AFTER THE WHIRLWIND Emily Ann Davison

Now that the whirling debut dust has settled, Caroline Deacon invites Emily Ann Davison to talk about one thing she's learnt since becoming a published author.

 

Emily Ann Davison

It only feels like yesterday that Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny was published. Since then, it has felt exactly like a whirlwind! And I’ve been carried through it with the support of family, friends (old and new) and the amazing book community. 

Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny was published on 3 March 2022, which was also World Book Day. After over two years of waiting, publication day seemed to creep up on me more quickly than expected. The amazing Rachel Thapa at Tales on Market Street in Faversham has been really supportive throughout my author journey, and I received a text message from her to say the books were in the store. Seeing the book staring out at me from the shop window absolutely made my day! On Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny’s book birthday, I was at work, and while I was busy in the school supporting children, there was a flurry of activity going on behind the scenes on social media. It was overwhelming to see all of the lovely comments, likes, and retweets, every time I logged on. And the support from others didn’t stop there!

 

Emily pointing to her book on display in a bookshop window

Over the next few months, I had friends getting in touch with photos of Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny in the wild – in chain bookshops, independent bookshops and National Trust shops. The fact that people were taking a moment out of their busy days to snap a photo and send it to me, absolutely blew me away! It meant such a lot, especially because my family and I had Covid so I couldn’t go and visit bookstores myself. Le Yoga Des Petits Lapins was even spotted in a shop in Paris! I am so thankful for everyone’s kindness. 

Le Yoga Des Petits Lapins on display

In the week of publication, I held an author talk in each of the classes at the school I work in. The children were so enthusiastic about the book, and interested in finding out about my author journey and the publication process. This was such a special moment for me, and felt like exactly what I should be doing with my life. The following weeks were met with children coming up to me telling me their own story ideas, and how much they enjoyed my book. One child recently told me it is their favourite book, which is never a bad thing to hear! 

Emily performing an author talk

In April, Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny was National Trust’s Book of the Month. A lovely friend spotted this on one of their days out and shared the photo with me. Also in April, we had an Instagram blog tour and the kind comments from reviewers filled my heart! The book was also selected for two subscription boxes: Bring a Book to Life and Reading Rocks. After recovering from Covid, I was eventually able to go and visit more bookstores, and introduced myself to someone in Waterstones, Ashford. They were so enthusiastic and invited me to do an event, which was so much fun. They put me in touch with Waterstones, Canterbury, which led to another event.

I’ve also run a virtual Picture Book session for the I Am Writing festival, had two sold-out events at Edinburgh International Book Festival and an event organised by the Children’s Boutique shop Buttercup in Whitstable (Mary-Jane Higginson has also been hugely supportive ever since I popped in and said hello!).

Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny on display in a National Trust shop

I’m very grateful to the whole team at Nosy Crow. The design team created some wonderful yoga bunny postcards, Tegen Evans kept me up to date with any exciting developments and Sîan Taylor helped organise a number of different events. I feel very lucky to have had such a huge amount of support from family, friends and the book community, and they have carried me through this journey and been there to offer reassurance when I’ve had some wobbles! 

It’s a two-way street too. I have some very lovely friends who are publishing their debut picture books soon. I will be shouting about their books from the rooftops, and share with them any tips about preparation for publication that I’ve picked up along the way. The main thing I have taken away from the whirlwind of publication is the amazing support I have received, especially from the book community. 

But how do you find this wonderful community and become a part of it? 

• Writing is often done alone at your desk (or wherever your chosen place may be). It can be a lonely pursuit. Social media, for all of its woes, is a great way to connect with others. You don’t have to do all of the different platforms. Try a few and see which you prefer. I use Twitter and Instagram mostly, and since publication, I’ve found Instagram easier to use. I can’t seem to keep up with Twitter! 
• For me, being a part of critique groups at the beginning of my writing journey was hugely beneficial, not only in developing my stories and writing, but also by being in the company of other writers who are following similar journeys. Critique groups can be face-to-face and online, and I’ve been in both. I discovered these groups through SCBWI, Golden Egg and Write Mentor. I’m still in touch with many of these writers and illustrators now, and am so lucky to call them my friends. 
• If you are a debut author or illustrator, it is worthwhile seeing if you can join or set up a group of other fellow debuts. I am in a group alongside other 2022 debuts, and being able to share tips with each other, boost each other and offer support, is so helpful. Thank you debuts! 

So, what’s next for me? At the time of writing, I am busy preparing for the publication of my next picture book – The Blue Umbrella, beautifully illustrated by Momoko Abe and published by Andersen Press. It’s a story about a girl’s generosity, a magic umbrella and a community coming together. In the next few months, I have a Waterstones bookshop event coming up, two sessions at Faversham Literary Festival and also have some other books in the pipeline with other publishers, which I hope to be able to share more about in the future. And of course, I am busy writing lots of new picture book texts and some longer texts too.

Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny, is illustrated by Deborah Allwright and published by Nosy Crow in partnership with National Trust.

*Header Image: Shannon Ell

*All other photo's courtesy of Emily Ann Davison

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Caroline Deacon lives in Edinburgh and is the author of several childcare books. She now writes MG and YA and is agented by Lindsay Fraser of Fraser Ross Associates, Edinburgh. Find her on Twitter and at www.carolinedeacon.com

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Anne Boyere is a member of the Words & Pictures editorial team.