Monthly Archives: November 2016

October/November 2016

Posted on by
Reply

Bloomsbury USA

Brittany Mitchell moves up to assistant marketing manager, school & library.

Candlewick Press

Tanya Seamans joins the company as contracts and royalties assistant. She was formerly editorial assistant at Publishing Solutions Group.

HarperCollins Children’s Books

Alice Jerman is being promoted to associate editor.

Alyssa Miele moves up to associate editor.

Rebecca Schwarz is being promoted to assistant editor at Katherine Tegen Books.

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Gaby Salpeter has joined the team as marketing coordinator. She was previously web manager and events coordinator at Books of Wonder.

Penguin Young Readers

Marissa Grossman moves up to associate editor at Razorbill.

Random House Children’s Books

Emily Bamford joins the company as associate publicist. She was formerly an associate publicist at Atria.

Jena Debois joins the company as marketing assistant.

Karen Greenberg moves up to assistant editor at Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Robby Imfield has joined the company as associate marketing manager.

Monica Jean has been promoted to assistant editor at Delacorte Press.

Colleen Nuccio has been promoted to marketing coordinator.

William Vogan joins Schwartz & Wade Books as editorial assistant.

Kristin Vogt joins the company as marketing assistant.

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Janine Perez has been promoted to digital marketing coordinator.

Jessica Smith joins Simon Pulse as editorial assistant.

ECC/YPG Halloween Spooktacular 2016 Photo Gallery

Posted on by
Reply

Aw, Halloween — we miss it already. Check out some awesome photos from the ECC-YPG Halloween Spooktacular and relive a frighteningly fun night!

Asked and Answered

Posted on by
Reply

What was your favorite book-related happening of 2016?

“It is practically impossible to pick my “favorite” book-related happening of the year, but it is super easy for me to pick the thing that has stuck with me the most. Meeting Christopher Myers and hearing him speak at the CBC Annual Meeting was nothing short of amazing. His speech was energizing, thought-provoking, and moving. The Q&A that followed was full of so much insight and passion from Chris and the publishing professionals in the room, and he was a joy to meet and speak with. If you did not get to see it in person, you should take the time to watch it here! (password: kidzb00kz)”

—Shaina Birkhead, Programming and Strategic Partnerships Director, The Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader

“My favorite book-related event this year was the release of E. K. Johnston’s AHSOKA. As a huge Star Wars fan and especially of The Clone Wars series, I was always fascinated by Ahsoka’s journey on the TV series, and I was devastated when the show ended. I knew there was more to Ahsoka’s story, but I worried that we wouldn’t get much of it. I was excited to see that others clearly agreed with me, and that we were able to get more of her story. I bought the book the day it came out and devoured it immediately. I hope there will be more!”

—Orlando DosReis, Assistant Editor, Abrams Books for Young Readers, Amulet, and ComicArts

“This year, I got to attend my first Bologna Book Fair. I had a wonderful week meeting people from all over the world with a shared passion for great children’s books!”

—Hillary Doyle, International Rights Associate, Scholastic (ECC Chair)

“My favorite book-related event was attending and working at the Boston Teen Author Festival in September. As a cofounder of the festival and part of the core team, I’m so excited and thrilled to see the festival grow and thrive. This was our fifth year, and we drew a little over 350 attendees to the Cambridge Public Library and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School to see thirty-five authors speak on numerous panels.”

—Marissa Finkelstein, Assistant Production Editor, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (ECC Secretary)

“In January, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the inauguration ceremony of Gene Yang, the 2016-17 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, at the Library of Congress. It was heartening to see how happy Yang was to not only accept the title, but also answer questions from the DC-area public school students invited to attend the ceremony. Graphic novels have always been a staple of my literary diet; they helped foster my love of reading just as much as any other book I read as a kid. I’m very excited to see how Yang’s “Reading without Walls” campaign will continue to eliminate the stigma that surrounds comics and their legitimacy as literature, and change the conversations we have about children’s literacy.”

—Alexa Frank, Special Projects Coordinator, The Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader (CBC Liaison)

“She’s an evergreen favorite for me, but I loved when Penguin did their #readadessen campaign. Reading everyone’s tweets about their most beloved Sarah Dessen books reminded me of reading them as a teen, and why I wanted to go into kidlit in the first place!”

—Elizabeth Lynch, Editorial Assistant, HarperCollins Children’s Books

“In honor of this year’s Banned Books Week—held in celebration of diverse writing—seven bookstores nationwide hosted “A Night of Silenced Voices” on September 27. The series featured open mics and discussions showcasing diverse voices. I was fortunate to attend the reading held at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in New York City, which brought together both emerging and established authors of diverse backgrounds including Daniel José Older, Ibi Zoboi, Taran Matharu, and Gabby Rivera. According to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, over half of all banned books are penned by authors of color, or represent diverse characters and themes. I was incredibly moved by each artist’s testimony on this painful reality and on the need for more inclusive literature. Looking back, the creativity and compassion on display that evening shine through a year of political discord.”

—Emma Kantor, Publicity and Digital Content Manager, The Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader

“There were so many awesome bookish events this year, but there is one in particular that stands out above the rest. To promote her upcoming film and charity organization, Lumos, JK Rowling made a truly rare appearance at Carnegie Hall with the cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The evening was a truly spectacular event, her charitable efforts and endeavors to make the world a better place was so inspiring, and the chance to celebrate this new chapter in the Harry Potter universe with hundreds of bookish friends and strangers was incredible! On top of that, we got an early screening of the film, which was just the cherry on top– Eddie Redmayne might possibly be the most adorable human on earth.”

—Brittany Pearlman, Associate Publicist, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

“My favorite 2016 children’s book event was seeing Leigh Bardugo at the Strand during her tour for Crooked Kingdom. Leigh was funny, engaging, and took the time to talk to every person in the signing line. And the Strand even provided Six of Crows themed cookies and temporary tattoos! It’s always fun to be in a crowd with fellow fans, and Leigh and the Strand made this event feel extra special. Definitely worth the long wait in the signing line!”

—Nicole Sclama, Editorial Assistant, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

Extreme Trivia Challenge Recap

Posted on by
Reply

On November 9th, children’s book enthusiasts from a number of publishing houses gathered at Scholastic headquarters to face off in the ultimate battle for glory and bragging rights. After three rounds of regular trivia and three rounds of Quick like a Bunny speed trivia, the teams competed in a Jeopardy-inspired final round. The categories included Sweet Reads, YouTubers Turned Authors, and the crowd-favorite #PokemonABook.

After a fun and exciting evening of competition, the 13th Annual Extreme Trivia Challenge ended in a tie. With Team 2 Awesome coming in second place, Team Kick Ass and Team Nasty Women (and Chris) became this year’s children’s literature champions and walked away with the coveted Golden Bunny trophies. The winning teams also received signed copies of Sweet and Monument 14, both by host Emmy Laybourne. Emmy is a former character actor and put her skills to good use when she used charades to give hints for some of the harder trivia questions, much to the delight of everyone present.

Thank you to everyone who came out to participate in this challenge. And a special thanks to our wonderful host, Emmy Laybourne!

Volunteer Recap: HarperCollins & Operation Backpack

Posted on by
Reply

Working in children’s publishing, we are all lucky to be able to make an impact on the lives of young readers through the books we publish—but it can be great to have a chance to contribute in a more hands-on way, as well. Back in August, dozens of volunteers from HarperCollins Children’s Books spent the day packing backpacks with school supplies through an organization called Operation Backpack, and we loved every second of it!

Each summer, just in time for the back-to-school season, the organization collects donations of school supplies for kindergarteners through high schoolers, and facilitates volunteer efforts to get new backpacks packed up and delivered to kids in need across the city. This year, Harper volunteers were tasked with a few different jobs, from filling backpacks to quality-controlling donations. For those of us who used to wait all year to experience the satisfaction of brand new school supplies (and let’s face it, that’s the vast majority of us publishing folks), the hours at Operation Backpack flew by in a flurry of color-coding folders and carefully selecting the best pencils.

Knowing that thousands of students in New York will return to school with everything they need to succeed—plus a stylish place to store their books!—is the best possible news to a community like ours. HarperCollins volunteers with the program every summer, and it’s always a fun and productive way to spend an August morning. If you’re interested in working with or donating to Operation Backpack, you can find more info here.

From PDF to Print: Meet the Production Department!

Posted on by
Reply

In brief, what does the Production team do?

We literally get the books printed, bound, and delivered into the warehouse to then go out into the marketplace. We work with design, editorial and managing editorial to get files supplied for text and components, and then we work with the manufacturers to actually get the books and other printed items produced. We organize the specifications and materials being used on a project with vendors; write purchase orders; manage and review proofs, including color correction; manage schedules both internally and externally; and deal with any quality issues that may arise.

What is one thing that people generally get wrong about your department?

External people will often think that we do typesetting and prepress.

What is the most difficult thing about working in Production?

Schedules tend to shift regularly. Because there are a lot of moving factors, both internally and externally, you have to constantly be on top of projects and ready for a worst-case scenario effort to see the project through to completion. You can’t always prepare for what may happen to cause delays. It can be anything from art and manuscript delivery dates that shift unexpectedly, a press or binding line can break down; natural disasters can cause delays both domestically and overseas. You have to have an understanding of what the delay means for the specific project and have stellar communication skills to make sure that all necessary parties are involved in the decision of how to get the project on track as needed.

What is the best thing about working on the Production Team?

Publishing is a real team effort and working in production, you get to work with so many different departments and have a thorough understanding of the complete process of a book from beginning to end.  There is not one step that is any less important than another in the process of getting a book out into the world.  Being in production though, you are a part of the physical product and it is always really cool to see a final bound sample. I still get so excited when I see books I’ve worked on out in the market place or in the hands of a child (or adult) on the subway.

Q&A with Carl Lennertz, Executive Director, The Children’s Book Council and Every Child A Reader

Posted on by
Reply

1) What was your first job in publishing?

A bookseller first, and then a Midwest sales rep for Random House adult and children’s books.

2) As the new CBC executive director, what role do you believe The Children’s Book Council plays in the children’s publishing world?

I could give a very long answer, but I won’t, both as it’s still evolving and we have the member survey just finishing up. But mostly, I want us to partner with dozens of other groups to reach more children and those who get them to read more: teachers, parents, librarians, and booksellers. And more publicity – a LOT more – about the value of reading. I’d like the power of Children’s Book Week to reach out over 52 weeks, not one. I’d like more member publishers, give all our committees even more support, and have fun doing it!

3) What drew you to the non-profit world?

First, my daughter inspired me with her work in high school and college running fundraising efforts, and she is currently involved in autism research funding at Mt. Sinai. So, I joined the Goddard Upper West Side board; Goddard runs social service programs from pre-K to retirees. Next came my four years at ABA starting up the children’s and adult Book Sense (now IndieBound) national pick lists and bestseller lists. And then, I started up the World Book Night US literacy program and ran that for three very exciting years. And now here! I could not be happier.

4) What upcoming CBC/Every Child A Reader projects are you excited about?

I can’t reveal some things in the early planning stages, but THE big news will be a greatly expanded Children’s Book Week! Shooting for 1,000 participating libraries, schools, and stores!

5) What is your favorite children’s book from the past or present?

Oldie: Big Ball of String, by Marion Holland; current fave is The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis. Oh one more: Good Dog, Carl. Ha!