Sue Wilkins
It was in 2014 that local Derbyshire children’s author, Sue Wilkins, published her first book, ‘Alfie’s Story’. And Sue is the first to admit that, not even in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that, ten years later, she would be publishing a celebratory 10th anniversary edition.
Something else she would never have believed possible is that, during these last ten years, she would have written and published a total of six children’s books and had total sales in excess of 26,000.
Even as a child, Sue, who is based in Darley Dale, enjoyed reading poetry and verse, particularly in the Rupert annuals. Later, she began writing verses for friends’ birthdays and retirement celebrations. This natural skill prompted people to tell her that she should write a story.
Eventually, Sue decided to write about Alfie, her cat, who appeared in her garden one day and eventually moved in with her. She showed the story to friends, who liked it. She decided therefore to submit it to literary agents. After many compliments, but no firm commitments, she came across the self-publishing opportunity offered by the Chesterfield-based Bannister Publications.
The initial meeting with Bannister Publications was productive and encouraging. Here was a local publisher always on hand to offer guidance and support. It soon became apparent, however, that there was one key ingredient missing to take the book idea forward – an illustrator.
“Alfie’s Story”
Purely by chance, Sue met local artist, Liz Furness, who was also keen to add her imagination and beautiful illustrations to the story. This was Liz’s first opportunity to illustrate a book, and she relished the opportunity. Together, they took the plunge and produced “Alfie’s Story”. Sue’s rhyming couplet style was ideally complemented with Liz’s lovely illustrations. A productive partnership was born!
1500 copies of ‘Alfie’s Story’ were published. As a self-published author, promoting books involves a great deal of footslogging. Within the first week, Sue had persuaded five shops to take them and by the end of the first month, she had visited 17 – seven of which had placed a second order with her. In those first four weeks, she sold 195 books into shops, along with another 40 plus to family and friends.
“Fearless Flynn”
Liz had decided to include a little mouse in the illustrations in “Alfie’s Story”, which inspired Sue to write her second story. The book was entitled “Fearless Flynn”, a story about a courageous little mouse.
Marriage and Guidance
Up to now, Sue had been working alone, promoting her books. It was on one such occasion, when she was on duty in the Green Man Gallery in Buxton, that a customer bought two of her books for his grandchildren. It turned out he was interested in more than her books. Twelve months later they were married! Since then, Sue and Ged have worked together on the books. Sue readily admits, “With Ged’s additional support, the business has gone from strength to strength.”
“Arkwright the Duck”, “A Tale of three Kittens: Milly, Molly, and Maisy”, “Owl to the Rescue” and “Bobby the Dog”
Sue’s first two books, published in 2014 and 2015, sold well in a number of local outlets, one of which was the gift shop at Cromford Mill near Matlock, Derbyshire. As a result, the Arkwright Society commissioned Sue to write a story for their soft toy mascot – ‘Arkwright the Duck’, which was published in 2016. An accompanying soft toy would soon become an add-on feature of Sue’s books.
Sue’s fourth book, like ‘Alfie’s Story’, is another true tale about three kittens whom she adopted just before Christmas. ‘A Tale of Three Kittens: Milly, Molly and Maisy’ was published in 2018.
Sue’s next, ‘Owl to the Rescue’, features lots of woodland creatures and tells the exciting story of how a wise old owl rescues some of his woodland friends. It was published in October 2019, soon after which she was accepted as an official supplier to the National Trust.
On 31 July 2022, after achieving over 20,000 sales of all her books, Sue launched her sixth title, ‘Bobby Dog’. The National Trust at Calke Abbey near Derby hosted this event, which was a tremendous success for all.
Celebratory 10th edition of “Alfie’s Story”
The next chapter happened at the end of 2023 when ‘Alfie’s Story’ sold out. Normally, Sue would have simply ordered another print run. But realising that 2024 was the book’s 10th anniversary, she and Liz produced a celebratory 10th anniversary edition – with a dedication to both their mums, Mary and Jackie.
The next project
Last year, Sue was approached by Sarah McLeod, CEO at the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, near Rotherham. Apparently, they have hundreds of resident bats which they have to take care of. ‘Billy the Bat’ is due to be published next year. Sue has written the story, and Liz is due to start the illustrations very soon.
All of Sue’s books and soft toys are available from https://www.suewilkins.co.uk.
As a treat, the first 20 orders for 10th anniversary celebratory edition of ‘Alfie’s Story’ will receive a free Alfie cat soft toy, which normally costs £10!