› ›
Welcome to Writers Talkback. If you are a new user, your account will have to be approved manually to prevent spam. Please bear with us in the meantime

Signed contract

midiamidia
edited September 2008 in - Writing Tales
As some of you will know, my kids are home-educated and have been for the past four years. I decided to submit a proposal for a book about how to go about home-schooling children because there is little information out there for parents who have considered this type of private education. I'm happy to say that I've just signed a contract with Hodder and the book will be out next year. I also wanted to add to think about your interests, hobbies, experiences, qualifications, etc, because there is a huge market out there for publishers that want 'how to' books on all sorts of unusual subjects.

Comments

  • RichardSRichardS
    Congrats, Midia. I would imagine there could well be quite a market for such a book.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    Well done!
  • LizLiz
    Brilliant midia. The home schooling, the book proposal, and the contract!

    I wish I was capable of home schooling mine. Or had been. I did it with my son for a couple of months in the mountains of Canada when we had to go with my husband's job, and it made my hair turn grey. It was the maths. Even though he was only 6.
  • JennyJenny
    That's a great achievement, Midia!
  • MimeMime
    Congrats :)
  • CarolCarol
    Congratulations Midia. Home-schooling has become increasingly popular, so this book will be an invaluable resource.
  • dorothyddorothyd
    many congratulations! What great news!
  • RosalieRosalie
    Great news, Midia - congratulations!!! :)
  • TaffetaPunkTaffetaPunk
    Get the virtual bottle of Champagne ready! Well done, you!
  • NefertariNefertari
    Hey,well done!
  • WordyWordy
    Congratulations, Midia. I am sure this will be an invaluable book for those whose children are in mainstream schools as well as education is not restricted to formal learning. In a sense all parents are home educators to a degree.
  • mcbemusedmcbemused
    Well done, Midia - you've certainly found a gap in the market that was yawning to be filled. I could have done with such a book when my kids began having trouble at secondary school and I would have taught them at home if only I could have found out more about it.
  • midiamidia
    Oh, what a lovely lot you are! And thank you!
    Yes, home-schooling is becoming a viable alternative to state-funded education with an estimate of up to 150,000 children being home-educated in the UK at the moment and education professors at London University believe that that figure is set to increase.
    I wouldn't say it was an ideal option for every parent because it does limit you somewhat as to working hours etc. I work from home, so it works for us, but if I wasn't a journalist and writer we couldn't do it. I have to say the biggest problem I have is having to justify myself and our decision, not to people in the educational sector (who I have to say have all been nothing but supportive in our decision) but to other parents who stop me in the middle of the supermarket and demand answers in an aggressive manner as to why we have chosen to take our children's education into our own hands - what they do all day? what about exams? what about socialisation? etc. I don't ask them what their children are doing or who they play with! In future I'll just have a stack of my books in my bag and thrust one under their noses;)
    Thank you for all your kind congrats:)
  • KJKJ
    Hi Midia,
    Congratualtions - you know I support you on this.
  • AlikAlik
    Just seen this - well done!
  • scratchscratch
    Well done Midia - could have done with your book years ago!
  • Stan2Stan2
    Brilliant midia.
  • flyingtartflyingtart
    Funny, I thought I posted this earlier. Well done, Midia! :-)
  • JanyJany
    Fantastic, Midia! Talk about writing what you know! Clever girl!
    I`m sure many parents will be very grateful.

    (Will be in touch soon - promise!)

    ((x))
  • JosetteJosette
    Congratulations Midia! Sounds like a really interesting book - I will have to take a look when it comes out.
  • WiltsWilts
    Great news. Congratulations Midia.
  • bochokbochok
    Well done, Midia!
  • MutleyMutley
    What fantastic news Midia. Well done!
  • Celtic CCeltic C
    Well done Midia - I'm sure there will be an audience waiting for this book. :)
  • midiamidia
    oooo, Mutley, you have a little balloon next to your name and it says you're the 200,000th Comment Poster! I wonder if you win a prize!
  • carocaro
    What great news, Midia. I'm a primary school teacher but I can certainly see the benefits of a home education. Well done!
  • MutleyMutley
    Perhaps as a prize they could give me back some of the time I spend on TB!
  • CarolCarol
    Article in the Times on Home Schooling. Might be worth bearing the journalist in mind re publicity opportunities.

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4677730.ece
  • Lou TreleavenLou Treleaven
    I've just seen a friend today and found out she has started home-educating her child (two days so far) - it all sounds very interesting. I'm sure there will be an excellent market for it. The only trouble is, are you going to be able to fit it in with everything else??!!

    I'm sure you've considered this, but including sections from your children about their side of the experience (quotes or anecdotes) would be interesting.
  • Island GirlIsland Girl
    Terrific news, Midia. I looked into this a few years ago when I became disenchanted with the system here and found their was little or no information 'out there'. Besides, I worried I would be too easy on the kids and spoil them too much if they stayed home with me. None of us would ever get any work done. The lack of daily freedom would have started eating away at my good nature after a while, too, I'm certain of it. So well done you. Brilliant!
  • midiamidia
    Treleavenl, yes, you do have to be quite organised and like I said, it wouldn't work if I had to go out to work. My youngest is six, so at the moment we are concentrating on reading and writing; my middle daughter is 12 and she studies the same maths and English curriculum as the schools teach and then chooses other subjects that she is interested in studying - at the moment it's photography and sign language. My eldest daughter is nearly 15 and working towards GCSE's so she tends to get on with it on her own or with friends (both school and other home-ed friends). There is an excellent charity called Education Otherwise (www.education-otherwise.org) which provides information and support to home educators so you might like to pass this on to your friend and yes, I am including case studies from both the parent's and the child's perspectives in the book.
  • cekaceka
    I bet your children come out of the education system (your living room) with a better education than most in the general flow of things. Well done, kick on, what a doublewhammy achievement, both doing the job and then getting the how-to book accepted.
  • PlugPlug
    Great news, Midia.

    Have you thought about a "famous" endorsement? It's just a thought, but the Times journalist Caitlin Moran was educated at home. I remember reading about her home life when she wrote her first book at 16. She might be prepared to recommend/endorse your book.
  • B DarterB Darter
    It is good to hear Midia, well done.
  • AmandaAmanda
    Midia, well done. It was a brave decision to remove your children from state education and you are very lucky indeed to be in an area with supportive councils. A friend of mine is home educating due to excessive bullying of her child and has almost been to court over it (the council dropped the case at the last moment). At that point in time both of our children were 7 years old (not the same school) her daughter after one year was so advanced i considered teaching at home myself. Sadly my daughter and i do not allways see things the same way and i felt she would listen more to someone else (which she does). But if i hadnt moved to france i was ready to reconsider as the local secondary education wasn't what i had hoped for.

    Well done for achieving so much. You have obviously done a great job and working at the same time is outstanding! You deserve your well earned publication and i'm sure you are going to be an inspiration to many others.
  • BetsieBetsie
    Well done and good luck with your project
  • DaisyDaisy
    I've only just seen this thread. Congratulations Midia.
  • ChippyChippy
    Well done Midia - I've no idea why I haven't said it before - but I can't see my name up there anywhere

    Congratulations!! =D
  • SoobdooSoobdoo
    Congratulations Midia.
    :)
  • midiamidia
    Thank you all! Amanda, it's not uncommon what your friend experienced. The problem is that many LEA officers still don't realise that home-education is a legal alternative. I've interviewed Iris Harrison, a pioneer for all home-educators in the UK, who told the LEA to take her to court 30 years ago to prove that she wasn't providing an adequate education to her children (they threatened to take her children in to care). Her barrister pointed out that the education act stated that a child of school age must be educated in accordance to his/her age and ability at school or 'otherwise'. It was the wording of 'otherwise' that won her case and set the grounds for other parents' dissatisfied with the state-funded educational system.
    Plug, I was originally going to ask Molly Beddingfield (mum and home-educator to singers Natasha and Daniel) if she would be interested in writing a foreword for the book, but she is busy writing her own book (a different subject) at the moment, but I might think about Caitlin Moran - thanks for that.
    At the moment I am up to 42,000 words of a 55,000 word count, so not far to go now! I think it will be out for September next year to coincide with the new school year.
  • ButterflyButterfly
    Congratulations Midia, sorry to be late on this. I think this will be of great use to many parents who are fed up with the education system as it is now. Well done you for getting in there and writing something that will help others.
  • Author OnlineAuthor Online
    Well done and congratulations. I don't have kids myself, but can there is a huge untapped market for this sort of thing.
  • Lou TreleavenLou Treleaven
    Caitlin Moran is great - I think she'd do a brilliant forward.
  • TracyTracy
    I've only just seen this too. Congratulations Midia. :D
  • NenaNena
    It must have been hiding from us, Tracy! Congratulations, Midia! It'll certainly be a popular book.
Sign In or Register to comment.