Jameson Johnston - The Name Behind J. Jammy May
Tutor: Criag Bolland
Workshop: Tuesdays 10 am - 12 pm
Final word count: 3553 words
Throughout this last semester much has changed in regards to views and ideas of the literary industry (branching across writing, publishing, editing, etc). More than this, however, my approach to industry work has changed drastically, as the KYB301: Situated Creative Practice unit – and specifically its Industry Project 1 working with Brisbane based publishers – has challenged my previous ways of thinking and what I viewed to be industry-based work.
Being a part of such a project did more than just change my ideas of working in the literary industry, but also open my eyes to the diversity that works in the industry. In a project called Amplifying a Publisher, I expected to be surrounded by solely writers, however, I was greeted by the exact opposite on the first day of classes. With a group ranging from those in visual arts, film, sound, marketing and business, drama, and so much more, it was incredible to be part of and bare witness to the work that came from such varied fields of expertise.
Working with such different but all equally creative people was an extraordinary opportunity that I am glad to have been a part of, especially in my final semester of my Bachelors. Having these experiences, I am more excited than ever to get involved in the literary industry within a professionally employed role.
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Throughout the last three and half months, while part of the team working in KYB301’s Industry Project 1, I was involved in three separate publisher tasks and three individual assessments.
The first task I was involved in was one that the entire workshop was a part of. We were set with creating possible rebranding option for the current Yellow Brick Books publisher here in Brisbane. Each individual would put forward an idea and everyone would decide together on which idea(s) to submit to the publisher. This meant creating an entire brand, including logo ideas, possible taglines, domain availabilities online, etc.
I started by brainstorming three separate possibilities that I could then choose between to put forward as my contribution to the workshop discussion. After much time spent designing and creating – often using a bit of trial and error – I delivered upon the following three candidates as my rebranding options for the business.
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World Pique Press (or) Highest Pique Press
Trademark: Available for both
Domain: Available ( .com.au for both)
Tag Line Ideas:
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See it all from the top of the world
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Find your next adventure here
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Learn more and climb higher
Logo Ideas:
2. Endless Sky Publishing
Trademark: Available
Domain: .com.au available
Tag Line Ideas:
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Creating Limitless Minds
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Go Beyond the Horizon
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Let our books take you past the stars
Logo Ideas:
3. Stack Press Publishing
Trademark: Available
Domain: .com.au available
Tag Line Ideas:
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Building our future book by book – not brick by brick
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Books take you higher
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Never stop exploring, never stop growing
Logo Ideas:
During my time working on this task it proved to be much more time-consuming than I had first thought going into the work. Having to first come up with the overarching brand ideas, while continuously refining what you already had was already a challenging job to begin with. To then get into the even harder work of the nitty gritty design stages for each brand concept proved to be where most of the time was spent for the task, as everything from colour schemes, logos, and taglines had to be thought of.
Attempting to draft up at least three taglines to go with each brand concept proved to be a much larger task than I had first anticipated going into the work, as I wanted to keep trying to incorporate all three ideas into one another. Separating ideas into their own individual tagline was something I learnt to do during this work, otherwise I would have been creating was the same tagline with the same three ideas in one repeatedly. I this regard, it is thanks to this task that I have appreciated that not every idea one has needs to be incorporated into every other and mixed together. Sometimes it if best for an idea to stand apart from the others, as not every concept with coincide together perfectly, even if they’re part of the same brainstorm. This is a lesson that can be applied to many areas, even outside of the literary, and even overall creative, industries.
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The logo ideas, while fun to create, was also a much more time-consuming endeavour than I had first thought it would be – especially with my intention of having four different possibilities for each brand option. Thankfully, this logo brainstorming process was helped along using the Canva application online – along with their free and non-copyright material - that QUT introduced to me in my first year. Without this tool, this task would have likely taken me even longer to complete.
This did however, give me an appreciation for all the work that graphic designers are constantly putting into each project and design to make it original and attention grabbing. While a larger task than initially planned, creating so many logo variations was such a fun first task and a great introduction into the unit.
While I was and am still proud of myself for all three of the creations above, it was my second design that I felt would best represent what is currently Yellow Brick Books, and really put into perspective where they wanted to take their business. I also felt that, being a largely children and young adult based publisher, this had a slightly more whimsical and idealistic design that would connect with their readership base.
The second task I was involved in was group-based research work into online Australian book sellers beyond the already well-established companies such as Dymocks, QBD, etc. This was in light of the new situations we face under Covid19, and with the goal of supporting local Australian businesses in mind. The publishing business that set this task was The Book Curator, an online Australian magazine and book distributor under their managing editor, Rowena Beresford.
Generating a Google Doc that would allow both myself and the other member of the research pair, Dustin, to work simultaneously, it also meant having a single place to keep all our research – rather than spread across two or more separate documents.
After many days of in-depth researching, we were able to present an extremely detailed list of Australian online booksellers and distributors. Along with listing the businesses or companies, we also gave any relevant information that the team at The Book Curator might want to know, such as; contact information, their histories and backgrounds, main products and/or services, where they’re based and what regions they cover, etc. Any online links that could be needed for each business was also provided within the document, next to the information that it was connected with. An example of such is given below.
Boomerang Books - https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/
Founded in 2002, Boomerang Books is Australia's online independent bookstore, with a distinct focus on Australian books, Australian authors and Australian publishers.
Phone - 1300 36 33 32 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri AEST)
Range:
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All genres
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Formats ranging per product
Sell to schools and individuals;
Founded in 2002, Boomerang Books is Australia's online bookstore for schools, with a huge range of educational books, school curriculum books and library books. Our School customers have access to a huge database of books for school age children from reception and preparatory school, right through to Year 12 and university. Our Account Holders are eligible for a 30-day account and receive a generous discount structure with the majority of titles being 20% or more off the retail price, free shipping for orders over $300.
Offer gift vouchers; $25, $50, $75, or $100
Blog - https://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/
Loyalty Program:
When you shop at Boomerang Books, not only do you get the benefit of our regular discounts and special deals, but you will also accrue Boomerang Bucks at the rate of 5 cents for every dollar spent. So, for every $20 you spend on books, you will receive $1 in Boomerang Bucks. You can use your Boomerang Bucks as a credit towards a future purchase from Boomerang Books (conditions do apply). The more money you spend at Boomerang Books, the more Boomerang Bucks you earn! It's as simple as that.
Offer a colourful gift-wrapping service for all orders - https://www.boomerangbooks.com.au/content/help-desk/gift-wrapping.shtml
Delivery:
Expected delivery times for each book are displayed when a title is selected on the website. Generally, titles in stock in Australia are shipped within 7-10 days of order (depending on stock availability). Books sourced from the United States are shipped in 8-11 days and books sourced from the United Kingdom are shipped in 10-12 days. Prices and stock availability may differ from the information displayed on the Boomerang Books website. If the price and/or availability changes, we will contact you prior to finalisation of your order.
Returns:
Bulk Orders;
We do not permit the return of bulk orders - ie. quantities of more than 5 of the same book. Books purchased in quantities of greater than 5 units are supplied on a 'firm sale' basis only. Bulk Order terms are here... We do not permit the return of special publications, such as textbooks, or imported books as these are normally sourced on demand for specific needs and cannot be returned to the supplier or resold. These books are sold on a 'firm sale' basis only.
Damaged Books;
We guarantee that new books purchased will reach you in mint condition. If you are not completely satisfied, please contact us within 14 days of receiving the item and advise us of the problem. Once you have contacted us, return the item within 21 days of receipt and we will refund the order total, replace the item or issue a credit for a subsequent purchase.
For damaged book returns, we will provide you with a 'reply paid' address label for sending the book back to us so that you do not incur postage costs.
Non-Damaged Books;
Boomerang Books will accept returns of items (excluding bulk orders, special publications and imported books) with the original packing slip, within 21 days of purchase, as long as the item is in a resalable condition. If you have no packing slip, please return the item with a copy of the order confirmation email you received when the order was placed.
DVDs, CDs and other items shipped sealed or shrink-wrapped must be returned in original sealed or shrink-wrapped condition. We cannot accept CDs or DVDs as returns, unless the goods are factory sealed and unused, or faulty. For returns of non-damaged books, Boomerang Books will issue a credit for a subsequent purchase. Please note that both the outbound postage cost ($7.95 within Australia) and return postage cost incurred by you are not refundable.
For access to the entire research task list, the following link will take you to the Google Document. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zu9XGNBVrAuff5-dQ6EcqktG8D_a4TGxyyKbxyoB-vU/edit?usp=sharing
Having been noted for my researching abilities since high school, I found great pleasure in doing this work, and with as much detail as possible – ensuring that the client publisher had the access to any information they could need. While studying at QUT I have also had the opportunities to further hone my researching skills through a number of challenges – whether assessment based, classwork, or other. Having set researching and referencing methods in high school, my time at university has exposed me to the various formats of research and referencing that can often be required across different media or tasks. Since this time, I am now able to move easily and confidently between different referencing and researching styles and formats, to the betterment of my grades and skills.
After this research task was submitted to the team at The Book Curator, I became involved in another group that commenced work on a second research job, also set by The Book Curator team. Working alongside two others, Riley and Crystal, we gathered information on who school book fair providers in Australia – beyond the well-known Scholastic company. Similar to the previous research task, I created a shared Google Document between the three of us to ensure organisation of the task, with all the information collected on the one document that each of us could edit and add to. One example from our list of school book fair suppliers is given below.
Carnival Fairs - https://www.carnivalfairs.com.au/
Teacher and parent bookshop, library supplier, online shop, and run book fairs throughout all of Australian primary schools. Carnival is a 100% Australian family owned and operated company situated in Belrose, Sydney. For over 30 years, we have been one of Australia's leading library suppliers of children's books to schools and Public Libraries. Carnival Book Fairs has been operating since 2006, and we also have an online school bookshop at www.carnivaleducation.com.au and a parents bookshop www.carnivalbookshop.com.au
Our warehouse has one of the most comprehensive ranges of children's library resources in the country, including Australia's largest holding of backlist, fiction, non-fiction, STEM, Accelerated Reader, Picture Books, Manga, Graphic Novels and Australian Curriculum supporting books. Our strengths include our team of librarians and book industry experts, our collective knowledge of librarians' needs and our relationships with local and international publishers and distributors. The Carnival team has decades of experience in library supply, publishing and book distribution, and every aspect of children's books are our passion.
Book Fairs: - https://www.carnivalfairs.com.au/book-fairs/
Carnival Book Fairs are literacy events to get kids excited about reading! A Carnival Book Fair will help your school stock up on new learning resources for your students. We have the largest variety and we source from over 70 independent publishers worldwide to bring the best in children's literature to your school. There will be something for everyone to help get even the most reluctant readers wanting to turn pages. Every Carnival Book Fair is packed with a multitude of variety. Our Books will capture the imagination and excite kids about reading. We review thousands of titles every year and only choose books that fit into our overall criteria.
Book Range: - https://www.carnivalfairs.com.au/book-fairs/discover-books/
Our warehouse has one of the most comprehensive ranges of children's library resources in the country, including Australia's largest holding of backlist, fiction, non-fiction, STEM, Accelerated Reader, Picture Books, Manga, Graphic Novels and Australian Curriculum supporting books. We review thousands of titles every year and only choose books that fit into our overall criteria. We source from over 70 publishers, and up-to-date new releases arrive daily into our warehouse to make sure you have the latest and greatest titles available.
Commissions: - https://www.carnivalfairs.com.au/book-fairs/Commission/
Contact:
Address:
Austlink Corporate Park
1/1 Minna Close,
BELROSE, NSW 2085 AUSTRALIA
Email: info@carnivalfairs.com.au
Phone: 1800 282 667
To access the full research task and the entire list of Australian School Boom Fair providers and suppliers, click the following link; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Sstj0K5pec7CIYTeQrgpGiCf36PdfyxWfOW1Ip4w0RU/edit?usp=sharing
My final task that I worked on for the semester was set by the publisher Wombat Books, and was the draft up between five and six blogs for them, aimed at 13+ on “edgy” topics, such as environment, careers, and coming of age.
With each blog to be a size of 500-1000 words each, I aimed to cover as many topics as I could, in order to offer a wide range of variety for readers to choose from based on their own interests on the publisher’s blog. Covering current and influential issues such as climate change, support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders, mental health, university planning, and career choices, each blog was written with the intent to make a lasting impact on readers.
One of the five blogs is given below as an example of the overall work.
Blog 3 – Teenagers: Treated like Children, but Expected to Act like Adults
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https://www.hope-therapy-center.com/single-post/2014/07/01/is-your-teen-struggling-with-depression
Being a teen is already difficult enough as things are, both body and mind are transitioning from child to adult – leaving everything in this awkward and uneven middle ground. It’s this transition that will always be a big part of life, as it leaves lasting impressions on who we are and who we become as people. Across generations, the teens years mark a big point in life – as can be seen by every single ‘coming of age’ story in books, tv, and films. But are these stories that are meant to be uplifting and inspirational actually encouraging a detrimental cycle?
Now, more than ever, teens are exposed to pressures that induce stress, anxiety, and depression. The same stress levels that are seen in high schoolers today, are the exact same as that of mental asylum patients of the 1950s. You read right, teenagers of today experience the same anxiety and stress levels as mental asylum patients that were forced into electroshock therapy as a form of treatment.
With ever increasing expectations to deal with school workloads, social and home tensions, finding and maintaining employment – not to mention any extracurricular activities such as sports teams, tutoring, and learning musical instruments.
The aging population is passing on their problems, concerns, and issues to the shoulders of teens, and yet still expect them to be polite and quiet in the face of other issues like politics, justice, and climate change. An old saying that aging generations love to use is “you can’t have it both ways”. Well, I’m inclined to agree. Let’s take this thinking and serve it back to them.
If they want to treat teenagers like children, then let them act like children and not deal with the adult problems of life like academic expectations and the struggles of employment.
If they want teenagers to act like the adults they are becoming, then treat them as adults in turn. Teens are not to disciplined like children if mistakes are made, that’s not what happens in a professional workplace, so why is it acceptable to treat high schoolers in such a way?
Popular coming of age stories like Maze Runner (James Dashner), Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling), The Fault in Our Stars (John Green), and The Hungers (Suzanne Collins), while exciting and popular reads that we are all familiar with in some way, show a reoccurring pattern. Each coming of age story shows a teen, already in the one of the most difficult times of their life, being forced to deal some astronomical challenge or task – using involving entailing that they battle for their own survival, and often that of the entire world.
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https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/AZhLvaY6nu1ZHeMsfgfa853w-t6tOHul-PsaNMDzYsruxYdRWbleeO4/
While we can all agree that these are fictitious stories, it doesn’t stray too far from the pressures put onto today’s teenagers. This is so often why teens go into exams and assignments with a life or death type thinking; succeed and survive, or fail and die. Our education systems are inadvertently pushing this mentality that the results of high school determine your entire future.
This is the expectations and pressures that teenagers around the world are trying to deal with every single day, on top of all their other battles. For their sakes, let alone for the sake of our future if we continue to set this precedence, we need to change how teenagers are treated and what it is we expect of them.
For more information and sources, check out the links below.
https://childmind.org/report/2017-childrens-mental-health-report/anxiety-depression-adolescence/
If you’re struggling and don’t know what to do about it, or who to talk to, check out the link below.
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
https://adaa.org/finding-help/getting-support/support-groups/support-groups-australia
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teenagers-guide-to-depression.htm
Having a personal connection with this topic specifically, I took great pleasure and pride in writing this blog, with the hopes of changing someone else’s perspective as a result. This did however challenge me in a way I was not expecting. Going into this blog I didn’t think I would struggle to write as if I were on the same level as teenagers, or even to try and sound as if I was one of them (seeing as I, myself, am only 20 years old, I didn’t think I would have an issue writing to a teen on their level). This, did however, proved to be more of a challenge than I expected, as a person’s mind is quick to change in viewing themselves as an adult after entering university.
I didn’t want the text to sound like it was coming from someone with years of experience that was instructing or ‘talking down’ to teenage readers. So, I had to actually make a conscious effort in my writing to give the piece the sound of a slightly older teen, rather than writing with ease in this style as I assumed I would at the beginning.
As much as this has taught me about the subconscious mind of a young adult, it also helped me to realise how unique of a voice pieces have when coming from or aimed at teenagers.
I am very pleased to have a part of Industry Project 1: Amplifying a Publisher, and I hope that I can continue to do work like this in the future, whether through further studies or on an employed level. These tasks have helped me to change my perspective on many things, ranging from the literary industry as a whole, down to individual things like the ‘coming of age’ genre.
I would encourage any future students to take part in a unit of this nature, as it offers both invaluable experience and lessons, that otherwise might not have occurred in their university careers.