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ECC Book-buying Luminary Recap | March 23, 2016

by Marisa Finkelstein (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

On Tuesday, February 23, the ECC held it’s first Continuing Education event of the year, a book-buying luminary with guest Cristin Stickles, Children’s and Young Adult Buyer at McNally Jackson Books in Manhattan and BookRiot contributor. Cristin got her start in publishing as a sales and accounts representative for Random House among other publishers, before crossing over into bookselling and buying, and becoming an expert in her field. ECC luminaries invite professionals from different areas in the publishing world to share their expertise with our members, and our awesome guest certainly stole the spotlight that evening!

Cristin spoke to a full house at the Children’s Book Council office in midtown, giving insider knowledge on how a book becomes a bestseller once it hits the shelves. She referred to McNally Jackson as a “discovery store,” or a place where the consumer goes to purchase an unfamiliar title rather than a specific book, putting Stickles in a perfect position to keep up with the newest trends in publishing. Cristin had many thoughts on the rising popularity of children’s graphic novels, and the ways in which their growing reputation has affected parents’ buying habits.

Cristin spoke extensively about diverse representation in children’s lit, and shared her strategies in getting consumers interested in diverse reads. Cristin noted that while there has been some progress made on the diversity front, the publishing industry still has a lot more work to do. Cristin also discussed the importance of a good cover, particularly in the context of an independent bookstore with a smaller children’s section, and her lack of interest in many of the marketing and publicity strategies used for advanced reader copies (ARCs). That said, Cristin told the audience that reading ARCs is an important part of the job, as one of the joys of being a book buyer is the chance to get a potential breakout title or an original new voice in children’s lit into the hands of McNally Jackson customers. A big thank you to Cristin for enlightening us on the very influential role she plays in the lives of our books!