About Us

Electrik Inc is a collective combining great writing for children and young adults, sharp editing and professional independent publishing (ebooks and POD). With more than 50 years’ industry experience between them – plus five MAs in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University – the founders of Electrik Inc have one objective: to make each book the best it can be.

Janine Amos has a postgraduate Diploma in Publishing from Oxford Brookes. She worked as a Children’s Commissioning Editor in London, Bath, Berlin and Chicago before beginning her career as a children’s writer. Janine’s books have been published in 14 languages. She writes both fiction and non-fiction and is a successful author in the field of ‘special issues’ faction. She teaches Creative Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University and for Bristol University.

Walking on Gold, her new novel for 8-12 year olds, is available via Amazon.

janineamos.com

Jenny has a literature degree from Kings College London and a Masters in Creative Writing from Bath Spa.  She began her career as a journalist and went on to run her own successful farm business before working for several years at Cambridge University Press as a development editor.  She lives with her two sons in North Essex, plays in a rock band and has published poetry and song lyrics.

 

After earning a Masters in Writing for Children from Bath Spa University, Kim worked as a reader for the Chicken House and set up Electrik Inc with Jenny, Janine and Kay who shared her vision for creating a professional independent publishing organisation. Kim’s series, St Viper’s School for Super Villains is published through her own company, Squawk Books. It’s her intention to publish some stories this way and others with a traditional publisher, depending on the type of book. On World Book Day she also became the proud publisher of an anthology of short stories and poems written by 200 pupils at King Edward’s Junior School, Bath. First and foremost Kim’s a writer. At the moment she’s finishing a story for adult readers and enjoying the new challenge. Please feel free to leave a message for her on this blog or on her author blog: http://kimdonovanauthor.wordpress.com
For book enquiries please contact: squawkbooks@btinternet.com
You can also find Kim on facebook:http://www.facebook.com/kim.donovan.5268 and Twitter: https://twitter.com/stvipers

Kay Leitch has a Diploma in Journalism and Business Studies from London College of Printing and an MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University. She worked for many years as production editor on Cosmopolitan and The Sunday Times Magazine, where she also wrote interviews and travel features. She was an Associate Lecturer with the Open University and has worked as a reader for a children’s publisher. She currently runs her own editorial and manuscript assessment company, KLediting.co.uk. Kay is the author of Treasure This, published through her own company, BOLDbooks and is available as print on demand and ebook.

Contact her at: http://kaywritesheretoo.wordpress.com

Julia Draper completed the MA at Bath Spa University in 2006. She was a teacher in London for ten years before moving to Bath and bringing up three sons. Since then she has written several books, has worked in a cafe, taught children with special needs and  currently sings for elderly people and is a mentor for young children. She has always drawn and painted but never thought she was a proper artist till she illustrated The Paupers of Langden and embroidered the cover. She is about to launch her website: www.juliadraper.com  She loves living in Bath but her heart’s at the end of a country lane.

 

Once upon a time – not so very long ago – four electrik inklings sat around a café table in the magical city of Bath Spa.  It was an unusual October day, hot as summer,  and so to stop themselves melting away,  they ate ice cream in the shade of a big purple umbrella.

While people filled the café,  laughing and drinking,  the pool of purple shade buzzed.  The inklings were excited.  They chatted about children’s books and telling stories,  which was what they were especially good at.  Then,  just as they were puzzling over how best to bring more stories into the world,  a piece of magic happened; a moment of electricity,  a zap of collective energy,  an inkling of a grand idea… 

We realised we had everything at our fingertips to do the job ourselves.  With years of publishing experience between us,  advances in digital technology and the new social media, why depend entirely on the old publishing framework?  A tiny power shift had taken place;  the formation of a new team involved in professional independent publishing.

The point of the story,  however,  is in the name.  What would we call this crack ‘PIP’ team?  People have assumed that ‘Electrik Inc’ refers to the fabulous new technology which has given writers more control over the publishing process.  But for we four storytellers,  there was another more significant meaning.  ‘Electrik’ is about that magical moment of creative energy when the story comes alive,  the inkling rather than the ink.  It’s about imagination.  Without that there would be no publishing.

High-quality storytelling – whatever format that might take – was our focus,  we decided. And where we could,  we’d remain dedicated to physical as well as e-books,  as with Kim’s series,  St Viper’s School for Super Villains.

The switch of the ‘k’ and the ‘c’ wasn’t just a fun trick.  It carried a message too.  The ‘inc’ for incorporated expresses our collective nature,  the joining of creative forces.  We’re professional editors with marketing and production experience working on each other’s stories.  As such we’re growing an exciting new hybrid in the children’s market,  taking the best of traditional publishing (high quality) and self-publishing (agility) and blending the two.

On the day we were formed someone big in the world died.  It’s interesting that his company,  Apple,  (a giant compared to our tiny Pip!) is also stirring up the publishing world and taking on even bigger giants.  When we were writing our manifesto we included some of his words:

“Here’s to the crazy ones.  The misfits.  The rebels.  The troublemakers.  The round pegs in the square holes.  The ones who see things differently.  They’re not fond of rules.  And they have no respect for the status quo.  You can quote them, disagree with them,  glorify or vilify them.  About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.  Because they change things.  They push the human race forward.  And while some may see them as the crazy ones,  we see genius.  Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world,  are the ones who do.” ~~ Steve Jobs

Go inklings!

Jenny Landor, Co-founder