I’ve been published by Orchard Books for quite some time now. Every six months my royalty statement arrives with more paper added and I have worried about the envelopes once or twice, as they often split open.

I was surprised to get a corrugated parcel from Hachette yesterday. I assumed it must be a book, but couldn’t imagine which it might be. I was very surprised to find my Royalty statement inside! Fresh of the printer, not crumpled in the post as usual.

I stopped to have a count up. Including the titles I illustrated for Rose Impey, I now have 67 titles published by Orchard and I’m working on another eight book series right now. That has to be some kind of achievement, if only to show that we have managed to get along together over the years, through moves and aquisitons and mergers and changes of personnel – I’m not sure anyone is still there from the beginning – except Marlene, the Boss. Here’s looking to the next 67 titles – some of which may well be electronic and never see a pice of paper at all. These are interesting times.

Of course the real surprise is the size of the cheque! If you fancy being a children’s author, don’t give up the day job. If yo add up the hours, I’m don’t suppose most children’s authors are getting much more than the minimum wage. The Society of Authors did a survey a little while back and this was proved to be true.