Teachers have the option of using our free tool – a series of step-by-step lessons (three lessons and two exercises per week, for four weeks), which classes/schools of any number can partake in at a time that suits them, during their chosen term. The lessons encourage literacy through both reading and writing, include focus on idea generation, character development, plots, tenses and dialogue, right through to the editing and proofreading process.

However, if pupils have already produced work suitable for publication, this too can be used – all that is required is to follow the submission guidelines in the members’ area.

The result, for the school, is a published anthology of the pupils’ work. While the course is geared towards the production of a short story by each pupil, schools are free to submit whatever they like. Poetry, non-fiction, recipes, themed project work, etc. are all welcome. The course is currently aimed at 2nd-6th classes, but there are also junior exercises on there for the younger classes, to encourage their participation in the book, if the school so wishes.

We also encourage the pupils to use their art classes to draw a symbol that represents their story and we use up to 31 of these, plus the school logo, to design the cover. If there is more than one class taking part, schools tend to allow one class to put forward the artwork for the cover, others run competitions to pick the best pieces from all classes involved. It’s totally up to each school.

Participating schools also need to pick a title for their book – most allow each writer to submit a suggestion and then the teachers/principals pick the best one.

There is no need to hold a book fair to take part in the course – the focus for us is the learning, while ensuring students get involved in the process of becoming real published authors. The course itself is free with a minimum order of 50 books (at €13 each) required to take part. This price applies for orders of 50-99 copies inclusive. It then reduces to €11 per copy for final orders of between 100 and 149 copies and drops again to €9 per copy for orders over 150.

Once the minimum order payment is processed (balances are calculated at the end after final order numbers are submitted, and calculated at the relevant rate) schools will be provided with login details, which give access to the members’ area of the website.

A maximum of 120 pupils can fit in one volume and where schools have more than that, we will produce more than one – as has been done in many of our schools where whole school inclusion is the preference.

When the book is complete, there are order forms on site, which can be sent home with the children for their parents to state how many copies they would like. This is how the school recoups its initial outlay of €650. For example, if 120 pupils order two books each, the parents send the order forms back with their €18 (calculated at the €9 per copy rate) and when the total of €2,160 is gathered, the school takes its €650 back and pays us the balance.

Again, parents can order as many extra copies as they like.

If the school chooses to have a book launch (and most schools do) there are posters and certificates of achievement in the members’ area, available to print out for promotion and presentation.

We would welcome the opportunity to take your pupils’ work from pencil to print!