Children's Books North membership expands as it celebrates 2nd anniversary

Children’s Books North (CBN) says its membership has expanded to 350 people since launching two years ago.

The organisation was launched in 2020 by  Tilda Johnson, Emma Layfield and Liz Scott, with 60 members, aiming to support and promote children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals living in the north of England and Scotland and to champion regional diversity within children’s publishing. 

Celebrating its second anniversary at a social event in Leeds, CBN announced it will also be launching its first festival take over at the Telling Tales stage during the Just So family arts festival. The festival will feature events and talks hosted by CBN authors and illustrators.

"Our intention with Children’s Books North had always been to host regular in-person networking events to connect CBN members from across our regions," Scott said. "While that hasn’t been possible in our first two years, we’re incredibly proud of our virtual events, the collaborations we’ve delivered, and the impressive growth in our membership. Children’s Books North is here to stay and we have exciting plans for further growth."

Last year, CBN collaborated with Youth Libraries Group to deliver The Great Northern Meet-up — an online conference connecting children’s authors and illustrators in the North and Scotland with children’s librarians. The organisation also appeared on a panel event at the 2021 Children’s Bookseller Conference, discussing the importance of networking outside London.