When it comes to children’s books, can print survive the digital age? For the immediate future, the answer is yes, say some top publishing professionals who attended the “What Makes a Children’s Book Great?” conference at Scholastic’s headquarters in downtown New York.
Sponsored by the online journal Publishing Perspectives, the May 31 gathering drew more than 200 agents, authors, and children’s and YA editors to talk about the latest trends in children’s publishing.
Roger Sutton, editor-in-chief of The Horn Book and a speaker on the panel “Trends vs. Tradition: The Present and Future of YA and Children’s Books,” opened the conference, saying he’s noticed two recent trends in the YA scene: a proliferation of series hitting the market and more “hook-heavy” commercial books geared toward teen girls. David Levithan, a YA author and Scholastic’s executive editorial director, says that “great books create the trend.”
Sutton says he sees no immediate threat to ebooks taking over demand for picture books in print. Levithan adds that when it comes to novels, it’s the story that ultimately sells the book, not the format.
Peter Brown & John Rocco
Moderator Jenny Brown, creator of the kidlit website Twenty by Jenny and frequent contributor to SLJ, asked panelists how libraries will manage in this age of ebooks.
Peter Brown & John Rocco
“I think they’ll have to work harder,” Sutton says, adding that he’s a bit worried. “We’re becoming more and more alone in our consumption.” Pamela Paul, the children’s book editor at the New York Times Book Review, says she finds shorter library hours and the closing of bookstores a challenge.
What makes a great book? In his opening address, Edward Nawotka, Publishing Perspective’s editor-in-chief, says “‘Great’ is a word that captures the sheer enthusiasm of falling in love with a book.” Scholastic’s President and CEO Richard Robinson says there are five ingredients that must go into a great book: simple, clear, and original ideas; a connection with readers; humor; a story that evokes an emotional response; and one that makes the world seem full of possibilities.
Top children’s book agents Ken Wright, Rosemary Stimola, and Erica Rand Silverman who sat on the panel, “Blockbusters, Bestsellers, and Everything in Between: Agenting Children’s Books,” voiced their grievances about negotiating contracts in an age where technology has disrupted the traditional publishing model and shared anecdotes about representing their clients. Stimola, who represents author Suzanne Collins, says, “You start with shepherding an author, which may evolve into shepherding a blockbuster.”
Kevin O’Connor, director of public relations for Barnes & Noble NOOK Kids; Jacob Lewis, co-founder and CEO of Figment; and Paula K. Allen, senior vice president of Nickelodeon Global Publishing spoke on the “Born Digital, Buy Digital: Sales, Publishing and Community Building for the New Generation” panel about how current and new generations will approach technology. Lewis says “how we perceive a technological world” is what separates digital natives from digital immigrants, adding that teens are a creative and voracious bunch when it comes to online content creation and consumption. Figment, an online community for teens to share their writing, has more than 100,000 users.
Dennis Abrams, Beth Kephart, Raina Telgemeier, Peter Brown, & John Rocco
Authors Peter Brown, Beth Kephart, John Rocco, and Raina Telgemeier offered advice and insight to the profession in “Author, Author!: Building a Career, Connecting with Kids, and Standing out from the Crowd.” Rocco says librarians are key to introducing readers to his books. “I’ll talk to a lot of librarians—they’re the ones that get books in kids’ hands.”
As for what makes a book great, Telgemeir says, it’s impossible to quantify. “For me, it’s an emotion.” Rocco echoed her sentiment, saying “I find that’s like asking what makes air great. We have to have them.”
SLJ was a media partner of the conference.
