glass Table can be viewed on Myebook, and you can search inside on Amazon.com.

Press release, November 2009

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -1000

New children's book emphasizes waterway conservation

The Glass Table by Leigh K Cunningham offers an insightful and entertaining way of looking at the impact we have on the planet

SINGAPORE-The Glass Table by Leigh K Cunningham stresses the importance of environmental conservation through a children's fantasy story.

In The Glass Table, 12 children disappear while holidaying at a lake during the summer school holidays. While the police and community suspect the children have been abducted, it is a mystery as to how 12 children could disappear in broad daylight from campgrounds that were overflowing with visitors.

The missing children are cast into a spell to live in the river Kai as spirits, divided into two opposing groups: the river spirits and the wood spirits. The river spirits can escape the spell and return home as children, but only with dire consequences for the wood spirits. While rivalries pit the two groups against each other, they unite when a greater threat emerges on the banks of the river Kai.

Cunningham aims to introduce a number of emotional, child-friendly themes through the diverse characters in The Glass Table. The children deal with matters such as the death of a sibling, prejudice and bullying. These issues are explored as the children strive to free themselves from the spell while preserving the ecology of the river that has become their home. They learn about acceptance, trust, and working together in order to find solutions to their dilemma without consequences for nature or for each other. The Glass Table is the first in a series for children 8-12 years.

The Glass Table is available exclusively in Singapore at Times Bookstores, on Amazon.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

Available exclusively in Singapore at Times Bookstores

Leigh K Cunningham

Beautiful Malice

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -1000

With their kitchen business on its last legs, Rebecca James, her partner, Hilary Hudson, and their four children were facing a bleak future. James, an unknown writer from Armidale, had already tasted failure. Her second novel had been rejected by every publisher in Australia and her first had earned her just $100.

Then, the day after the business finally closed, an email arrived. The publisher Allen & Unwin was going to make an offer for Beautiful Malice, James's thriller aimed at young teenagers.

''I thought, omigod - the universe looked after us!"

It was the start of a worldwide bidding war which has pushed advances on her manuscript past $1 million and led the The Wall Street Journal to wonder if she is the next J.K. Rowling.

Set in Sydney, James's novel depicts the relationship between Katherine, a solitary girl whose sister was brutally murdered, and gorgeous fun-loving Alice, who befriends her. Alice's influence is transformative, but as Katherine emerges from her grief, she discovers her new best friend can be chilling as well as charming .

The Wall Street Journal described how the book sparked a frenzy among publishers at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair and called it ''a sexy psychological thriller'', a ''brilliantly plotted page-turner'' and ''Stephenie Meyer ... without the vampires''.

It was a very different reception from that which greeted James's first book, Nightswimming. It was published by a small American publisher in 2007 and netted the author $100.

Beautiful Malice has been sold in more than 20 countries and is scheduled to be translated into at least 13 languages. Not bad for a book that was initially rejected by every literary agency in Australia.

"They said it wasn't sellable as young adult fiction," James said.

The $1 million is scheduled to be paid in four instalments over the next couple of years. The British literary agency C&W will take a cut of 20 per cent.

As yet, none of it has landed in James's account, but she has treated herself to a new laptop and two Cavoodle puppies.

She still feels overwhelmed by events. "It's just the biggest dream come true, but there's also another side. I wanted to make money, enough to be a writer, but I didn't ever think I'd get so much attention ... It's quite bizarre."

Beautiful Malice will be published in Australia in May; international release dates are being finalised.

Rebecca James with her partner, Hilary Hudson, and Charlie, Oscar, Jack and Jimmy.

Children's sector beats market

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -1000

The children's book market will benefit from strong growth in retail sales in 2009 and longer-term demand for digital books for children. Digital will grow as a result of the proliferation of devices such as the iPod Touch and games consoles, and the increasing availability of e-books on mobile phones.

These were the main findings of the Children's Conference, hosted last week by The Bookseller, and attended by more than 100 children's publishers, retailers and digital specialists.

Random House digital publisher Jonathan Davis said that children's publishing was at an "evolutionary moment" and predicted "significant growth" next year. Davis said publishers would face a changing retail landscape, citing the emerging role of iTunes as a retailer of e-books.

The children's market was also reaping real world benefits and was the only trade sector to have grown over the year to 5th September, according to Nielsen BookScan figures. While the Total Consumer Market had declined, the children's market had grown.