The Let Your Imagination Fly project aims to organise author visits to schools, libraries or community centres, particularly in low income and/or ethnically diverse areas across Wales, to target potential new readers through social media, and to collaborate with reading promotion agencies to encourage more children from Wales to read for pleasure.
Since the project’s launch, we have been working alongside our fantastic authors with schools, libraries and reading promotion organisations to reach as many new readers as possible.
Here are some snapshots from over the summer:
If you would like to find out more about the opportunities to get involved with Let Your Imagination Fly, please contact Megan.Rees@fireflypress.co.uk
From eerie adventures at sea, to endearing sausage-dog tales Firefly Press has the stories to encourage children to read for pleasure. And now we are thrilled to announce Let Your Imagination Fly, a book promotion and marketing programme aimed at reaching new readers aged between 7 and 18 in 2024.
As a Wales-based publisher, this outreach programme, funded by the Welsh Government’s New Audiences Fund, will focus on our home country. The latest PISA figures found that children’s reading levels in Wales are the lowest in the UK, and along with other countries, there has been a steep decline post-pandemic. And with a score of 466 in reading, comparable to an OECD average of 476, the need to encourage new readers is stronger than ever.
Research also shows that reading for pleasure is ‘the single biggest indicator of a child’s life chances’. An OECD 2021 report stated that: ‘engagement in reading, framed by a desire to read for pleasure, can mediate socio-economic status and may help address endemic inequalities’.
As our titles are aimed at children and young adults, we feel it is vital that they: a) appeal to young readers as reading for pleasure, and b) are discoverable through schools and libraries and other community spaces as well as bookshops, and virtually, online, where new readers might come across books for the first time. We also believe it is key that our titles can show readers themselves reflected in the books they read, and are empathetic reads that encourage understanding of Wales’ diverse communities.
The Let Your Imagination Fly project aims to organise author visits to schools, libraries or community centres, particularly in low income and/or ethnically diverse areas across Wales, to target potential new readers through social media, and to collaborate with reading promotion agencies to encourage more children from Wales to read for pleasure.
If you would like to find out more about the opportunities to get involved with Let Your Imagination Fly, please contact Megan.Rees@fireflypress.co.uk
Firefly Press is thrilled to announce Firefly Ignite 2, a follow-up to last year’s acclaimed programme for aspiring children’s writers from underrepresented backgrounds, born or living in Wales.
The original programme ran in May and June 2023 and aimed to demystify Young Adult and children’s publishing with sessions from agents, authors and editors. In 2024 we hope to build on the success of the first Ignite Programme with three new online workshops/ sessions developed from the Ignite 1 feedback.
In addition, we will be selecting up to 2-3 aspiring YA and children’s writers to take part in an exciting mentoring programme, in which they will receive mentoring from an experienced published children’s author between May and Sept 2024.
We are delighted to confirm that the next set of online sessions will be delivered by literary agent Gemma Cooper, editors Janet Thomas and Penny Thomas, and author Emma Smith-Barton. We can also share the exciting news that author Catherine Johnson will be joining the programme as a mentor.
More information will be available after Christmas, when you’ll also be able to book a place on this new programme of events. We look forward to welcoming new and familiar faces to Ignite 2.
An exciting opportunity for an experienced or up-and-coming designer to work at award-winning independent children’s book publisher, Firefly Press. We publish books for five-to-nineteen-year-olds including Yoto Carnegie award-winning The Blue Book of Nebo.
Assistant Designer – maternity cover
Location: Caerphilly, Wales. Hybrid or remote working considered
Salary: £24,000 pro rata
Role type: 10hrs per week
Publishing design experience in digital marketing and editorial is desirable but not essential. Applicants should be proficient in Photoshop and ideally have a working knowledge InDesign and experience in setting up files for print.
Please send your CV and a covering letter to Megan Rees at megan.rees@fireflypress.co.uk.
Closing date Monday 23rd October.
Firefly Press is a committed equal opportunities employer and employs people on the basis of their abilities. Positions are open to all suitably qualified candidates, and we welcome applicants from a diverse base, regardless of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds
