Sourcebooks is thrilled to announce the publication of Grammy Award–winning musician Ketch Secor’s debut picture book, Lorraine, scheduled to be released October 2, 2018. Secor is a founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show, a Grammy Award—winning group that has been inducted as members of the Grand Ole Opry. In 2017, Old Crow Medicine Show released two critically acclaimed albums: Best of Old Crow Medicine Show (Nettwerk) and 50 Years of Blonde On Blonde (Columbia Nashville), a reimagined version of Bob Dylan's classic Blonde on Blonde album. In writing Lorraine, Secor found inspiration from the Appalachian folktales he heard when living in eastern Tennessee during the infancy of Old Crow Medicine Show. “I’m interested in telling children’s stories using the traditional form found in folktales and incorporating all of these elements of music that both make it fun for kids and also harken to the richness of Tennessee culture,” said Secor. Steve Geck, editorial director of children’s books at Sourcebooks, found himself drawn to the story’s deep roots in music and exploration of Americana. “Lorraine celebrates the bond a young girl shares with her grandfather through their mutual love of music. It’s sweeping, epic, and energetic,” said Geck. The illustrator, Higgins Bond, is a nationally recognized illustrator and recipient of the 2009 Ashley Bryan Award for outstanding contribution to children’s literature. Best known for her work illustrating children’s biographies, including Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall, and adult books such as Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of An American Family, Higgins Bond was thrilled to partner with Secor. “I was excited for the opportunity to illustrate a story about a girl and her grandfather, and the love and healing power of music,” said Higgins Bond, who used her granddaughter as inspiration for the young girl, Lorraine. “One of the things I’m most excited about this project is Higgins’s involvement and her illustrations,” said Secor. “I’m able to not only tell this Appalachian story, but also an African American story. There’s an important value to that, and writing a story from all of these voices has been inspiring to me. I’m really honored to be the one to tell it.” “The combination of Higgins Bond’s bold, lavish illustrations and Ketch’s rollicking, rhyming story create an Americana fable reminiscent of Thunder Rose and Swamp Angel,” added Geck. In Lorraine, Pa Paw and Lorraine spend their days celebrating life with the music of the Tennessee Hills. But when a fearsome storm rolls through, the two must rely on the power of music to get them through. Promoting literacy, especially in his home state of Tennessee, is another important element of this project for Secor. “I live in a state that is oftentimes toward the bottom of the list in literacy and national education statistics. I hope this story can serve as a source of pride not only for the people who live in this region, but the many places that are underserved in children’s literature,” added Secor.
Secor will be on the road this spring and summer promoting Lorraine in advance of publication while on tour for Old Crow Medicine Show’s new album, Volunteer, which drops April 20. In October, Secor will go on a national event and media tour—visiting schools, bookstores, and libraries around the country. Lorraine is available for pre-order now! Sourcebooks, a leading independent book publisher, has preempted world English rights to Chris Ferrie’s Red Kangaroo series from China Children’s Press & Publication Group (CCPPG). The deal gives Sourcebooks world English and North American Spanish rights, and comes ahead of the Bologna Book Fair, where China is this year’s guest of honor. The new series is a way to bring the world of physics and mathematics to the graduates of Baby University. The Red Kangaroo Physical Quiz series explains, in simple terms, the theories of classical, mechanical, optical, and quantum physics. An abundance of illustrations makes learning physics fun and easy for children, and not-so-daunting for parents, too. (10 titles; ages 4-8) Lively conversations between “Dr. F” and the adorable Red Kangaroo character introduce young readers to scientific concepts using real-life examples.
About CCPPG
China Children's Press & Publication Group (CCPPG), the largest professional children's press and publication group in mainland China, was formed by consolidating of China Teenagers Press (established in 1951) and China Children's Publishing House (established in 1956). With 750 employees, CCPPG publishes 5 newspapers, 11 magazines and around 1,500 books every year. In 2013, the total printed copies of books, newspapers and magazines reached over 130 million. CCPPG owns Juvenile & Children Reading Experience Wonderland (the Wonderland), a website (www.ccppg.com.cn), China Children Audio-Visual and Electronic Publishing House and a range of educational services branded as "Heart-to-Heart Sister". The Wonderland, a base to promote reading among young people, is China's largest professional bookstore for children and teenagers. In 2013, as shown in the "2012 Press and Publication Industry Analysis Report" developed by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of The People's Republic of China, CCPPG ranks the first in terms of total economic value among all children's publishers in China. About Sourcebooks Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial company that brings extraordinary authors to readers in the most dynamic, data-driven ways. We create books that transcend categories and defy odds and have been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are home to enthusiastic, book-loving employees who are dedicated to connecting books to readers in new and innovative ways. Story by story, book by book, we have touched over 100 million lives. Join us as we change 100 million more. America’s Test Kitchen and Sourcebooks Announce Groundbreaking Partnership New Collaboration Will Create Co-Branded Food & Culinary Books Designed for Children of All Ages Today, America’s Test Kitchen and Sourcebooks, two of the country’s leading book and media publishers, announced the creation of America’s Test Kitchen Kids, a partnership to create a series of co-branded books designed to educate, inspire creativity, and shape a child’s relationship with food and cooking. Under the agreement, America’s Test Kitchen and Sourcebooks will develop and publish a variety of uniquely targeted books from baby to board, kids to teen. Combining the expertise of Sourcebooks in the children’s book market with the exceptional content development from America’s Test Kitchen, the books are designed to create new ways for children to connect with food, from baby’s first foods and STEM-based picture books, to cookbooks that bring the test kitchen experience to kids of all ages. Over the last 25 years, through its magazines, cookbooks and instructional cooking shows, America’s Test Kitchen has solidified its place as one of the most respected brands in food publishing and media, with millions of home cooks who trust its experts for tried-and-true advice on recipes, ingredients and cookware. “America’s Test Kitchen is dedicated to helping home cooks succeed in the kitchen,” said David Nussbaum, CEO of America’s Test Kitchen. “We are teachers. That's what we do. By partnering with Sourcebooks to focus on children through America’s Test Kitchen Kids, we hope to instruct and inspire the next generation of cooks,” he added. “We are thrilled to be adding America’s Test Kitchen Kids to our growing children’s nonfiction business,” said Dominique Raccah, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks. “Their focus on combining the science, math, and creativity of food, paired with our aptitude for producing books that transcend categories, will create the perfect doorway to developing a child’s positive relationship with food at every stage, baby to teen.” America’s Test Kitchen is passionate about food and cooking—discovering why recipes work and why they don’t. Now they will working with the youngest among us to create confident, passionate, and knowledgeable food-lovers. To do this, they will be working in-person with America's Test Kitchen test cooks at their new Boston test kitchen/headquarters as well as online. Jack Bishop, chief creative officer at America’s Test Kitchen, and Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director for children’s nonfiction at Sourcebooks, will lead the creative teams working on book development and new product generation. America’s Test Kitchen and Sourcebooks expect to publish six to 10 titles per year across a range of age groups, beginning fall 2018. About America’s Test Kitchen America’s Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 15,000 sq.ft. test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Fifty full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America’s Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook’s Country, in 2008. Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/ About Sourcebooks Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial company that brings extraordinary authors and brands to readers in the most dynamic, data-driven ways. We create books that transcend categories and defy odds and have been honored with hundreds of national bestsellers and awards. We are home to enthusiastic, book-loving employees who are dedicated to connecting books to readers in new and innovative ways. Today, Sourcebooks is proud to be the 10th largest book publisher in America and the only one of the top ten headquartered outside of New York City. Story by story, book by book, we have touched over 100 million lives. Join us as we change 100 million more. Visit www.sourcebooks.com for more information. In celebration of Children’s Book Week, March 4th and Sourcebooks recently made a joint donation of 21,000 books to First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families. The donation of six Little Pickle Press titles appealing to children from preschool to middle grades is being made in support of First Book’s partnership with Every Child a Reader, the charitable arm of the Children’s Book Council and sponsor of Children’s Book Week, which will take place May 1 to 7, 2017. Little Pickle Press is known for award-winning books that help children make sense of complex issues. Titles donated include: A Bird on Water Street by Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Roar Like a Girl by Coleen Murtagh Paratore, Spaghetti Is Not a Finger Food (and Other Life Lessons) by Jodi Carmichael, The Treasure of Barracuda by Llanos Campos and translated by Lawrence Schimel, What Does It Mean to Be an Entrepreneur? by Rana DiOrio and Emma D. Dryden, and What Does It Mean to Be Safe? by Rana DiOrio. In January, Sourcebooks and March 4th (formerly Little Pickle Press) announced an innovative publishing partnership, and this donation is one of the first efforts undertaken as part of their on-going relationship. “We are honored to help make these books available to schools and families who may not otherwise have access to quality children’s content,” said Rana DiOrio, CEO of March 4th and founder of Little Pickle Press. “We have always believed that for society to thrive, it must promote literacy and instill values in its young people. Getting meaningful messages into the hearts and minds of more children has always been the keystone of our approach.” To learn how to participate in Children’s Book Week, visit Every Child a Reader. March 4th is catalyzing a universe of character-driven stories that meet the cross-format demands of young consumers and their caring adults. Brought to life through video, film, aStories™, and merchandise, this universe increases market awareness and penetration for its publishing partners.
Sourcebooks brings extraordinary authors to readers in the most dynamic and data-driven ways. Through innovative publishing, exploring every platform, and creating breakthrough models, Sourcebooks is consistently finding new ways to help authors touch people and change lives. In 2016, Sourcebooks CEO and publisher Dominique Raccah was named PW Person of the Year and BISG Innovator of the Year. Visit www.sourcebooks.com for more information, and check out the Sourcebooks blog. Contact March 4th, Inc.: 3701 Sacramento Street #494, San Francisco, CA, 94118; (877) 415-4488; dprichard@march4thinc.com Sourcebooks, Inc.: 1935 Brookdale Rd, Ste 139, Naperville, IL, 60563; (800) 432-7444; heather.moore@sourcebooks.com NEW VENTURE WILL SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND SOURCEBOOKS JABBERWOCKY'S NONFICTION PROGRAM Sourcebooks has acquired from March 4th all publishing rights for Little Pickle Press, best known for creating books that relate meaningful, complex concepts to children, including the bestselling and award-winning picture book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by author JoAnn Deak, Ph.D. and illustrator Sarah Ackerley, which has sold more than 250,000 copies, and a multi-award-winning series that includes What Does It Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?® and What Does It Mean To Be Kind?®
Since founding March 4th (formerly, Little Pickle Press) in 2009, Rana DiOrio has sought to create products that inspire character development—traits such as kindness, honesty, bravery, and patience—in young people, and to do so in a socially and environmentally friendly manner. In addition to Deak, Little Pickle is the publisher of a number of bestselling authors, including Shawn Achor, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, and Coleen Murtagh Paratore. Many of the company’s titles are multiple award winners, and in 2014 Foreword Reviews named Little Pickle Press Independent Publisher of the Year. In 2015, Little Pickle expanded into the middle grade and young adult markets. “We are thrilled to partner with Sourcebooks! Dominique and her team embody so many qualities we admire—professionalism, entrepreneurialism, and kindness,” said DiOrio. “We couldn’t have wished for a better partner in furthering our mission to inspire character development in young people, and we are excited by the tremendous potential made available by our shared vision for the future.” Kelly Barrales-Saylor, who joined Sourcebooks as editorial director for children’s nonfiction in June 2016, has been working to quickly build its children’s nonfiction program, which has already seen great success with titles like This Book Is Gay, Dear Nobody, and the New York Times bestselling Poetry Speaks to Children series. “I could not think of a more natural fit than adding Little Pickle Press to our growing children’s business,” said Barrales-Saylor. “Rana’s mission to create books for a better world perfectly syncs with the Sourcebooks vision that books change lives. Little Pickle provides us with the opportunity to partner with a remarkably talented entrepreneur, as well as significantly expand our offering of books that inspire, encourage, and teach young readers.” Little Pickle Press will live as an imprint under Sourcebooks’ Jabberwocky brand, the company’s children’s imprint. The acquisition includes about twenty-five frontlist and backlist titles, which will be available through Sourcebooks beginning February 1. March 4th will work with Sourcebooks to seek out and generate new projects for the Jabberwocky and Little Pickle Press imprints, with new titles to come as soon as spring 2018. DiOrio will continue to run March 4th, Inc., with a focus on creating and acquiring content and developing video, film, and merchandise strategies in support of Sourcebooks and other partners. “There are opportunities for creating momentum and real change in this industry by having publishers band together to better support booksellers and authors,” added Dominique Raccah, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks. “I’ve greatly admired Rana’s work for years. She has created something really extraordinary, and I am tremendously excited to join efforts with March 4th and the very talented Little Pickle Press authors.” This week, we are so excited to celebrate the FOUR Sourcebooks authors with books on national bestseller lists. And just in time for the holidays!
A HUGE congratulations to Bill, Adam and Andy, Marieke, and Natasha. It’s been an incredible year and we can’t wait to see what next year brings!
At BEA 2016 a group of children’s publishing industry experts gathered to talk about current and upcoming trends in picture books and middle grade. Editorial Director Steve Geck of Sourcebooks moderated the panel and David Kleeman (Dubit), Andrew Medlar (Chicago Public Library), Betsy Bird (Evanston Public Library), with surprise guest Jamie Thomas (Women & Children First) provided the expert knowledge. From left to right, Steve Geck, David Kleeman, Betsy Bird, Jamie Thomas, and Andrew Medlar. Technology: How Kids Are Reading Kleeman kicked off the panel with trend information from quarterly research among 1000 families in the UK and the US on the reading habits and preferences of children. His results show that 70% of children prefer to read printed books over digital, and that when children are sharing their favorite books with friends the easiest way to do that is with a printed book. Kleeman identified five major trends they are seeing:
Bird shared that they have seen a big increase in people obtaining library cards and many of those people are joining the library in order to have access to ebooks, but ebook sales on picture books are flat to down. Medlar pointed out that children’s behavior patterns are often picked up from their parents, so when they see a parent constantly on their phone texting or playing games, they want to do the same. There is a book out there for every person, but the reader has to find it, which is what librarians help facilitate. Picture Books For decades picture books have been a very backlist-driven business. Yearly sales have historically been roughly 75 – 80% backlist and 20 – 25% frontlist, but in recent years there has been a big shift in people purchasing new, frontlist titles. Bird felt that new printing technology has allowed for brighter, more colorful books. Geck pointed out that there has also been a tremendous shift in the way the art for picture books is put together. Most artists now work with some sort of digital art, as opposed to sticking solely with more traditional techniques like watercolor and gouache, which also allows for brighter colors and a wider variety of styles. Middle Grade Medlar pointed out three trends that he sees represented by the 2016 Newbery Medalists. First, Last Stop on Market Street was an example of a picture book tackling a deeper and more complex issue. This is something that more picture books are taking on. Second, Roller Girl is a graphic novel, an area where demand continues to increase. And third, The War That Saved My Life is very much in the category of classic literature that has always had strong readership. Thomas is also seeing a lot of stand-alone mystery titles that are expanded into series when the initial book is successful in stores. #weneeddiversebooks Diversity of reading materials and characters continues to be a trend. Thomas said there has been a significant increase in the number of teachers and librarians shopping in the store looking for books that feature diversity. Bird also noted that there has been growth in nonfiction featuring obscure and unknown stories, far more than what has traditionally been published in the past. Thomas would love to see more authors who are Muslim or biracial writing about biracial children and Muslim children, and Bird would like to see more international books translated to English. Social Media When it comes to social media, Medlar noted that the influence really depends on “the height of the patron.” YouTube is most effective for the youngest readers, Snapchat is where many school-aged children are, and Pinterest is a great platform for reaching adults. Geck told how he saw this play out for the picture book The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes. [cover image to be included] Published in the fall of 2011, sales increased dramatically over the summer of 2012 when parents and educators began recommending it on Pinterest for children feeling pressured to succeed in school. The book has enjoyed a similar sales bump every summer. Thomas said that many authors have great success with engagement when posting on Instagram. These five major trends give both booksellers and publishers some insight not only into what kind of books young readers will be looking for, but also the ways that those readers are discovering, sharing and learning. At BEA, a group of ABA booksellers got together with National Sales Manager Heidi Weiland of Sourcebooks to talk about creating amazing store events. These expert booksellers provided insight into creating great events around authors, themes, holidays, or other special occasions targeting young readers. Panelists Becky Anderson (Anderson’s Bookshop), Cynthia Compton (4 Kids Books and Toys), Meghan Dietsche Goel (BookPeople), and Valerie Koehler (Blue Willow Bookshop) have been running children’s events for years and shared the benefit of their knowledge with the bookseller audience:
Ultimately, there are no silver bullets to creating a great event, but lots of local connections really help. Events are a lot of work, but as you continue to create amazing experiences for your customers, you will see your reputation, your knowledge, and the success of your events continue to grow. Publishers Weekly also did a great writeup of the panel, which you can check out here. 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! 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!
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