![\"IMG_0723\"](\"http:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0723-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Several Nibwebbers went, but on different days, so there was no chance for meeting up, However, all noticed that the growth in children’s non-fiction seemed to be continuing, though enthusiasm was \u00a0sometimes \u00a0rather qualified. Here\u2019s what they had to say:<\/p>\n
\u2018… my impression was that there is a great deal more CNF, especially from smaller publishers. Good. \u2018… there seems to be a much greater array of CNF than in the past, and a move away from series\u00a0…\u00a0I think that\u2019s encouraging \u2026 not sure about cover prices, though \u2013 how much cnf is produced for parents of modest means to buy as anything other than presents? Will schools be able to afford such books?\u00a0Thought there was some interesting stuff from France \u2026\u2019 Jenny Vaughan<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018I thought the mood was more upbeat than it had been for years. Money is going into new projects (but not passed on to us, as they conceded), interest in new ideas\u00a0… I still have concerns about trends in design and artwork though and, as Stewart says,\u00a0above, there is too much prioritising of gimmickry over the basics. I like artwork which \u00a0augments the information provided in the text. Picture book styles for cnf may be attractive or retro or in vogue, but they must show how things work and other fundamentals. (Very pleased to see a roving NUJ presence there, I must say.) \u2018Books must work very hard to differentiate themselves from online content. That\u2019s probably why cnf\u00a0has become much more \u201carty\u201d. Some of that art is very expensive and has swallowed up the budget, and has led to the text being written in-house by people inexperienced in providing information. Some of it looks muddy and dark, in my eyes, especially in the nature genre. But some of it looks glorious and will inspire children. Several Nibwebbers went, but on different days, so there was no chance for meeting up, However, all noticed that the growth in children’s non-fiction seemed to be continuing, though…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-973","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-authorblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=973"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":981,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/973\/revisions\/981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nibweb.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nLess good was (1) most of it focussed on the same handful of subjects – dinosaurs, environment, Kings and Queens, etc; and (2) a tendency to provide gimmicky gloss rather than solid content \u2013\u00a0do children really need to be entertained by snigger and giggle 24\/7? Surely they\u2019re not that dumb? (Actually, I know they\u2019re not. Most do not like being talked down to.)
\n… \u00a0(on the French exhibits) [they] have always been more serious minded with their CNF – see all those carousels of the stuff in motorway service stations.\u2019 Stewart Ross<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2018Not the place for a bad back though! On every LBF feedback I\u2019ve ever done, I have called for more chairs and tables for the likes of us, as most stands are filled up with rights people.You can spend half the appointment time searching for somewhere to talk, and end up sitting on the floor.\u2019\u00a0Philip Steele<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2018I applaud the way that art-based publishers have woken up to the need for non-fiction at last. The trick is to do is as well as we possibly can to appeal to today\u2019s taste. …
\n\u2018Agents say there\u2019s no demand from publishers for novel-sized paperback non-fiction, but I believe there will be when the gift book market is saturated. It\u2019s already saturated with some subjects …\u00a0but there are also some very good books out there and a great hunger for good non-fiction. We should be very happy about that.\u2019 Moira Butterfield<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"