Two publishing houses in China vied for the opportunity to buy the rights for Nikola Raykov’s complete works – children’s books and board games. What sets them apart is that they are connected, and that the action in the games takes place in the universe of book.

There do exist such works for older children, but the approach is unorthodox with smaller kids. But it has been a big success, first in Bulgaria, then abroad.

The book “The Big Adventure of the Little Gremlin” has so far been published in Latvia. So, what was it that made an impression on the Chinese publishers in these game tales?

“The fact that the children are able to choose how the main characters will react and how the story will unfold, depending on the choices they have made. I have invested a great deal of imagination in the story, humour and an adventurous spirit. The illustrations are also magnificent.”

Nikola Raykov’s original views on what books for the smallest children should be like may be due to the author’s own unusual biography. He graduated IT in Chicago, in the US but instead of staying on and carvingout a career for himself in the land of opportunity, he returned to Bulgaria:

“I have never been afraid to take unorthodox decisions if I think they will make me a happier person. In the US I always felt out of place. Americans’ world view was too materialistic and commercialized to my liking. When I returned to Bulgaria I decided to quit my 9 to 5 job and to set up a company of my own. Later, when my first book appeared and I saw how enormously successful it was, and that both children and critics really took to it, I made up my mind definitively. Now I can say, with some pride, that I am a professional writer.”

Nikola Raykov plans to go to China after his works have been published there. He had no hesitation in signing the contract due to the indubitable professionalism of the publishers in Shenzhen. At this point he is working closely with the translator of his works – Lin Usian who graduated Bulgarian studies at the university in Beijing.

“We had already worked on the translation of “Pipsqueaks”. She had a lot of queries because there is a lot of wordplay in the book, many make-believe creatures with make-believe names. I had to explain where a given word comes from – by the way it sounds or by its meaning. I hope she has been able to convey the spirit of the books.”

Nikola Raykov says that his big influence is Gianni Rodari, his favourite children’s writer. But his favourite character is by a Bulgarian author – Lisko the little fox from “The adventures of Lisko” by Boris Aprilov. Lisko is seen as representing the smart and curious child, fascinated by all things in the world.  But is it difficult to write books for children in the digital 21^st century?

“To write for children you need to understand what being a child means. The fact that my books are books and games at the same time is what makes them interesting to children. I have been told that they have even put their smartphones down and picked up my books, and that is a very flattering thing. Even if these are isolated cases, it is still a big success.”

Nikola Raykov says he likes to experiment, to break boundaries and to add something new to every new book. These are the principles he is going to follow in his new projects. One of them is for older children, the other is to complete the trilogy of the adventures of the small gremlin - “The Biggest Adventure of the Little Gremlin” in which he finds out it is time to grow up.

Photos: provided by Nikola Raykov