CBC Forum

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2020 How to Speak Designer

The CBC Forum Committee is proud to bring you a n inside look into How to Sepak Designer. Disney Hyperion Creative Director, Joann Hill, moderates a panel of art directors and designers about how they work effectively with editors, marketing managers, and authors to illuminate the mind of a designer for non-designers. Panelists share examples of work-in-progress designs and discuss the challenges and joys of collaborating. An audience Q&A ends the program.

Panelists include:

Dave Caplan, VP and Creative Director, Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Mary Claire Cruz, Senior Designer, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Lucy Ruth Cummins, Executive Art Director, Simon & Schuster
Donna Mark, Creative Director, Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Sharismar Rodriguez, Senior Art Director, Macmillan Children’s Group (was unable to attend)

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2019 Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Ceremony

The audio for the opening remarks is not ideal; read here what Carl Lennertz said.

The CBC Forum Committee is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Awards. These awards are given annually to professionals or organizations in the children’s publishing industry who have made a significant impact on the publishing and marketing of diverse books, diversity in hiring and mentoring, and efforts that create greater awareness with the public about the importance of diverse voices. Each winner selects an organization to receive one thousand dollars’ worth of children’s books in their name.

The official ceremony and conversation with the winners took place on November 19, 2019 at a CBC Forum event.

Moderator: Phoebe Yeh, VP & Publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books

Panelists (& Winners):

Andrea Davis Pinkney, Scholastic
Namrata Tripathi, Kokila Books
Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson, Just Us Books
Varian Johnson, The Brown Bookshelf

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2018 Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award Ceremony

The CBC Forum Committee is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Awards. These awards will be given annually to professionals or organizations in the children’s publishing industry who have made a significant impact on the publishing and marketing of diverse books, diversity in hiring and mentoring, and efforts that create greater awareness with the public about the importance of diverse voices. The winners will each select an organization to receive one thousand dollars’ worth of children’s books in their name.

The official ceremony and conversation with the winners took place on October 24, 2018 at a CBC Forum event.

Moderator: Alvina Ling, Editor-in-Chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Panelists (& Winners):

Saraciea J. Fennell, Publicist, Tor
Jennifer Loja, President & Publisher, Penguin Books for Young Readers
Jason Low, Publisher, Lee and Low Books
Beth Phelan, Literary Agent, Gallt & Zacker Literary
Phoebe Yeh, VP & Co-Publisher of Crown Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books
We Need Diverse Books, spearheaded by founder Ellen Oh and COO Dhonielle Clayton

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History in the Making: A Peek Inside Renowned Children’s Literature Collections

Organizations such as the Kerlan Collection, the de Grummond Collection, and the Morgan Library endeavor to collect, curate, and showcase notable moments of children’s book history. This panel seeks to highlight these efforts to publishing professionals, both for personal interest and enlightenment, as well as to open up a discussion on how publishers can best work with these organizations and why such partnerships are mutually beneficial.

Moderator: Susannah Richards, Professor, Eastern State Connecticut University and Children’s Literature Advocate

Panelists:

John Bidwell, Curator at the Morgan Library
Ellen Keiter, Chief Curator at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Ellen Ruffin, de Grummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi
Lisa Von Drasek, Curator at Children’s Literature Research Collections (CLRC), including The Kerlan Collection, at the University of Minnesota Libraries

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2016 Sales: A Year in Review

Top booksellers, merchandisers, and sales experts reflect on the successful and surprising campaign moments of 2016, and share how publishers can stand out in a crowded market.

Moderator: Matthew Baldacci, Director of Business Development, Shelf Awareness

Panelists:

Erin Berger, VP, Creative Marketing Director at Penguin Young Readers
Cristin Stickles, Children’s and YA Buyer at McNally Jackson Books
Chantalle Uzan, Senior Young Adult Librarian at The New York Public Library

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Behind the Panels: Advice and Insight to Children’s Graphic Novel Sales

The CBC’s Graphic Novel Committee has assembled a panel to explore best practices for producing, marketing, and selling graphic novels.

Moderator: Calvin Reid, Senior News Editor, Publishers Weekly

Panelists:

Gina Gagliano, Publicist, First Second Macmillan
Terence Irvins, Assistant Manager; Comics and Graphic Novels Buyer, Kinokuniya Bookstores of America Co., Ltd.
Charles Kochman, Editorial Director, Abrams
Tony Shenton, Freelance Sales Professional

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Making a Bestseller: From Blockbusters to Sleeper Hits

The CBC Forum Committee brings together representatives from the book review, library, and publishing fields to explore the many possibilities and factors that help a book hit the bestseller list.

Moderator: Carol Fitzgerald, President of TheBookReportNetwork.com

Panelists:

Louise Lareau, Managing Librarian at the Children’s Center at 42nd Street
Emily Romero, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Penguin Young Readers
Maria Russo, Children’s Book Editor at the New York Times

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The Rise of Middle Grade: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Beyond

Top authors, editors, and literacy experts explore the full scope of the middle grade demographic, and seek to understand the dynamics of this age group’s reading habits across all genres.

Moderator: Francesco Sedita, President & Publisher of the Grosset Group at Penguin Young Readers

Panelists:

Susan Marston, Editorial Director of the Junior Library Guild
Lauren Tarshis, Editor of Scholastic’s Storyworks and Storyworks Jr. and Author of the I Survived series
Angela Ungaro, Middle School Librarian at Brooklyn Friends School

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CBC Forum: 2015 Sales: A Year in Review

Top booksellers, merchandisers, and sales experts reflect on the successful and surprising campaign moments of 2015, and share how publishers can stand out in a crowded market.

Moderator: Alison Morris, Senior Director of Collection Development & Merchandising for First Book

Panelists:

Allie Bruce, Children’s Librarian at Bank Street College of Education
Suzanna Hermans, Co-Owner of Oblong Books & Music
Nikki Mutch, District Sales Manager at Scholastic Inc.

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CBC Forum: The Intersection of YA and Adult

This Forum explores the increasing demand for books that appeal to both teens and adults, and the opportunities and challenges those books present.

Moderator: Margot Wood, Epic Reads

Panelists:

Anna Herling, National Account Manager at Hachette
Nellie Kurtzman, Director of Integrated Marketing at HarperCollins Children’s
Cristin Stickles, Buyer-Children’s Books at McNally Jackson
Julie Strauss-Gabel, Publisher at Dutton

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CBC Forum: The Rise of Illustrated Books

The second event in this year’s “Breaking Boundaries: New Genres, Formats, & Expectations” Forum series. Children’s book publishing experts discuss strategies for moving the sales and awareness needle for illustrated chapter books, and recent innovations and trends within the genre.

Moderator: Betsy Bird, Evanston Public Library Collection Development Manager, author, children’s literature blogger and reviewer

Panelists:

- Jennifer M. Brown, Director of the Center for Children’s Literature at Bank Street College of Education
- Gina Gagliano, Associate Marketing & Publicity Manger at First Second Books
- Susan Kusel, Children’s Book Buyer at [words] Bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey

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CBC Forum: A 2014 Sales Retrospective

The first event in this year’s “Breaking Boundaries: New Genres, Formats, & Expectations” Forum series. Hear what buyers from indies, online sellers, chain stores, and other outlets really thought about your 2014 campaigns and learn what grabbed their interest.

Moderator: Diane Roback, Editor, PW Children’s Bookshelf.

Panelists:

- Emma Nichols, Children’s Specialist and Book Fair Coordinator, Word Bookstore
- Heather M. Scott, Associate Director, Merchandising and Social Media, Scholastic Reading Club
- Dave Epstein, VP Retail Sales, Hachette Book Group
- Vannessa Cronin, Senior National Account Manager, Macmillan

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CBC Forum: Marketing: How Outside Companies Can Help You With Outreach

Our Forum Committee reached out to successful companies to hear about the different ways that they can help publishers’ marketing, publicity, and digital media teams engage children, teens, caregivers, librarians, and teachers.

Moderator: Julie Hochheiser Ilkovich, Managing Partner & President of Editorial Operations, Masthead Media

Panelists:

Neil Baptista, Co-Founder, Riffle
Liv Buli, Resident Data Journalist, Next Big Sound/Book
Halli Melnitsky, Director of Editorial Operations, BookBub
Chris Sanborn, Co-Founder & Partner, Sanborn Media Factory

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CBC Forum: Publicity — How People Connect for Free With Readers

This forum delves into a variety of no-cost ways that publicists and their authors & illustrators can increase a book’s readership. The CBC Forum Committee has lined up an author, publicist, librarian, and book journalist to share their experiences and best practices, along with new ideas they’re exploring to connect with readers for free.

Moderator: Jennifer M. Brown, Children’s Editor, Shelf Awareness

Panelists:

Claire Fallon, Editor, Huffington Post Books
Alex London, Author: YA novels include Proxy and Guardian
Elizabeth Mason, Associate Director of Publicity, Bloomsbury USA
Rocco Staino, Contributing Editor, School Library Journal

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CBC Forum–Engaging Relationships: How Kids & Teens Discover, Connect With, and Share Their Passions

Your marketing and publicity departments are constantly using different social media platforms to connect with, share, and join the conversations of the readers and buyers of your books — frequently distinct groups. This Forum’s panelists — curators of content, social media companies, teen book bloggers — will shed light on how children’s book publishing can step further into these conversations.

Moderator: Charlie Schroder, Charlie & Co.

Panelists:

Ashleigh Gardner, Wattpad
Rachel Fershleiser, Tumblr
Carol Fitzgerald, The Book Report Network
Ed Meagher, DOGO Books
Reagan (age 18) and Kit (age 12) from Reading Teen blog

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The Sales & Media Perspective

What story concepts, marketing plans, sales drivers worked/what didn’t? Trends/ surprises? What did you notice customers were looking for? Which marketing/ publicity tools seemed to drive customers to purchase? Hopes/concerns/advice for the coming year?

Listen to our panel of experts as they answer these questions and more!

Moderator: Jenny Brown, Shelf Awareness

Panelists:

Pamela Paul, the New York Times
Jill Faherty, Baker and Taylor
Francine Lucidon, The Voracious Reader in Larchmont, NY
Kashif Zafar, NOOK

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CBC Forum: Decoding Today’s Kids and Teens

The second event in 2012’s three-part forum program focused on industries outside of publishing, delving into how they attract kids and teens and the research behind their approaches.

Moderator: Carol Fitzgerald, The Book Report Network

Panelists: