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More than 10 Years of publishing with Alto Books, Wildfire Productions continues to produce great Children’s books.
Myke is a best selling Children’s book author and Illustrator. A decade publishing Kids books, close to 3 years in magazines and many more years in illustration and commercial art. But his success comes from being an Advertising Creative, where 25 years of telling brand stories gave him his insights into storytelling.
Myke Mollard has been moonlighting book publishing for over 10 years now along side his advertising business. An illustrator and painter of wildlife and with a few best selling Kids books, which has seen rise to a brand of books under the banner “Australian Bush Creatures.” Myke has been touring schools and creating art for kids for over 14 years as an author and illustrator.
But this didn’t happen over night. Myke has been publishing brochures and flyers for clients two decades, so publishing comes naturally. Yet in saying this, when it came to book publishing, Myke had to step up to international publishing standards and really design books that become potential best sellers. Typesetting, designing and creating books for kids has been a passion. Yes it’s hard to imagine, where does he find the time to manage all his advertising work and also create such a influential and educational range of Kid’s books? Plus get out to schools create a engaging and informative skills based program directed at 6-12 year olds? It’s been a lot of dedication and wildfire passion, but it’s worth the effort.
We hope you enjoy this story.
Magazine Publishing:
Around 1994 – 1996 Myke Mollard was invited to helm a fledgling magazine and launch the hottest new men’s magazine to grace Australian News-stands. As company director, art director and principal creative Myke and owner Martin Salter forged a great cosmopolitan title, nick named – Metro Style.
It ran Bi-Monthly, had a risky “sealed section” (for men’s eyes only) and in it’s 8th month launched and played host to “the 50 Most eligible Woman of 1995” (Spoof on the Cleo’s Bachelor of the year) and actually out sold ‘Australian Playboy’ in that month. Also in the same year, it was awarded a “MAMA award” as a runner up for the best new magazine of 1995. Just being pipped by Marie Claire Magazine launched the same year. A mighty effort for a couple guys in a home office.
The other milestone was that the magazine was offered to Pacific Publications. Yet this unfortunately caused it’s closure. As the men’s magazine sales benched marked the need for “a mens title” so Pacific Publications declined and brought into the country; GQ Australia, FHM Magazine, Loaded and several other titles. Even though as a publisher, we couldn’t compete with that sort of clout “Pure Adrenalin Publishing” folded, but the trailblazing efforts and the experience was epic. Myke went on to trade magazines for a short while before George Patterson Bates snatched him up and the rest is history.
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Children’s Book Publishing.
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In 2004 -2005 Myke worked on a small personal “one off” self publishing of a kids book for a friend Fysh Rutherford. Fysh in return introduced Myke to the late David Conners. David looked through Myke’s back catalogue of stories, ambitions of script writing Australian folk tales and all his illustrations in development. David’s sudden enthusiasm forged a wonderful friendship and Alto Books was born.
Alto Books initially struck a three book deal of; “On a Monster’s Doorstep”, “An A-Z of Australian Bush Creatures” and an unpublished title call ” Purring Dragon”. Myke finished the first book in 2007 and went on to complete the second in 2009. Yet the deal was restructured, so Myke would illustrate “Mal the Lion” for David and the late Jesse White, but along the way Alto Books employed Myke’s skills as a designer to prepare books for international printing like David Higgins “One World” and “Our Time”, as well as, typeset many novels and picture books. He also reworked “title plates” for encyclopedia-styled titles like “The Ottomans”, and translated and typeset titles like “Maximus Musicus”, Plus he also illustrated and designed book covers including James Beckingham’s “Songforge” and later “Dragons Rising.” Essentially helping Alto books bring more than 20 titles to market.
David Conners sadly passed away in 2016 and Alto Books is no longer. It’s put the publishing in Limbo for a few years as Myke Mollard’s rights revert to Wildfire productions. Supported by Dennis Jones, Wildfire Productions and Myke have been investigating new titles and continue to sell his back catalogue.
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Looking into the future.
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In 2018 Myke recently illustrated “How Water Came to be” for Clean Slate Press out of New Zealand and now Myke’s ambition to create something special that highlights the plight of Australian endangered Species, is educationally driven and titles which preserve and introduce the world to Australian themes and collaborations with regards to Aboriginal Folklore. All these ideas are high on his list of publishing adventures for the future.
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