Empathy is a superpower, and there’s no better way to share this than through stories. Whether it’s making a boy visible again after his family became statutorily homeless or two friends who support each other through thick and thin: we’re not surprised that two of our titles have been selected for the 2023 Read for Empathy collection.
Made up of a primary collection with 40 titles and a secondary collection with 25 titles, many of the books help readers understand the lives of those experiencing tough situations, like becoming homeless, or a refugee. Others help children build their understanding of emotions or inspire positive action towards the climate or animals or people in their community.
Download the free guides HERE and don’t forget to mark your calendars: Thursday 08 June is Empathy Day 2023!
Full time or four days pro rata; £30,000 to 35,000, salary commensurate with experience. Hybrid working a possibility.
We are looking for a dynamic, experienced publishing business manager to take on a varied remit with the scope to drive business development at Firefly. Your responsibilities will include managing the sales, marketing and rights teams, and promoting the development of new opportunities in these areas; organising Firefly’s presence at trade fairs; working with the Publisher on business promotion, budgets, targets, royalties, and grant support. Reporting to the Publisher, you will work with a small team of committed staff to maximise the potential of Firefly’s quality fiction and non-fiction lists.
This will include: – Working with sales, marketing and design to developing new sales opportunities for front and backlist titles within the UK and overseas trade markets and into the non-trade direct and special sales markets – Managing the sales, marketing and rights team – Developing rights and licensing opportunities – Overseeing traditional rights sales – Organising Firefly’s presence, at, and attending, trade fairs – Working with the publisher on budgets, targets, royalties, sales data and grant support – Working with the publisher and staff on business and marketing strategies for Firefly’s continued growth.
To apply please send a CV and covering letter to Penny Thomas: penny.thomas@fireflypress.co.uk
The closing date for this position is 20th February 2023.
Bookkeeper
£26,326 pro rata; home or office based, freelance or employed, up to two days per week
We are looking for an experienced bookkeeper with excellent Excel and Xero skills and preferably knowledge of/experience in a publishing environment. You will have strong communication skills, experience/understanding of VAT and keen attention to detail
To apply please send a CV and covering letter to Penny Thomas: penny.thomas@fireflypress.co.uk
The closing date for this position is 20th February 2023.
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 aim to attract applicants from a diverse base, regardless of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.
Daydreams, missing identity, and a villain in an ice-cream van have all helped start the New Year off with a bang for Firefly, with no fewer than three award shortlistings announced in the first week of 2023!
Daydreams and Jellybeans by author and poet Alex Wharton, illustrated by Katy Riddell has been shortlisted for the first-ever poetry shortlist for the 2023 Lollies Laugh Out Loud Book Awards. Hosted by Scholastic, the Lollies celebrate the best and funniest children’s books in the UK and Ireland with the final winner decided by children around the country reading and voting right here.
And to continue the awesome January we’re having so far, Has Anyone Seen Archie Ebbs? by Simon Packham and Little Horror by Daniel Peak are on the shortlist for the 2023 James Reckitt Hull Award! A collaboration between The James Reckitt Library Trust and Hull Libraries and the Hull School Libraries Service, the award works with participating schools to have their students read and vote on the shortlist. The writers of the shortlisted titles are also invited to the city to work with the young people, an initiative we’re very proud to support.
Penny Thomas, Publisher at award-winning children’s and YA publisher Firefly Press, has acquired World rights in middle-grade novel A History of My Weird by Chloë Heuch.
Autistic Mo is struggling to fit into high school but then she meets Onyx. Onyx doesn’t care that she is an outsider and encourages Mo’s new obsession with the abandoned asylum in town. Will Mo’s quest to understand the history of her weird lead her and new friend into a calamity they can’t escape from?
As the overall winner of the Firefly Press Fiction Competition Wales 2022, judge and author Catherine Fisher called A History of My Weird ‘a stand-out winner, with its memorable and vibrant main character, and exciting narrative.’
‘This is a beautifully imagined and executed novel, with a terrific central character and a dynamic storyline,’ said Thomas. ‘We’re so delighted that Chloë has chosen to publish her second title with Firefly, following on from her absorbing YA novel Too Dark to See in 2020.’
Chloë Heuch said: ‘I’m overjoyed to sign with Firefly for A History of My Weird. I love Mo and can’t wait for others to be able to read all about the shenanigans she gets up to.
There have been times in my life when I’ve felt voiceless and invisible, but I’ve been able to find my way home to myself through writing. Working with teenagers for the last few years has inspired me to connect with that age group through stories about things I believe are important.’
Welsh independent publisher Firefly Press has received a bumper FOUR nominations for the 2023 Yoto Carnegies.
The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros, and The Red Gloves and Other Stories by Catherine Fisher are both nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing. And The Song that Sings Us written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Jackie Morris is double nominated for both Yoto Carnegie Medals for Writing and Illustration respectively.
Firefly Press Publisher Penny Thomas says: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have four Carnegie nominations this year; this is a huge achievement for our small, quality children’s fiction list and we’d like to congratulate all the authors and the illustrator on their wonderful work!
‘These nominations are also a testament to the creative power in Welsh children’s fiction at present; these writers and illustrators are all based in Wales, and all nominated titles are immersed in Welsh landscape and culture, with strong environmental themes.’
The Song that Sings Us written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal winning artist Jackie Morris is a stunningly beautiful environmental epic adventure, featuring an alternative world threatened by a terrible weapon called ‘the greenhouse’. It was described by The Guardian as ‘Storytelling on the most poetic scale – strange, bloody, grand and unforgettable.’
Nicola Davies says: ‘I put my heart and soul into The Song That Sings Us and I’m so happy that this wonderful nomination demonstrates readers understand this story and the message it carries, that all life is one kin, one song.’
Jackie Morris adds: ‘This is the first time Nicola and I have worked together, and I am so proud that the illustrations I have done for this lyrical tale of adventure have been recognised with a nomination.’ Jackie will also be illustrating the second book to be set in the world of The Song that Sings Us – Skrimsli! due out in autumn 2023.
Manon Steffan Ros’ translated YA novel The Blue Book of Nebo, adapted by the author from her award-winning Welsh novel Llyfr Glas Nebo, is an deeply moving post-apocalyptic story of a mother and son’s survival and relationship after a nuclear fallout, set in north Wales. Described as ‘a gentle, yet powerful read about how we live and what we pay attention to’ by the Irish Times.
Manon says: ‘I’m absolutely honoured to be nominated. The Carnegie especially means a great deal to me as I can remember seeing the word on the cover of some of my favourite books when I was younger and learning to recognise it as a sign of a great read!’
The short story collection The Red Gloves and Other Stories by Catherine Fisher, illustrated by Anne Glenn, contains nine haunting, magical stories based on Welsh and English myths. It was described by Booktrust as, ‘A masterful mix of truth and the supernatural that will leave readers feeling discomfited and looking over their shoulders for whatever it is they can’t quite see, long after they’ve finished reading.’
Catherine Fisher says: ‘I am delighted and honoured that The Red Gloves and Other Stories has been nominated for this year’s Carnegie Medal, along with so many other wonderful books. I hope it means more people will read and enjoy these stories!’
Magazine editor and bookseller Lucy Mohan is to join Welsh indie Firefly Press in a new role as editorial assistant, with a remit to identify and work with new and diverse audiences.
The appointment marks a continued expansion to the Firefly editorial team following the appointment of senior editor Rebecca F. John last month, and increased hours for staff across the company.
The part-time role is funded by the Books Council of Wales and represents a significant opportunity for the children’s press which celebrates its tenth anniversary next year, said Publisher Penny Thomas.
‘Lucy clearly has a real love of children’s and YA books, and experience working with young people in creative writing,’ said Thomas. ‘With a small, busy team at Firefly her appointment will give us bandwidth to look at who we are publishing for and ensuring we are doing everything we can to reach new readers, particularly from underrepresented communities in Wales and across the UK. We’re really grateful to the Books Council of Wales for funding this innovative role.’
Lucy Mohan says: ‘I’ve been a fan of Firefly for a long time and I’m absolutely honoured and thrilled to be joining the team. Children’s and YA books are a huge passion of mine and so I cannot wait to help bring new books to life and share them with readers.’
The Books Council of Wales says: ‘We are very pleased to be able to fund this opportunity that continues the work of ensuring diversity, inclusion, and equity in the publishing landscape of Wales.’
