Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Brian Paterson

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Wizardman _{Operation Big Bear} 15:11, 3 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Brian Paterson

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Article concerning an author of children's books, which does not seem to meet WP:AUTHOR. I can't find any sources which provide enough coverage to verify any of the biographical claims of the article, or (surprisingly) any reviews of his work. Claritas (talk) 19:55, 27 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This debate has been included in the list of Visual arts-related deletion discussions. -- • Gene93k (talk) 23:09, 27 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Note: This debate has been included in the list of Authors-related deletion discussions. -- • Gene93k (talk) 23:09, 27 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Keep I am the orginator of the page. If you do a Google search on 'Foxwood Tales' you will find over 10,000 references. They mostly relate to legacy items that reflect the huge merchandising industry that grew up around the stories. These stories dominated the children's book market in the mid and late 1980s. They pre-dated the Internet and are currently out of print, which may explain why you have not easily found a review. At the time the works were favourably compared to those of Beatrix Potter. Brian Paterson certainly has a major place in the history of children's books and the works may well be 're-discovered' in the future.Tomintoul (talk) 07:42, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Google hits doesn't demonstrate notability : see WP:GHITS. Claritas (talk) 08:21, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comment. I found a one-paragraph review here. Someone might want to ask a children's librarian for help locating one or more reviews from sources not available for free online. The licensing agent claims that "The Foxwood Tales series has sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide and published in 18 countries," so it ought to be possible to find some documentation of this. Eastmain (talk • contribs) 02:11, 29 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Keep WorldCat Identities listing gives 119 works in 239 publications in 16 languages and 4,644 library holdings. Scroll down to any of the Foxwood titles and you will see multiple editions and languages listed. Subject clearly meets WP:GNG. I've added the Children's Literature Project template to the talk page and posted a note at the Project suggesting that someone there takes an interest. The article needs expansion and proper references, not deletion. Given that it has only just been created, it seems premature to send it to AfD.--Plad2 (talk) 05:20, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Keep Certainly seem like a very notable author of children's books based on both Zigby and Foxwood Tales. These are fairly popular series, with the occasional review. First Light (talk) 05:59, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Plad2, can you point out the "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject" to me ? There's significant coverage on his work, but not on him, and notability is not automatically inherited. Claritas § 12:13, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comment. Claritas, I do not understand why you are so keen on deleting this, all Plad2's points are well made. How can an author not be notable if he is extensively published? The lack of online reviews reflect the fact that Foxwood had its heyday in the 1980s before the age of the web.Tomintoul (talk) 17:53, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

An author is notable, if they have had significant coverage in reliable sources, or meet any of the criteria of WP:AUTHOR, not simply if they have been extensively published. Claritas § 18:44, 30 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comment Here is some coverage that points to notability: Australian network TV series on Zigby, based on the books by Brian Paterson[1] ; same in Canada, "based on the bestselling book series by Brian Paterson"[2] ; book review in the Liverpool Echo[3] ; article mostly about Paterson, along with his creation Zigby, who is "starring in a BBC series"[4]. And multiple independent reviews of his work (by Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book Magazine review, Kirkus Reviews).[5][6] First Light (talk) 00:52, 31 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Keep per Plad2. Authors who are listed extensively in important databases are invariably notable, even for kids' books. Bearian (talk) 20:23, 1 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Keep per keepers. Johnbod (talk) 12:26, 3 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.