We are recruiting: are you our next Junior Editor?

Award-winning children’s publisher seeks ambitious Junior Editor, fellow doodler and general book sniffer.

The Chosen One (see above) will work across novelty, non-fiction and picture books, looking after a range of titles.

Working with us in Dorking is an unrivalled experience; we look out of the windows at lush rolling hills, venture into town to be greeted by a majestic (and massive) chrome cockerel and have our very own award-winning vineyard to rival the Champagne region! If that doesn’t tempt you, nothing will.

If you’re already an editorial junior wishing to climb your career ladder, this is an incredible opportunity. We consider quality and innovation the main focus and we have a fantastic future ahead of us – full of hard work, good books and great laughs.

A track record of editing children’s books, excellent proofreading and project management skills, creativity and a drive to explore new ideas are essential.

If you consider yourself worthy of the position and wish to join a dedicated, professional and friendly team – please apply by emailing your CV and covering letter to Libby Hamilton, Managing Editor, at libby.hamilton@templarco.co.uk.

P.S.  Must be able to wiggle an After Eight Chocolate from your forehead, into your mouth. No hands allowed. Get practising. 

Question time! New Sales Intern - Sarah Goodey

How long have you been at Templar?

A whole week come tomorrow and it's flying by! I feel I've done so much already, learning about all of Templar's beautiful books and how a publisher really works. Still not sure of most people's names but I'll get there in a couple of weeks...maybe!


What does your job involve?

At the moment while I'm finding my feet I've been sitting in on meetings, trying to learn the publishing lingo (ozalids anyone?!), organising the sales reps packs which means I can have a sneaky glimpse at all the exciting books that are coming up next year and hopefully helping Laura.

What is the most satisfying element of your job?

Just being able to work with children's books. They're so bright and exciting and I want to be able to sneak off to the store room and read them all.


Have you had any funny awkward moments?

Luckily not in the office... I did however manage to fall on my bum on the way down to the station the other night when I had already been warned how slippery the hill was!

What did you want to be when you were a child?

When I was a child I wanted to be everything: vet, teacher, scientist, air stewardess and even work in a clothes shop (which is the only one I have achieved so far!). The one that has stuck with me throughout is the desire to work with books - so I'm ecstatic to be at Templar!


What is your most memorable moment or biggest achievement at Templar to date?


Being told I'd got the internship! So exciting!

How do you take your tea?

Changes all the time - currently milk and half a teaspoon of sugar and even better with a biscuit!

Fave book related blogs / twitter accounts/websites?

Well, obviously this blog! Apart from that, my friend Claire's blog ReadHead89 as its always funny with interesting facts but also offers relevant up to date info on what is happening in the book world.


What are your favourite books (both Templar and non Templar)?

My favourite Templar book at the moment would have to be Arcadia Awakens by Kai Meyer - non-stop action set in Italy (my favourite place in the world!) and with a strong heroine you can actually believe in. Non Templar would be a tight contest between Harry Potter and The Kite Runner.

Which Monster Mate are you?
Naughty Nancy - its more fun to be naughty!

Bookshop or library?

Bookshop... although maybe I should change to library as it would stop me from spending so much on my own mini library.

Physical or digital?

Physical books all the way. There's nothing like holding a real book in your hand.

Mac or PC?

PC at the moment as still trying to get the hang of my Mac!


Coffee or tea?

Tea!


Biscuit or cake?

Both please!

Heatwave or snowstorm?

Snowstorm as you can build snowmen and its festive. Also you can always wear more layers!

Meet the Templar Team - Introducing Laura Garrod

Meet Laura Garrod - Uk Sales Administrator

How long have you been at Templar?
I have been at Templar for 4 months, I joined as an intern where I worked in the foreign rights department and was then lucky enough to bag a job in UK sales!

What does your job involve?
My job primarily involves assisting Clare, the UK Publishing Manager. I also work closely with Bounce! Our sales and marketing agency. We meet on a bi-weekly basis to discuss sales developments and it gives us a chance to present current and future titles to them.

What is the most satisfying element of your job?
As cliché as it sounds, seeing a book finally finished. I haven’t been at Templar long enough yet to see the entire process but being able to hold a finished copy is really satisfying.

Have you had any funny awkward moments?
Not that I can remember, but I am sure in time there will be a few.

What did you want to be when you were a child?
I really wanted to be a Doctor when I was younger. I even had work experience at Epsom hospital in Accident and Emergency, but fainted on my first day when a lady had a nose bleed (not my finest hour!) I was then advised by the Doctor I was shadowing to rethink my career choice.

What is your most memorable moment or biggest achievement at Templar to date? Presenting to the Sales reps at the Bounce Spring Conference in August. It was the first time I met all the reps together and really enjoyed the whole experience.

How do you take your tea?
I don’t drink tea.

Fave book related blogs / twitter accounts/websites ?
The Book Sniffer for interesting book reviews, the bookseller for industry ‘gossip’ and cupcakesandcashmere.com for fashion and food.

What are you working on at the moment?
I am currently preparing sales material for a meeting with Early Learning Centre and WH Smiths.

Are there any authors or illustrators you haven’t worked with yet who you would like to work with in the future?
Growing up I really loved reading Hans Christian Andersen stories. It would be really nice to see a Templar collection of these.

What are your favourite books (both Templar and non Templar)?
My favourite Templar books (because I cant choose just one) are Monstrous Book of Monsters, Santa’s Handbook and Jack and the Baked Beanstalk. My favourite non Templar books are The Hungry Caterpillar and The Cat in the Hat. I also love the Alice Sebold books; The Lovely Bones, Full Moon and Lucky.


QUICK FIRE

Which Monster Mate are you? Nancy
Bookshop or library Bookshop
Physical or digital Physical
Mac or PC PC
Coffee or tea Neither..diet coke!
Biscuit or cake Biscuit – chocolate!!
Heatwave or snowstorm Snowstorm

Thanks Laura - You're the TOPS!

Meet The Templar Team ...INTRODUCING Libby Hamilton!

Meet the deeelightful Libby Hamilton Managing Editor!

How long have you been at Templar?
Over five years – since February of 2006.

What does your job involve?
It’s a bit complicated-sounding – I manage the editorial department alongside Emily Hawkins. Together we’re responsible for the editorial staff, other highly interesting management things which I won’t go into (as I don’t want to lose readers on only the second question) and the quality of the editorial content across the list. I also edit and project manage a number of books myself.

What is the most satisfying element of your job?
I love that feeling when a finished copy comes in – it takes at least two months to print and ship a book, so by the time it’s in my hands I’ve forgotten all the hard work and just marvel at how fantastically it’s turned out. I had exactly that experience this week with The Bumper Book of Bob by Simon Bartram.

Have you had any funny awkward moments?
I once called our managing director “Mum” – but I’m hoping she doesn’t remember!

What did you want to be when you were a child?
I wanted to be an actor-doctor-writer-explorer-superhero. Just the usual really.

What is your most memorable moment or biggest achievement at Templar to date?

‘Farther’, a picture book I edited, won the Greenaway Medal this year, which was pretty big for me. But I feel incredibly proud of loads of books we’ve made over the last five years.

How do you take your tea?
Green and without milk.

Fave book related blogs / twitter accounts/websites ?
I like Book Sniffer and am just starting to follow quite a few people on twitter. I like reading Publisher’s Weekly online, which makes me a nerd. I’m always looking for interesting new illustrators for our picture book list, so often go to their websites and follow their links. Owen Davey’s website had me entranced for far too long. At the moment I’m obsessed by a site called Big Cartel where great illustrators from Bristol and the surrounding area sell their wares. I’m saving up for a Mexican wrestler sculpture!

What are you working on at the moment?
Mike (our art director) and I are just finishing a clutch of amazing picture books for this year – ‘Black Dog’ by Levi Pinfold, ‘The Pirates Next Door’ by Jonny Duddle, ‘Jack and the Baked Beanstalk’ by Colin Stimpson and ‘Knight Night’ by Owen Davey to name but a few. I’m also super-excited about the publication of our new revolting novelty book ‘Monstrous Book of Monsters’, which I wrote. Andy Mansfield did an amazing job on the design and paper engineering and I haven’t had so much fun with a book for a very, very long time.

Are there any authors or illustrators you haven’t worked with yet who you would like to work with in the future?
The list for me of great authors who I’d like to work with is endless. I was lucky enough to work with Michael Morpurgo on ‘Not Bad for a Bad Lad’ and the experience taught me that the most talented people will surprise you by also being the nicest.

AND FINALLY - A few questions sent in via our Facebook site...

At what stage do you like possible submissions?
I think once you’ve got to a stage when you’ve absolutely done everything you can to make it the very best it can be, send it in to a publisher. Remember that unsolicited submissions have to go through a judging process alongside those from established authors and manuscripts from agents – never send anything to a publisher where you’re conscious something about your story isn’t working and expect them to fix it. My other tip is, don’t be prescriptive about the illustrator you see with it, as you’re limiting your appeal to editors who agree with your taste in illustration.

What do you look for in a submission? And when you consider a submission, do you think it's ability to work well as an e-book or app is important?
I look for an original concept, with a twist that I don’t see coming. I also look for someone who has their own voice and an obvious connection with their audience. I specialise in highly illustrated novelty books and picture books, so I’m always looking for someone who can tell an exciting story in very few words – an incredibly difficult skill to master.

I think the idea of it working as an e-book or app is quite separate for me. Things are evolving in that area very quickly, and making an app that actually pays its way is a very difficult thing. I’m definitely still looking primarily for a great story that will make a great page-turner of a book.

Meet the Templar Team!

A moment in the spotlight with Designer and Paper Engineer Andy Mansfield

Who are you?

Andy Mansfield. I live a couple of miles south of Dorking with my wife Debs, and three year old son Rufus.

How long have you been at Templar?

I think it’s coming up for 11 years now.

What’s your job?

Designer and paper engineer.

Did you work at another publisher’s previously or come straight to Templar?

Before Templar I worked for Ron van der Meer, where I honed my paper engineering skills over five years. Ron was a bit of a pioneer of the modern pop-up book, developing hugely complex pop-up books aimed at adults, like the Art pack and the Architecture pack. It was a great place to learn the tricks of the trade.

The Sydney Opera House from The Architecture Pack

What are the best parts of your job?

Coming up with an extravagant pop-up that looks like it shouldn’t fit in the page – but of course it does. Plus you can’t beat the feeling of seeing a finished copy of a book you’ve been toiling over for months.

What are the worst parts of your job?

Having to constantly reign in the amount of paper and glue points we can use in order to save money in the manufacturing process. The once extravagant pop-up ends up being just a flap!

Why is your job is the best one to have in publishing?

Who else can spend half a week trying to get a pop-up bed of nails to work. I don’t think cutting up little pieces of paper and just having fun with them can be beaten in the best job stakes.

Who makes the best cup of tea in the office

I don’t drink tea, so I can’t answer this one. I know I probably make the worst though.

Scummy tea...

What are your favourite books (both Templar and non Templar)?

I love Bob – man on the moon. It’s great to read it (again and again and again) with my son, who loves searching out the aliens. Jan Pienkowski’s Haunted House is also a favourite, as it was my first pop-up book.

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on several non-fiction novelty titles including the Junior Pop-up Atlas, and How we make stuff (the next in the ‘How the World Works’ series). I’m just about to start working on the pop-ups for the next classic sounds book – Cinderella, which should be fun.

Which projects have you been most proud of?

I’m really pleased with Monstrous Book of Monsters, a bit of a gross-out look at the world of monsters, due out this September. Everything came together really well, and we’ve ended up with a great product that looks fantastic. During my years at Templar I’ve been very lucky to have worked on a variety of really exciting titles, but I’m probably most proud of the Marvel True believers pop-ups I worked on a few years back. I pretty much had a free reign to do what I wanted with Marvel’s back catalogue of classic comic artwork, and I think they worked out really well.

Quickfire Questions ...

Which Monster Mate are you most like? Nosey Norman...
Bookshop or library Bookshop
Physical or digital Both have their own place, but probably physical
Mac or PC Mac
Coffee or tea I don’t drink either
Biscuit or cake Cake
Heatwave or snowstorm Snowstorm.