After 25 years at Hachette Children’s Group, Emma Layfield has made the move to Children’s Books North full-time and will remain in Manchester. Emma co-founded Children’s Books North (CBN) in 2020 as an independent organisation for published children’s authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the North of England and Scotland. It has grown from 60 members to over 400 today.

CBN hosts events for its members, including networking socials in Manchester. CBN has partnered with Youth Libraries Group North West to deliver a conference and with Just So Family Arts Festival in Cheshire to curate a day of author/illustrator events. CBN has also appeared on panel discussions at industry events such as The Bookseller’s Children’s Conference and Portico Library’s Pathways into Publishing. And it reviews aspiring writers/illustrators’ portfolios at universities, including MMU.

Each year the CBN mentor scheme offers places to aspiring publishing professionals living in the North and Scotland, and it continues to double in size year in year out.

This new chapter of CBN will see it expand its partnerships and initiatives with a wide range of Northern organisations, and offer exciting opportunities for its members, including a new festival partnership with Durham Book Festival. CBN will also be offering more mentoring and development opportunities for aspiring authors, illustrators and publishing professionals based in the North.

If you would like to partner with CBN, please email Emma: emma@childrensbooksnorth.co.uk

If you would like to connect with Northern children’s book creatives, check out the CBN directory of members – Looking North – on the CBN website. Each member is listed with their details enabling booksellers, librarians, schools, festivals, literacy organisations, agents and publishers to easily get in touch.

And find out more about Children’s Books North on the CBN website, Twitter and Instagram or on our partners page below.