Plymouth duo cast a spell on Spanish readers

Taken from The Plymouth Herald, 6th March 2014

PLYMOUTH-based author-and-illustrator team Leyland Perree and Stuart McGhee have secured an international publishing contract by having one of their hit books translated into Spanish.

Which Witch Is Which? is an observational picture book that encourages readers to spot their favourite of 20 very different witches as they bounce from page to cackling page.

The book is being translated into Spanish by Editiones Obelisko, with an initial print run of 3,000 copies.

But with Spanish the third most-spoken language on the planet behind Mandarin Chinese and English, the worldwide sales potential is huge.

The duo were originally put together by Plympton-based Ghostly Publishing front man Neil Trigger, and since their first combined efforts the team has become a huge success.

Mr Perree and Mr McGhee launched their first book, The Great Reef Race, in September 2012, and knew they had created something special.

Reviews were glowing and sales for their new publisher soared.

When they showcased their book at the Ghostly Publishing stand of The London Book Fair in 2013, it attracted orders and interest from international book sellers and representation from an agent in India.

Both men had been published individually before and Mr Perree even sold a copy of one of his solo titles to Prime Minister David Cameron, but their books as a team have eclipsed them all.

Since September, they have released another two books – the latest being a humorous Christmas tale called The Unpleasant Tale of the Man-Eating Christmas Pudding.

Mr Perree, whose day job is writing training manuals, is currently looking for schools to attend and spread his love of writing into the education curriculum.

He is pictured here visiting Compton Primary School, where he donated £50 to school funds – £1 for every copy of the book sold there.

Mr McGhee, who works for the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth and has a degree in illustration from Plymouth College of Art, continues to attend comic book conventions and undertake private commissions.

Mr Trigger said: "Their books are among our company's best sellers."