Patsy Isles is passionate about publishing books that excite, invigorate and inspire black and minority ethnic children and young people. As the new Commissioning Editor of the legendary Tamarind Books, established over 20 years ago by Verna Wilkins and since 2007 an imprint of power publisher Random House, Isles is ready to push the envelope where stories for children are concerned. A former assistant editor at HarperCollins specialising in science fiction and fantasy, she explains to Joy Francis how the landscape of multiracial children’s books is changing and why she is on the lookout for quality stories from inventive writers.

January/February 2010

Patsy Isles

What is it like being Commissioning Editor of Tamarind Books?
I feel really inspired and excited to be heading up a list with a reputation that Verna Wilkins [founder of Tamarind Books] has built up. It is exciting because I feel that I‘m in control of a list that has a really big impact, not just for black children but for all children. It was going for 20 years when Random took it over. Verna is a woman who set up Tamarind Books on her kitchen table and she couldn’t grow it any further without future investment which Random House has done. As a result our list has moved from three or four books a year to ten. There are so few lists out there in terms of multicultural books for children so it is nice being part of something that is small but very necessary.

When it comes to black children’s authors Malorie Blackman is the main British writer who springs to mind. Why do you think that black, Asian and mixed race children’s writers and books are so under the mainstream publishing radar?
I don’t think that it is a problem of there not being the writers. I do think they are there. One of my professional challenges is finding these writers. I’m looking for quality writing and a story that captures me. That doesn’t have anything to do with the colour of that person. Quite often in the UK a lot of the stories that are told tend to play into negative stereotypes. For example, living on a housing estate and escaping from it. These stories need to be told but we also need to tell stories that are just stories. A child who has lost a tooth, has a pet or went out in the snow. Quite often in the mainstream, some of the stories that are told by black writers are maybe not seen as sellable. It is also as if the mainstream has a particular view of what it means to be black. The fact that you are a black writer shouldn't really matter. We need to provide more outlets for more stories.

What are you currently focusing on in terms of your list and what type of manuscripts do you want to see in your post bag from writers?
Fiction. Up to now Tamarind has been very successful in publishing picture books for children. But once those children have grown up beyond the picture books what is out there for them? I’m focusing on early readers from those who are just starting to read on their own at five to six to teen fiction. I’m looking for strong writing and interesting stories that are just stories and not necessarily about being black or mixed race, although those aspects will come into the story in some way, shape or form. We are looking to publish a book in 2011 called Skin Deep by Malaika Rose Stanley. It is about a girl who wants to enter a beauty competition and gets into the final only to wake up with Bell’s Palsy. It is about notions of beauty. It is an important story for children to read in this day and age. Yet the cultural background of the characters is not the focus of the story yet all three of them are black.

Who would you say is Tamarind’s core audience and who are you hoping to bring on board with your expanded list?
Our current audience includes parents of young children but also schools and libraries. When our younger readers grow up we want to give them books that will grow with them. There is very little for children between the ages of five to nine-years-old. From nine-years-old we have the Black Stars series about our black icons. We need to take our readers through pre-school to the age when they are ready to leave school. We will always continue to do picture books but at the moment the focus in on bringing out more fiction and filling in those gaps. That way we will have a strong list that spans the whole of a child’s development.

What was your career route into publishing? You were at HarperCollins for a while.
I started my career in publishing as an editorial assistant. I was going to go to university to study media/journalism but I decided to take year out and got a job at Unwin Hyman. They were the original publisher of Tolkien. While there I started an apprenticeship and worked on science fiction and fantasy. I have always loved books. In 1990 I moved on to HarperCollins where I stayed for five years and worked my way up to assistant editor. I learned so much working for a major publishing company and working on a very big list.

What books did you enjoy working on?
I did the film and TV tie in to the books I was working on such as The X Files books. I also worked in the production of books by fantasy and science fiction writers like Clive Barker, Colin Greenland and David Eddings.

What qualities are you looking for in a children’s writer?
I want to be engaged. The writing has to be lively. It is a difficult thing to do but it has to speak to the target group. I’m looking for writers to reach nine to 12-year-olds and 13 plus fiction. They have to know the markets they are writing for. They must read in the age range they want to write for. I’ve had manuscripts from people where a character’s voice is too old for the target group. It has to be the right voice and the right sound. I want writers to be experimental. The stories have to break the mould.

When you speak to children and young people during your book tours, want do they say they want from a children’s book?
The feedback from children, aged five to 14, has been phenomenal. On the picture book side, kids want to see more modern illustrations. We have published Silence Seeker, which is a book about an asylum seeker. It has powerful strong Manga-style illustrations. The content has to reflect all of their experiences. To engage children and get them reading we have to make the books look at what they are interested in. Although they are spending so much time online, children do want to read. They love to read and their imagination has no end. We need to think about how we can bring in some of the more fantastical elements. That is a big area for children, particularly with the influence of Harry Potter. They are areas where we as black people can develop fiction into. It would be brilliant to see a black witch. We don’t publish books that feature animals as characters. We feature children of colour. They are the ones who solve the problems and are the central focus of the books.

So how can budding children’s writers get in touch with Tamarind?
If it is a picture book we need the whole story up to 1200 words. Anything above that falls between a picture book and a book. We also need a covering letter. If it is a fiction book, we expect the first three chapters and a synopsis of the full story. They can be posted or emailed to us. We also have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and an e-newsletter that goes out once a month.

During February, to commemorate Black History Month in the US, Tamarind is giving away a book a day. To find out more visit: www.tamarindbooks.co.uk

If you would like to submit a manuscript, send it to: Tamarind Books 61-63 Uxbridge Road W5 5SA. Email: info@tamarindbooks.co.uk.

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