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Year: 2014

  • Exclusive CBC Member Special: $250 discount on The Nielsen Children’s Book Summit on December 12

    CBC Members only: $250 Discount  E-mail us for the member-exclusive discount code to use when you register online. Expires: 12/1/14Register now! What it is: An exclusive executive-level event that will …

  • ‘Publishers Weekly’ Unveils The Best Children’s Books of 2014

    Some of the titles featured on the picture books list include Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen; My Teacher Is a …

  • Jeff Kinney Talks About His Creative Process

    “What I do is I spend about six months just writing jokes, and they’re disassociated with everything—they’re not even connected to one another. So what I do is come up …

  • Industry Q&A with editor Grace Kendall

    Please tell us about the most recent diverse book you published.

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    While I was at Scholastic, I had the great pleasure of editing Edwidge Danticat’s first picture book, Eight Days: A Story of Haiti. It explored a young Haitian boy’s experience in the eight days following the devastating earthquake.

    I also published the Jewel Society series, which features four best friends of varying backgrounds and academic interests. By working together and using their individual strengths, the girls solve a series of jewel heists in and around the Washington, DC area. A smart and sassy series for girls!

    And here at FSG, I’ve just acquired a young middle-grade series starring two best friends, one of which is Latina. They live in a quirky neighborhood, inspired by The Mission District of San Francisco, where the townspeople are as diverse as the girls’ adventures, and where Spanish is spoken widely.

    What is one factor holding you back from publishing more diverse books OR what’s the biggest challenge for publishing companies who want to feature more diverse titles?

    There is nothing at Macmillan holding me back from publishing diverse books. As an editor committed to publishing more authors and illustrators of color, I’m always on the look-out for new talent. The Brown Bookshelf is a great place to go to learn about diversity in children’s literature and to get ideas about people I’d like to work with! In fact I wish there were more resources like it (websites or associations) that collected and featured diverse children’s book creators, especially those who are not yet published. And of course I rely on agents who are representing new talent with an eye toward diversity.

    What is an example of a current bestselling diversity title?

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    Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin) is a New York Times Bestselling title.

    I’m also excited about the buzz that the following books are getting in the marketplace and in the media:

    Who would you consider to be a diversity pioneer in children’s and/or young adult literature?

    The editors at Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic (Arthur Levine, Cheryl Klein, and Emily Clement) continue to impress me with their commitment to publishing books with a range of perspectives. The work they do with diverse authors and illustrators—as well as books originally published outside of the United States—is truly inspiring.

    If you have an author who wants to write about characters outside of his/her own background, how do you generally handle that? Do you encourage your author to dive into research, or do you dissuade your author from venturing into what is unfamiliar to them?

    I haven’t yet had this experience with one of my authors, but here’s what I generally suggest to writers who ask me the same questions at conferences.

    1. I imagine we would have a discussion about why he or she wants to write outside of their own experience. I think it’s important to be honest about your intentions in telling a certain kind of story, as it will no doubt affect the politics (intended or unintended) of your writing later on.
    2. If we agreed to move forward, I would encourage the author to research the subject matter (time, place, people) as well as consult with individuals who share a similar background to the characters in his/her work.
    3. Finally, as the editor, it would be my responsibility to review the writing on the page and assess how I think the work would serve the children reading it. I would also find a secondary reader or two (again with a similar background to the characters and story at hand) to give me their honest opinion of the book.

    Tell us about your editing process. When you edit cross-culturally, how do you ensure that the book gets a culture with which you might not be as familiar “right”?

    If I’m editing a book featuring a culture, heritage, or place that I feel unfamiliar with, I will definitely enlist the help of an expert or someone intimately experienced with the subject matter at hand. I do this most often with nonfiction titles, even if the author might be considered an expert in the field or has had an expert read over their work. I budget for this early on in the publishing process, and always prefer to have at least a second pair of eyes to help us.

    If you could receive a manuscript about one culture or subculture that you don’t normally see, what would it be?

    Native North Americans, for sure. I grew up loving (and studying) Sherman Alexie’s work; and I’m jealous of Cheryl Klein’s publication of If I Ever Get Out Of Here by Eric Gansworth. To name some specific groups, maybe the Florida Seminoles or the Aleutians from the islands of Alaska.

    I would also love to see stories about and/or by people from the Caribbean and Cuba. Having grown up in Miami, Florida, I’m always drawn to communities rich with change at the hands of immigrants. Port cities or border towns can make for dynamic settings.

    And lastly, I would love to work on books from or about South Africa. I lived and studied there for six months, and am always looking for characters or writers from that wonderfully diverse country.

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    Grace Elizabeth Kendall, Editor, Farrar, Straus, Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan. She works on a wide range of material from picture books to young-adult novels, both fiction and nonfiction. Before joining FSG in the spring, Grace worked at Scholastic where she edited Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania! by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord and New York Times Bestselling Illustrator Derek Anderson; A Bunny in the Ballet by debut author/illustrator Robert Beck; and the middle-grade series Jewel Society by Hope McLean. She also worked on Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by two-time National Book Award Nominee and MacArthur Fellow Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Alix Delinois.

  • Nominate a Literary Landmark For Children’s Book Week 2015

    In an open letter, Staino says: “It would be great if you or your state organization would take the lead in nominating a possible Literary Landmark in your State. You …

  • Scholastic Announces First-of-Their-Kind Literacy Events to Help Schools Support Family and Community Engagement

    NEW YORK, NY – Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, today announced the release of Scholastic Literacy Events,  comprehensive family engagement kits that educators can use to engage …

  • Katie Alender Shares Her Secrets For Writing Scary Stories

    “I can’t watch horror movies! They’re way too scary, ha ha! It does seem a little odd that I’m a total wimp about anything spooky. I’m especially awful at watching …

  • Pottermore Offers New Content By J.K. Rowling With Revealing Details About The ‘Great Villain’ Dolores Umbridge

    LONDON, ENGLAND – Exclusive new details about the witch and Hogwarts Professor Dolores Umbridge were revealed today in the latest writing by J.K. Rowling available on the author’s website pottermore.com.  The new …

  • ‘New Yorker’ Cartoonist Liam Francis Walsh to Create a Wordless Picture Book

    Neal Porter, the head of his own imprint at Roaring Brook Press, managed the acquisitions process and intends to publish the book in Fall 2016. Daniel Lazar, a literary agent …

  • First Book and HarperCollins Children’s Books Introduce First-Ever Bilingual Edition of Goodnight Moon

    First Book’s “Stories for All Project” Addresses the Lack of Diversity in Children’s Books, Bringing Classics and Diverse Books to Kids in Need WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Goodnight …

  • Alex London to Write a Middle Grade Series Inspired By ‘Redwall’

    “The books will feature an animal world inspired by Brian Jacques’s Redwall series; as a child, London wrote Jacques a fan letter telling him that he wanted to be a …

  • Jason Segel Talks About Collaboration

    Segel devoted most of his professional life to an acting career in Hollywood so he did not have any experience with writing children’s books. Miller, the New York Times bestselling …

  • Fans and Families Everywhere Get Set for a Spooktacular Halloween with Goosebumps™

    New York, NY – Ghouls and boys of all ages will celebrate Halloween with a host of frighteningly fun new Goosebumps™ activities and events! To help fans everywhere get into the spirit,Goosebumps author – …

  • Katherine Paterson’s Nonfiction Debut

    In spite of a late start, Paterson eventually found great success as a writer. She has garnered two National Book Awards as well as Newbery Medals for Bridge to Terabitha and Jacob Have I …

  • Writing Tricks From Successful Young Adult Authors

    “Rainbow Rowell never set out to be a YA author. Her first book, Attachments, was for and about adults, and though Eleanor & Park is a teenage love story set …

  • Pottermore to Release New J.K. Rowling Writing About Dolores Umbridge On Halloween

    London, England – In a special Halloween treat for Harry Potter fans, J.K. Rowling’s website pottermore.com will post new original writing on October 31 about the witch and former Hogwarts professor Dolores Umbridge. The character …

  • Call for More Inclusive Stories in the Science-Fiction & Fantasy Genre

    Within the past few years, the call for more representative children’s books has been steadily building. A Twitter conversation between YA fantasy authors Ellen Oh and Malinda Lo sparked the popular We …

  • HarperCollins Publishers Acquires Two-Book Deal By Award-Winning Author Patrick Ness

    New York, NY — HarperCollins Publishers announced today the acquisition of a two-book deal by critically acclaimed author Patrick Ness, author of the award winning A Monster Calls, More Than This, and …

  • Daniel Handler Introduces a New Indies First Initiative Called Upstream

    This would allow indie book shops that are not located in big cities to sell autographed books to their customers. Handler wrote a letter and posted it online in the …

  • Bestselling ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ Series Has Over 150 Million Copies in Print Worldwide

    New York, NY – Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, announced today that Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will surpass 150 million copies in print on November 4, 2014, …

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