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Getting creative at As small indie publishers struggle to stay in business during this difficult time, one Argyll publisher is putting its creative skills to good use in a bid to keep its authors and books in the public eye. Having started 2020 like so many other publishers, with excitement and anticipation, Little Door Books had to face the challenge of bookshops closing their doors and book sales dropping due to the outbreak of Covid-19. LDB director and author, Alan Windram picks up the story: ‘This was going to be a big year for us book wise. We were publishing two sequels to successful picture books. One was the second title in the Billy Hippo series, written by award-winning author Vivian French, and the other was the sequel to my own award-winning robot piccreator of so many fabulous ture book, One Button Benny. Scottish colouring books. ‘We also had ‘We had just another three launched our first picture books title How Billy This was going to be planned for Hippo Learned a big year for us book release this His Colours by wise. We were publishing Vivian French year, two of two sequels to sucand Hannah which were by cessful picture books. Foley, when the exciting début lockdown struck. authors, Esther ‘We were very Kent and Corrina lucky to have been able to Campbell, with the third by launch the book and get some amazing Scottish illustrator sales before everything stopped. Eilidh Muldoon, who some ‘We then went into overof you might know as the
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drive and started to think of creative ways to continue to keep our books in the public eye. We contacted all our authors and illustrators who very kindly recorded videos of themselves reading their picture books and we set up our very own YouTube channel. ‘It has been great to see how families, schools and libraries have been using the videos and also lots of activity sheets and colouring sheets that we have made available as free content on our website.
