Publication Date: 5 September 2023

The Blurb

What’s missing from the world of children’s books? A book about how a book gets made! This behind-the-scenes exploration features colourful and quirky double page spreads that depict every stage in the life of a book.

Young readers will learn why an editor’s to-do list is so long; what’s important to a book designer; how a book gets sold to libraries and stores; and what a printing press looks like. They’ll discover jobs they might not have known about, including literary critics, librarians, and sales representatives. And they’ll learn about topics beyond publishing, such as fan fiction, eBooks and audiobooks, and book collecting. Most of all, they’ll realize how the book they are reading actually came to be made.

The Review

I have lost count of the number of times I have been asked by a child how they become and author or an illustrator, and how a book goes from being an idea in someone’s head to a physical entity ready to entertain. Well, this book has all of the answers and much, much more.

Packed with facts about the publishing journey from conception to print and the journey to a reader’s hands, this is also filled with quirky facts about the wider world of books, including the world’s oldest bookshop, some of the more peculiar libraries our world has on offer, and details relating to the myriad of choices to be made which determine how books look and feel in your hands.

These extra details open young readers minds to the breadth of the literary landscape and the intricate pathways traversed by a whole team of people to make fantasy a reality, and inform and engage readers of all ages. Bright illustrations accompany each fact, drawing the eye from one to the next.

The perfect accompaniment to any bookcase for readers curious as to how the books they have chosen to fill their shelves got there.

Huge thanks to Prestel Publishing for sending me a copy.