 Hello, My name is Amber Miyamoto and my story is called Dream On, Amber. You know how some stories are SAD, some are EXCITING, and some are LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY? Well, my story is ALL OF THESE THINGS and MORE, if you can believe that. Which you should, because it’s totally true. It’s SAD because my dad left home when I was six and left this big black hole right in the middle of my life. It’s EXCITING because my little sister, Bella, wrote Dad some letters and gave them to me to post, but instead, I had the stupid idea of pretending to be him and writing back. That all goes hideously wrong and turns into a big mess, so it’s kind of exciting to read on and see if I’m ever going to fix it. And it’s FUNNY because I invent this imaginary dad who helps me sort out my problems and he’s kind of nuts. Like Bella. Plus, it’s a WHOLE LOT MORE, because it’s about being half this and half that and about middle school and Locker Boy and cat poo and art competitions and monsters under the bed and made-up dads and samurai. Obviously this makes no sense to you whatsoever, but all these random things connect into one mind-blowing story. I seriously think everyone who reads it will love it, and love the super-cool illustrations as well, and…
I was right! Because four super important reviewers each gave me a bright, shiny starred reviews (like as big and cool as a supernova). So thank-you to Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Publishers Weekly for liking my story! Oh! And I just got some more amazing news that’s almost as good as a new cell phone: Dream On, Amber is a Booklist 2015 Top 10 First Novels for Youth!! So, I’m kind of famous now. I mean I was just in the Wall Street Journal and in November I’m going to be in the New York Times. So, hopefully (fingers AND toes crossed), my book will sell zillions of copies and I’ll never have to shovel cat poo for an allowance again. Ever. Thank you, Sourcebooks! Yours truly, Amber Miyamoto PS I used the starred reviews to create this massively cool word cloud. Brilliant!  News of Sourcebooks’s acquisition of the bestselling 1-2-3 Magic parenting book series by Thomas Phelan was announced this week, with articles and news items running in Publishers Weekly, Shelf Awareness, Publishers Lunch, and the AAP newsletter. This is just the beginning of what is already a significant, creative partnership between Sourcebooks and Phelan. SOURCEBOOKS ACQUIRES BESTSELLING 1-2-3 MAGIC PARENTING SERIESPublisher Adds #1 Child Discipline Program by Renowned Clinical Psychologist Thomas Phelan  NAPERVILLE, IL (October 21, 2015)—Independent publisher Sourcebooks has acquired 1-2-3 Magic, the #1 child discipline book program that has sold more than 1.6 million copies worldwide and has been translated into twenty-two languages.
For more than twenty-five years, internationally renowned clinical psychologist Thomas W. Phelan, PhD, has helped millions of moms, dads, teachers, and caregivers with his 1-2-3 Magic parenting program. “Over the years, being in a position to be able to change—and often revolutionize—the home life of moms, dads, and kids has been a wonderful and heartwarming experience,” Phelan said. “We look forward to many productive years with Sourcebooks.” The deal, effective January 1, 2016, will kick off with publication of the sixth edition of 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2–12 (ISBN: 9781492629887; February 2, 2016; $15.99 U.S.; Parenting; Trade Paper), in which Phelan breaks down the complex task of parenting into straightforward steps and advice for raising independent, emotionally intelligent children and building happier families. “Nearly twenty years ago we helped Dr. Phelan design his original book covers—we’ve been both friends and fans ever since,” said Todd Stocke, Sourcebooks Vice President, Editorial Director. “Sourcebooks has a rich history of number one authors who have huge impact on their readers’ lives, and we’re proud to add Dr. Phelan to that roster.” 1-2-3 Magic is a cornerstone book in the parenting category that combines timeless advice with a straightforward, relatable voice and up-to-date content, and is a must-have book for any caregiver focused on raising happy, healthy, and responsible children. Sourcebooks will also publish new editions of 1-2-3 Magic in the Classroom in Spring 2016, Surviving Your Adolescents in Fall 2016, and All About ADHD in Spring 2017. About the Author: A registered clinical psychologist, Thomas W. Phelan, PhD, has worked with children, adults, and families for over thirty-five years. Phelan maintains an active schedule of international lectures, and is a frequent guest on radio and television. His articles appear in numerous regional and national publications. 1-2-3 Magic has sold more than 1.6 million copies and has been translated into twenty-two languages. Phelan practices and works in the western suburbs of Chicago. Sourcebooks attends a variety of trade shows on behalf of our authors, but none are bigger or more exciting than the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany. Thousands of publishers come to the show each year in order to buy and sell rights so that books can be made available in other countries.  The view of one level of Hall 6, where the Sourcebooks staff met with rights agents from all over the world.
We also look at bringing new, foreign authors to the Sourcebooks family. We send sales, marketing, and editorial staff to meet with agents.  Shana Drehs, Editorial Director, Sourcebooks Landmark, meets with Adrian Weston, of the Adrian Weston Literary Agency Our CEO and publisher, Dominique Raccah, met with a variety of multimedia companies and licensor on behalf of our popular book personalization site, Put Me In The Story. Our incredible products, like the My First Peanuts ABC and 123 books, really excited all of our current and new partners!
In addition to meeting with foreign agents, the book fair is also a place for readers to come and celebrate their love of reading. Our CEO, Dominique, took the opportunity to gush about our fabulous young adult titles to a group of book lovers below.  At the end of another incredible show, the Sourcebooks team kicks back, raises a glass of wine, and says a hearty “Prost!” to all of our authors, agents, and readers who help us change lives, one book at a time.  Shana Drehs, Sara Hartman-Seeskin, Valerie Pierce, Dominique Raccah, Ray Bennett, and Steve Geck
Prior to the start of the Heartland Fall Forum, Sourcebooks had the opportunity to invite approximately 50 independent booksellers and industry professionals to our offices in Naperville, IL. We were so excited to be able to host this awesome group of booksellers!  A chartered bus brought our guests from The Westin in Lombard to our offices where they were greeted with lunch from a local favorite, Portillo’s. (The chocolate cake was a huge hit!), some familiar books (our Indie Next picks!), and goody bags in honor of our newsletter, Book Tipsy.
Lunch was followed by a tour of the office which included stops in editorial, design, content delivery, customer service and of course an introduction to our beloved Well-Read Cow. It was a lively tour and really great for all of employees to get a chance to say hello to the amazing people on the frontlines.
From there, we took our guests downtown Naperville to visit Anderson’s Bookshop and shop local. It was a great day at Sourcebooks and it was so exciting to have these special visitors! A huge thank you to everyone who made the trip out here, we loved having you and you are welcome back anytime!
 Check it out: Put Me In The Story, our personalized books site, was featured in the Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row Journal this week! We were so excited to talk about the things happening with Put Me In The Story and share more about all the fun we’re having reimagining bedtime! Chicago Tribune lifestyles reporter Nara Schoenberg sat down with some of our Put Me In The Story team to talk about the creative opportunities and challenges that arise when creating personalized books with well-known brands and authors, including Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, who is famous for his books in “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” “Approaching Daniel Handler with a proposal to personalize his intensely ironic Lemony Snicket books might sound a little like sticking your head into the mouth of his Incredibly Deadly Viper. But — fortunately for all involved — Handler was intrigued by the idea adding children's names and photos to his "All the Wrong Questions" books.” We are really so excited about all of the great partners that we get to work with: Handler is the latest addition to an impressive list of creative heavy-hitters who have signed on to produce personalized books with Sourcebooks, a publisher in Naperville that launched its personalized Put Me In the Story division in 2013. Sesame Street and Disney — both the princess powerhouse and the "Star Wars" subsidiary — have partnered with Sourcebooks to produce personalized books, as has Nancy Tillman, author of the best-seller "On the Night You Were Born." We had so much fun chatting with Schoenberg, discussing current and upcoming projects. When talking about working with Star Wars, Publishing Manager Karen Shapiro told Nara that when they asked her if she’d like to have her team come up with original book ideas, “I could put it in caps and bold and that's still not going to scream 'Yes!' loud enough."” Read about what Nara found the most interesting in the full Tribune article below! Her article can also be read on the Chicago Tribune website here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/ct-prj-put-me-in-the-story-personalized-childrens-books-20151001-story.html   Here at Sourcebooks we love The Cupcake Club by mother-daughter writing team Sheryl and Carrie Berk, and we were really excited when it was turned into a musical. So imagine how thrilled we were to launch a brand new series by the fabulous mother-daughter duo this summer. The Fashion Academy is Project Runway meets Fame, and not only is it off to a fantastic start, but it’s now been made into a musical too! On Friday, October 2, Fashion Academy the Musical premiered in NYC. Set at the fictional Fashion Academy of Brooklyn with a script written by Sheryl Berk, and a poignant, bouncy, upbeat soundtrack, the entire audience couldn’t wait to see their favorite series come to life in true FAB fashion. The night kicked off with VIP red carpet event where NYC’s most fashionable young divas were in attendance. After the fantastic performance, fans gathered for an after-party where they met with authors Sheryl and Carrie Berk and the cast of Fashion Academy the Musical for a book signing. We were overjoyed to see Sheryl and Carrie’s wonderful storytelling returned to the stage, and everyone agreed that the night was “SEW FAB!”  Fashion Academy main character Mickey Williams would be proud of these Fashion Academy fans who were Runway Ready!  In attendance was Susanna Paliotta, star of Bravo’s Game of Crowns.  Author Carrie Berk strikes a FAB pose before the show!  The program, step-and-repeat, and delicious cake from the event.  The cast signing copies of Fashion Academy.  A triumphant photo of the authors and cast together, celebrating FAB being brought to life!
DEBUT NOVEL BECOMES AN INDIE STORE FAVORITEWhat happens when Karen Schwettman, one of the “Foxes” (a.k.a. friends and cofounders of award-winning indie bookstore FoxTale Book Shoppe), falls in love with your book? You get invited to visit their store in Woodstock, Georgia, for a fabulous event—complete with a dazzling window display and a magical recreation of one of your chapters in the store.
Scott Wilbanks, author of The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster, was absolutely blown away with the scene that met him when he stepped inside FoxTale for an event in August. (Below left: Scott Wilbanks, Below right: Scott (right) with Mike and Karen)
The Foxes had set up an antique red door that serves as the time travel portal in the novel as part of the author signing table. Other elements featured in the book, such as a brass letter box, were prominently displayed in the store window.
“If you ever get the chance, stop by the store and shoot the breeze with Karen. You’ll thank me. She’s pretty marvelous, folks,” says Scott.  Wilbanks’s event was packed, and included old friends, enthusiastic fans, and new friends, including Karl Camp, who posted on Facebook: “My family and I had a wonderful time meeting Scott and Mike at the book signing event for The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster at Foxtale Book Shoppe in Woodstock. I just finished reading the book. Thank you, Scott. It is masterfully written. Please keep writing! Such literary gifts are exceedingly rare and always a jewel to discover.”  The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster is also November’s FoxTalk Book Club pick! Thank you to FoxTale Book Shoppe for the amazing hospitality and for making an author’s dream come alive!  Put Me In The Story, Sourcebooks’ personalized book website, has just reached a HUGE milestone with 100 books available on our site! We’d like to take this moment to say a huge “Thank You!” to everyone who has made our 100 Put Me In The Story books possible… our authors, licensors, editors, and especially, our READERS! Without you, none of these 100 books (and counting!) would have been possible. We are forever grateful! To help celebrate this achievement, we decided to run a fun sweepstakes on our Put Me In The Story Facebook Page. We got a lot of entries, but what we really got was a sense of the impact that our books are having in people’s lives, how they are truly touching people. Here are our top 10 favorite comments we’ve received so far: #1 - For the Kids & Kids at Heart #2 - Keep them coming! #3 - Creating life-long readers #4 - A book starring your child! #5 - #BooksChangeLives #6 - Now you're just making us blush! #7 - Creating book addicts, one personalized book at a time #8 - Special gifts for your little one   #9 - Showing us off #10 - We're suckers for cute photos of kids Okay, so that was a little more than 10… but there were so many awesome comments! Here’s to the next 100!
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