The Churchill Fellowship

An interview with Jen McVeity, Churchill Fellow, by Bronwen Bennet.

Jen has been awarded a 2003 Churchill Fellowship.

This Fellowship will funded a 2 month journey to the U.S.A. in 2003 to promote the talents of Australian writers to publishing houses and agents in America.

Right - Jen receives her award from the Governor of Victoria, John Landy, at Government House.
 

Extract from the Winston Churchill Memorial Foundation web site

The success story

The story of the Churchill trust is the success story of it's Churchill Fellows – now numbering over 2600 of Australia's best and brightest. Their projects are extremely diverse but they do have something in common – 'light in the eyes and fire in the belly'. Their projects are invariably innovative, the result of extra endeavour, or a striving for excellence – these are the hallmarks of a Churchill Fellow.

Ordinary Australians

It is important to realise that the Fellows themselves are ordinary Australians – but with extraordinary goals. A glance through the list of Current Fellows will quickly confirm this, as will the examples of Fellowships. What distinguishes a Churchill Fellow is that he or she is invariably talented, has the ability to go that little bit extra, and has the determination to share the results of their Fellowship with the community upon their return to Australia.

Fellows

In essence, Churchill Fellowships are acts of faith in the infinite resourcefulness of individuals, highly motivated in their own work and perceptive of present gaps within the social structure where overseas information may provide a better way of doing things. Churchill Fellows increasingly find that in some areas, Australia has something to teach the world – so the benefits of the Fellowships are not always one-way only.

Fellowships

A Churchill Fellowship benefits everyone and EVERYONE IS A WINNER!. The individual because their determination, drive and dedication is recognised; their organization because one of their number is recognised for excellence; and Australia because the Churchill Fellow will return with skills and knowledge not readily attainable here.

2002 Churchill Fellows with John Landy, The Governor of Victoria

An interview with Jen McVeity, Churchill Fellow, by Bronwen Bennet.

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was set up to honour the memory of Sir Winston Churchill. The Trust's aim is to 'reward proven achievement with further opportunity in the pursuit of excellence for the enrichment of Australia.'

International author and professional speaker Jen McVeity has been awarded one of the prestigious Churchill Fellowships for 2003. Her task? She will spend two months in the USA showcasing the talents of Australian children's book creators to USA publishers.

Here she is interviewed by Bronwen Bennett, immediate Past President of the Victorian CBC and president of the Dromkeen Society. Bronwen also owns Show and Tell, a Victorian Speakers agency.

Firstly Jen, congratulations on being awarded a Churchill Fellowship. Why are you focusing on the USA for publishing?

The problem with being a creator in Australia is our small population. I hate to start out with Maths, but small population = small print runs = small royalty checks. You spend a year writing a novel, your publisher does a print run of 3000 and you get 10% or about $1.50 per book. That means a year spent chained to the computer ignoring friends, family and freedom, reaps you the grand total of $4,500 for your efforts. Sure, you might become the next J.K. Rowling or Paul Jennings, but the chances are about the same as winning Tatts. I mean, how many authors can you name who are living in mansions on tropical island tax havens?

A few years ago I faced the bleak truth that I either had to learn to live on mincemeat for the rest of my life or expand my publishing credits. Then a chance comment at a dinner party set me thinking. Someone casually mentioned that California had a larger population than the whole of Australia. And I suddenly thought: Hey, the Americans read, they publish books…  So I sent a favourite book called Dreamcatcher over to some top publishers in New York and was lucky enough to get a lot of bids for it. 

I figured if I could do it, other people could too. I started urging fellow creators to do the same thing. Unfortunately they didn't know the publishers, weren't sure how to pitch to the USA, and many of them were overwhelmed by the whole process, not knowing where to start . We really are a long way from anywhere in Australia and breaking out is daunting. Through the Churchill Fellowship I hope to open a pipeline between USA publishers and Australian creators and make the whole process less mysterious and far more achievable.

You have a lot of contacts with the American publishing scene don't you?

I didn't then when I first got published, but I do now. For the last five years I have been the Australian head of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. (SCBWI) This is a USA based organization with chapters in over 17 countries. The SCBWI chapters run conferences, publish great newsletters and hold retreats throughout America and the world. I'm now on their international Board of Directors so I get to tap into a huge network of people and resources.

How long will you be away and where exactly will you be going?

The actual travelling part of the Fellowship lasts for two months. In that time I plan to have meetings with the top publishing houses in New York, along with various NY agents I know as well. I then head across the USA, speaking at various writing conferences until I arrive in LA where the annual conference for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators will be held. Lots of top editors attend this conference and this is a chance to meet them on more informal grounds, as I am on the SCBWI's Board. The drinks will be on the table and a small pile of books will be under it!

What follow-up will occur when you return to Australia?

The travelling aspect is only part of the Fellowship. I estimate it will take me about six - eight weeks work to set up all the meetings with editors and to talk to children's writers and publishers here to select which books to take. Afterwards, the second part of the Fellowship kicks in. I need to pass on the contacts of USA publishing houses to children's book creators here. So disseminating that information, writing articles, talking about it at conferences, doing workshops, will take at least another month or two. Oh, and there's homework as well – a long report to write to substantiate to the Churchill Trust all that I have accomplished.

How will you identify or choose suitable Australian writers and illustrators to promote during your time away?

Obviously most of the big writing names in Australia already have their books published in other countries. Plus their publishers can sell their books easily because they have great sales figures and a proven track record. It's the writers who are well published here in Australia but who haven't made the leap overseas, who are the people I am targeting. First preference goes to members of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators as they are the ones who are professional, dedicated and already trying to get published internationally. I am also trying to squeeze in time to take some illustrators' work, so members of SoBI are highly targeted as well. (In fact some SoBI members are putting together a great CD ROM of various illustrators' work for me to take over.) On a broader scale, I will be contacting publishers in Australia very soon now and asking for their suggestions of authors. (So talk to your publishers in a month or to!) Publishers will need to back their suggestions with support because they will have to ship samples of books over to the USA. (I have to cram two months of clothes and living necessities into one suitcase, so I won't have room to lug books!)

It won't be possible to pitch every author to every publisher. What I hope is to showcase a small selection of authors and books to USA publishers get the WOW factor going – and then bring home the contacts details of interested publishers to creators back in Australia.

What are you most looking forward to?

I think the opportunity to be immersed in another culture for such an extended period of time is the most exciting part for me. That's how I like to travel – go to a place and stay there and learn about the country through the people, not from 'seeing the sights'. On the opposite note, the thing I am not looking forward to is living without my husband and our two kids for two months. Our kids are 15 and 13 and they are used to me travelling because of my speaking career, but two months is pretty gruelling. They'll be fine because they'll have Gary there, but bet I get homesick!

What do you see as being the long term benefits to the Australian literature scene from your Fellowship project?

I really, really hope that in the future there will be a lot less creators forced to exist on mincemeat! And a whole lot more people around the world who get to enjoy the amazing freshness, talent and originality of our Australian creators.

Sir Winston Churchill Quotation:

'To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talents.

What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.'

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