After winning the 2012 Academy Award for “Best Short Film” with The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, Joyce published that story as a picture book and an app. In a GalleyCat interview, he shared advice on apps, self-editing and writing.

Q: How did you land your first book deal?
A: By pluck luck and accident. I was two weeks out of college and I sent my portfolio to Harper Collins (they were called Harper and Row then) they said come on up. I had no prospects for employment whatsoever and didn’t expect anything to happen other than to get a nice pat on the head and a cookie. I went into the office there and they gave me a book contract to illustrate Tammy and the Gigantic Fish. I didn’t have an agent or anything; they just liked my stuff. I don’t think that kind of thing happens anymore. They don’t even have readers. They don’t take unsolicited manuscripts anymore. I got in at that last golden time when you could walk in off the street. I illustrated five books before I was confident enough to do my own stories.

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Author Charity Shumway will be celebrating her debut novel, Ten Girls to Watch, at the powerHouse Arena. Join her on Tuesday, July 31st from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Brooklyn, NY)

Author Karen Thompson Walker and writer Hannah Trini will headline a discussion event. See them on Wednesday, August 1st at the powerHouse Arena from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Brooklyn, NY)

Meet one of the creators behind The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, William Joyce, at a Books of Wonder event. Check it out on Saturday, August 4th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (New York, NY)

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Following a glowing review in Fast Company, author and ex-Pixar character designer William Joyce has rocketed to top of Apple’s Top Grossing Book Apps list with the $4.99 interactive storybook, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.”

The article described the app as “a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once.” We’ve embedded a video for the app above–what do you think? Follow this link to see the other top apps at eBookNewser.

Here’s more from the review: “This is the key to a successful children’s book — inviting them to play and explore and be curious, not just jab buttons to activate cheesy visual effects. And mercifully, every gewgaw in the book has a button so you can toggle it on or off: For example, you can kill the voiceover so you can read to your kid in your own voice the way God intended, or silence the music and sound effects if you want to.”

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