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		<title>Ablekids Press Blog</title>
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		<copyright>Copyright 2012, Pauline Mackay</copyright>
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			<title>Highland Book Tour </title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120428-214433</link>
			<description><![CDATA[The Highland Book Tour 2012 is an attempt to take a wide selection of books to people around the Highlands of Scotland. The first event was in the lovely new Community Centre in Torridon and the setting was absolutely stunning. With a view straight out over Loch Torridon, it was a wonderful place to spend 2 days, with the good news that we&#039;ll be back again in August. I was there with my Ablekids hat on selling English, Gaelic and bilingual children&#039;s books but also got the opportunity to sell and sign some of my own books; Bill Anderson from Highflight Books had a range of second hand and collectable books, specialising in aviation literature;  Nigel and Val Holamby from Olde Moss Books also deal in antiquarian books and collectables, including African and Asian books; David Duguid, owner of Picaresque Books, offered, among other things, a selection of rare works of fiction including an old Gaelic version of &#039;The Pilgrim&#039;s Progress&#039; and a typed manuscript of Nigel Tranter&#039;s &#039;The Wallace&#039;. For more information on the book tour please click on the link.<br />]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:44:33 GMT</pubDate>
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			<title>Innovation</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120419-115628</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Went to a lecture yesterday given by Prof. Alistair Fee, a marketing and innovation expert who has advised companies all aorund the world. It was fascinatong listening to him talk and one of the things which really shone through was that innovation is as much the preserve of small and medium sized companies as it is of the huge national and multinational businesses. &#039;Thinking&#039; time is worth its weight in gold. If you don&#039;t have time to just look out the window and think, you can&#039;t come up with innovative and daring new ideas and this is accessible to all, not only those with large budgets. I particularly liked his example of a chance meeting between an origami expert and a heart surgeon and how the former had a solution to the latter&#039;s problem of safely inserting stents. I also found his comments on failure refreshing. It is important, and even vital, to fail now and again. Failure is part of the process of progress annd makes us more appreciative of success when we get there.]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:56:28 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=12&amp;m=04&amp;entry=entry120419-115628</comments>
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			<title>Translation Companies</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120417-175444</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Although Ablekids Press has had English work translated into Gaelic before, this is the first time I have approached translation companies for other languages. Translation is an incredibly difficult thing to get right even when the text seems very straightforward. Attention to detail is vital and nothing can be rushed. I am extremely pleased so far with the company I have chosen to do the five translations I need. They ask sensible, pertinent questions based not only on the text but also the format in which it will be produced. Amazingly, they took the trouble to point out a translation error in a product - not one of mine! - which I had displayed on my bookselling website. This is what really won me over. I felt if they could take the trouble to point out an error which had nothing to do with them, then they definitely had my best interests at heart.  ]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:54:44 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=12&amp;m=04&amp;entry=entry120417-175444</comments>
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			<title>Recording Studio</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120330-174312</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Was in a recording studio for the first time today and all the equipment looked very impressive. I was there to record one of my own poems and a story as part of a World Book Day project being run by Inverness&#039;s Reader in Residence, Margot Henderson. Graham, the studio expert put me at my ease immediately and it was really fun to do. It has certainly given me ideas for recording my next book in the seven different languages in which it will be published. ]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:43:12 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=12&amp;m=03&amp;entry=entry120330-174312</comments>
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			<title>Bilingual Books</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry120224-105136</link>
			<description><![CDATA[ Very excited about Ablekids Press&#039; newest project. A simple picture book constructed to help those learning a language for the first time. There will be an English only version plus 6 bilingual versions including Scottish Gaelic.<br /> There are very few bilingual Gaelic books for children on the market and, all going according to plan, this one will also have a pronunciation guide, which is partucularly useful to non-Gaelic speaking parents with children in Gaelic medium education.<br /> By using only the present tense, basic phrases and limited vocabulary,this should be an ideal way to get children - and adults - started on a new language without it seeming too daunting. <br /> Watch this space for more information as it becomes available.]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:51:36 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=12&amp;m=02&amp;entry=entry120224-105136</comments>
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			<title>Katie MacGregor</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry111205-155952</link>
			<description><![CDATA[So saddened at the weekend to discover my lovely Gaelic translator, Katie MacGregor, has died. She will be a great loss to many, including the Gaelic world. As a native Gaelic speaker with a passion for the language, she worked tirelessly to support anyone with an interest in this beautiful Scottish language. She was of immeasurable help to me and I will always remember her wonderful sense of humour and commitment, even when her health was failing. She was going to write her autobiography. What a great pity we have not been left a record of her remarkable life. Goodbye Katie and thank you.]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:59:52 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=11&amp;m=12&amp;entry=entry111205-155952</comments>
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			<title>WEA Talk on Self-publishing</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry111021-113008</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Did a Lunchtime Talk on self-publishing for the WEA (Workers Educational Association) in Inverness Library yesterday. Given the rise of online publishing services companies,it was interesting to run through all the different stages of getting a book into print. Like certain web design companies which claim you can have a website up and running in half an hour, the emphasis is on how quick and easy the whole self-publishing process is, but as with anything, it&#039;s only &#039;easy&#039; if you know what you are doing. Also, the idea that by cutting out the traditional publisher, you are going to have gold lining your pocket in no time at all, as your book is snapped up by your &#039;target market&#039;, glosses over the grinding reality of trying to sell your book once it is in print. Without contacts, money and marketing strategies, your book will sink in a sea of publications.]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:30:08 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=11&amp;m=10&amp;entry=entry111021-113008</comments>
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			<title>Pirate Gifts</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110502-104543</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Since December I&#039;ve been working hard on new products which are now available online. My Pirate Mugs of Fun in English and also in Gaelic combine different elements to give budding young pirates lots of fun whilst also teaching them some facts about pirates and pirate life. An original pirate poem about scurvy is accompanied by activities: Find the Hidden Word, Spot the Difference, Colouring-in, Pirate Maze, Word Search and a Quiz. As you go through the activities, you&#039;ll find snippets of information which can then be used to answer the quiz questions. The poem is printed on parchment paper and the activities on a variety of white and coloured paper, each finished with a wavy edge. These are then rolled together and tied with ribbon to look like pirate scrolls. A shaped information card gives more information about the perils of scurvy. With a pirate skull mug acting as vessel - pardon the pun! - the scrolls are teamed up with pirate bubbles, chocolates, colouring pencils and a choice of telescope and tattoos or pirate wallet. Placed in a sturdy, transparent gift bag, it&#039;s tied with red cord and a Pirate Gold contents label which, with a spot of glue, turns into a pirate bookmark. After completing the English version, my hope was to have a Gaelic version too but everything hinged on a good translation of the poem. Without that as anchor, it couldn&#039;t work. To my great delight, Katie, my lovely Gaelic translator, threw herself into the spirit of things and came up with a wonderful Gaelic &#039;Pirate Gold&#039; then proceeded to work her way through the activities. This is a unique product both for the English and Gaelic market but I am particularly glad to offer something completely new for Gaelic speakers. <br /><img src="images/tn_pirate_gift.JPG" width="225" height="300" border="0" alt="" />  <img src="images/tn_pirate_mug_gaelic_wallet.JPG" width="225" height="300" border="0" alt="" /> ]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Mon, 02 May 2011 09:45:43 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=11&amp;m=05&amp;entry=entry110502-104543</comments>
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			<title>Curry Ceilidh</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110319-203648</link>
			<description><![CDATA[The Highland Indian Association held its annual Curry Ceilidh in Inverness last night. Curry and Ceilidh are not two words one would ordinarily associate with one another but it is amazing how the Highland Indian Association managed to combine the two so effortlessly. Oodles of traditional Indian food laid on as a buffet gave a wonderful opportunity to sample unknown dishes - just a pity I can&#039;t remember what they were called! Then came the ceilidh. People from all over the world dancing the Gay Gordons and the Dashing White Sergeant. It was particularly lovely to see the children joining in - one tiny girl in a dainty, frothy dress managed to survive towering adults thundering through Strip the Willow. For those that don&#039;t know this Scottish dance, it&#039;s not one for the faint-hearted!]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Sat, 19 Mar 2011 20:36:48 GMT</pubDate>
			<comments>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/comments.php?y=11&amp;m=03&amp;entry=entry110319-203648</comments>
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			<title>International Women&#039;s Day Centenary Celebrations</title>
			<link>http://www.ablekidspress.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110306-221333</link>
			<description><![CDATA[Centenary celebration at Merkinch Community Centre, Inverness yesterday was very well attended and what a mix of culture was on display. Like last year, we were entertained with beautiful Chinese and Fijian dancing but we also got a taste of Russian dancing, courtesy of The Highland Russia Connection Charity. I got chatting to Elena, chairperson of the charity and discovered she is from Siberia but now lives in Nairn with her Scottish husband. Elena travels round schools talking about Russian culture, teaching the language and traditional dances. I learnt some Russian whilst living in Poland and think it one of the most wonderful languages I have ever heard, with its soft melody. Needless to say, I dredged up a few words to Elena who smiled encouragingly. I look forward to learning more about their organisation. Anyone interested will find them at <a href="http://www.highlandrussia.org.uk." target="_blank" >www.highlandrussia.org.uk.</a>]]></description>
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			<author>Pauline Mackay</author>
			<pubDate>Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:13:33 GMT</pubDate>
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