Author:Jason Hazeley
Many of you will be familiar with this series of Ladybird Books For Grown Ups, which began last year. Now a further eight titles have been published, combining artwork from the original children’s books of days gone by with humorous new text.
The eight new titles cover topics as diverse as The People Next Door, The Sickie, Red Tape and The Meeting to ‘How It Works’ books on the cat, dog and grandparents! The most unusual and bizarre has got to be the book on the zombie apocalypse, which proves to be a very useful guide to this constantly worrying scenario!
Obviously these are very short reads, but are entertaining nonetheless, and as that time of the year approaches, they would make great amusing stocking fillers
Length of Read:Short
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Ladybird books in their childhood, however long ago.
One thing you’ve learned
You’re never too old for a Ladybird book!
badartdog says
BOO!
Miriam Elia’s Dung Beetle Learning was doing this first!
http://writerscircle.com/dung-beetle/?utm_source=twc-twcfan&utm_medium=social-fb&utm_term=101615&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=dung-beetle&origin=twc_twcfan_social_fb_link_dung-beetle_101615
Much more nihilistic.
Wayfarer says
And very funny!
madfox says
Yes indeed – Dung Beetle were first [“At The Gallery”], and darkly funnier. They have two new ones out in time for Krim.
Meanwhile, HarperCollins have produced some spoof I-Spy titles [“The UK – While It Lasts”, “The School Gate – My Mum’s Better Than Your Mum”, etc].
mikethep says
Dung Beetle weren’t actually the first – first to publish, anyway. A blogger I’m in touch with did this on his blog back in 2010
http://ageofuncertainty.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/idyllic-world-of-peter-and-jane.html
He returned to the idea in 2013.
http://ageofuncertainty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-ladybird-book-of-recession-part-two.html
http://ageofuncertainty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-ladybird-book-of-recession-part.html
http://ageofuncertainty.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/the-ladybird-book-of-progress.html
He took the idea to Penguin/Ladybird, and had serious talks with them, around the time they were threatening to sue Dung Beetle. He thought the idea was a goer, but then they suddenly gave him the old not-entirely-right-for-the-list brushoff. Next thing, their own books come out. So that’s two people feeling a bit ripped off.
Dodger Lane says
I’m a bit shocked and stunned to read this, can they do nothing about this ?
I see they’re also doing Enid Blyton spoofs as well, nothing like flogging an idea to death. The charity shops will be overloaded with them post Christmas.
mikethep says
I think you would want to think long and hard about taking on Penguin Random House, especially if you’re a not particularly well-off second-hand bookseller. Plus the original Ladybirds are still Panguin’s IP, which makes things a bit difficult.
Colin H says
With Penguin, it’s never as black and white as it seems.
madfox says
I think if you count online presence as being published, then Dung Beetle were first. I believe they went to Ladybird with the idea of a physical product and Ladybird said back off or we’ll sue. Then Ladybird ran with it themselves. But Dung Beetle’s are way sharper.
Mike_H says
There’s a couple of Dung Beetle titles listed for sale on Amazon, so something must have been worked out.
And I spotted an Enid Blyton “Five Give Up The Booze”.
Zanti Misfit says
Morris and Hazeley didn’t nick Elia’s idea. They approached Penguin ages ago themselves. She didn’t ask permission and got her knuckles rapped.
This idea dates back before her and even mikethep’s blogger mate . Morris and Hazeley created the Moth books advert in The Framley Examiner back in 2009. Click on December 6th (and all the other dates. Very funny)
So she should stop carping because her book always gets stacked with their books and consequently has sold by the pallette load, which it certainly wasn’t doing a couple of months before.
http://www.framleyexaminer.com/advertcalendar/
People independently come up with the same idea anyway. I suspect the Ladybirds books have been parodied before years ago. It’s the This Is Spinal Tap Vs Bad News dilemma.
Steerforth says
I’m the blogger that Mike mentioned and in fact I started doing Ladybird posts ten years ago, but didn’t a full spoof until 2008 – before the other people mentioned, I think. Here’s the link: http://ageofuncertainty.blogspot.co.uk/2008/12/ladybird-book-of-recession.html
I didn’t approach Ladybird. They got in touch with me, as far back as 2009. I was emailed by someone called Ronnie Fairweather and at the time, though that it was a comedy name from a spoof email. But she (as he turned out to be) was serious and said that they liked the concept of a Ladybird spoof and might like me to do something for them in the future.
Nothing more happened and I assumed that they’d changed their minds until, in 2014, I was contacted out of the blue by someone at Penguin and asked if I’d be interested in doing a book for them. I went up for a meeting and it all seemed very positive. I was given access to the Ladybird archive and began work.
My only reservation was that they didn’t seem to know what they wanted. I was asked to do a Ladybird Guide to Life, including many of the themes that are now covered by the existing spoofs, but the brief was all rather vague.
I worked solidly (ish) for several months and the feedback was that it was a “bit dark”, so I tried to lighten the tone and produce something more commercial. A contract was signed and, I think, an ISBN was allocated. I was also paid a small amount of money. Then everything went quiet.
Eventually I got an email that began with this:
“Hope all is well at your end. Apologies for the lack of communication recently around this title – I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on!
There has been a lot of discussion about it since Christmas and our list has also undergone a bit of a reshuffle in the meantime. The upshot is that sadly the book has come out of the programme and won’t be published this year. This is not to say that it won’t ever see the light of day, just that it was not felt right at this particular time.” It was a rather disingenuous email, given the appearance of the spoofs a few months later, using several ideas that I’d covered in my work.
It was a little frustrating and I wondered why they’d approached me – they knew what they’d be getting. But reading between the lines in other emails from my editor, I think someone in sales saw the commercial potential of the idea and wondered why they were producing one book written by a blogger rather than a series by professional comedy writers.
As a writer I was disappointed, but as a bookseller I think Penguin made a sound commercial decision and the sales figures have clearly justified their actions. My book would have appealed to fewer people.
I have avoided commenting anywhere because I didn’t want to seem bitter. I know how the book trade works and you have to take things like this on the chin. But I am getting a bit pissed off at being airbrushed from history in articles that interview the authors and people at Penguin, so I appreciate Mike’s efforts to fly the flag.
Colin H says
Good for you Steerforth. It’s here on record now. I’m sure it must be frustrating to some extent but it seems like you’ve been very stoic and, better still, accept that a commercial decision to go in a different/lighter direction was made – people having success within the ballpark of your idea, which is greatly different to finding that someone else has had success with your actual material.
jazzjet says
Just read your blog, Steerforth, and was very moved by your posts about your mother. Worth a few minutes of anyone’s time who has been through a similar experience.
mikethep says
Indeed yes. While you’re there, have a look at the saga of Derek – a brilliant piece of found comedy gold.
mikethep says
PS Welcome Steerforth!
I wont overburden you with custom and practice, but you should know that Donovan always has to be rendered thus: DONOVAN. It’s the law.
Zanti Misfit says
I think you come across entirely reasonable and decent Steerforth. Unfortunately, being dicked around in the arts/ music/ writing/ comedy industry by the big cheeses seems to be par for the course. You hit the nail on the head though by saying:
“as a bookseller I think Penguin made a sound commercial decision and the sales figures have clearly justified their actions. My book would have appealed to fewer people”.
Crucially, they do own Ladybird and wanted to maintain a fondness for the series without making the humour too ‘adult’ or ‘dark’ and consequently they have become bestsellers. I do admire the fact the authors insisted on where they can, crediting and paying the original illustrators.
NigelT says
That’s really interesting – thanks for sharing.
As an aside – I don’t understand how these new books can be described as by Enid Blyton ? I’m amazed the estate has agreed to that!?