Catching the Summer Sales Wave

Now that Memorial Day barbecues are a memory and summer is unofficially here, kids everywhere will be out of school and parents will face some of the biggest challenges of the year—keeping their children entertained as well as on-track for the academic year ahead. Though camp, vacation travel, activities and good old free time beckon during the summer months, most school-age kids must also make time to squeeze in some reading—either suggested or required by teachers or school librarians. Luckily, many publishers and booksellers are rolling out a roster of promotions and programs to help parents and students better enjoy—and benefit from—the warm-weather break.

Scholastic has vacation on its mind with Summer Getaway 2002, an interactive marketing campaign. After young readers obtain a Getaway "passport" from participating bookstores or online at www.scholastic.com/getaway, they become eligible to win prizes by collecting Getaway stamps/points from featured Scholastic books, special Scholastic events and other places. In addition, the passport provides entry in the Summer Getaway Sweepstakes with a grand prize of a trip for four to New York City to attend the annual Jingle Ball pop/rock concert in December. Several new series as well as three existing lines are at the heart of the campaign.

Getting a summer introduction are middle-grade series McGrowl, about a bionic canine superhero, by actor/screenwriter Bob Balaban; Dolphin Diaries, in which young Jody and her family sail the world studying dolphins; Outernet, a science fiction series by Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore; the Everest adventure trilogy, about kids competing to be the first to climb the fabled peak; and Deltora Shadowlands, a new fantasy series. Ongoing series Remnants, T'Witches and Avalon Web of Magic round out the Summer Getaway lineup.

Paperbacks are also where it's at for the Volo imprint of Hyperion Books for Children. The Horseshoe Trilogies by Lucy Daniels, a trio of titles for young horse lovers, gallops into the season supported by a "Win Free Horse Riding Lessons" sweepstakes (details in book one). And Kate McMullan's series of fractured Greek myths—Myth-O-Mania—launches in August with free trading cards bound in each book and a writing and drawing contest in the premiere title Have a Hot Time, Hades!

Hyperion/Talk Miramax heralds the May release of Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer with a summer sweepstakes featuring such prizes as a custom jacket and an autographed hardcover. Hyperion also serves up two Spy Kids 2 books inspired by this summer movie, and the publisher aims to entertain very young readers and their parents this summer by providing an event kit that ties into the Baby Einstein line of concept books.

Disney Press's recent debut of the paperback middle-grade series Lizzie McGuire (based on the Disney Channel TV show) has inspired a "Win a Trip to L.A." sweepstakes and value-added bind-ins (temporary tattoos, bracelets) in the first three books.

Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers gets the seasonal ball rolling with Flip Over Summer Reading, a two-for-one promotion that features specially bound, two-books-in-one volumes. For instance, readers can flip over the special edition of Eva Ibbotson's The Secret of Platform 13, which will have Ibbotson's Island of the Aunts on the other side. The two-in-one titles are priced from $3.99 to $5.99 and span a variety of ages from beginning readers to teens. Booksellers may choose from 38- or 76-copy Flip Over Summer Reading displays; those taking two 76-copy displays receive free books.

Sevens, a seven-book YA series for which all seven volumes will be coming out at once, on July 7, priced at $1.77 each and arranged in a display shaped like a seven, leads off Penguin Putnam's summer series. Inside each Sevens display ordered from the publisher, accounts received a special, sealed "spoiler card" (revealing all the plot secrets of the books).

Reaching out to teen readers, Penguin Putnam introduces Razorbill, a free zine containing features on new young-adult books and interviews with authors. Featured books are culled from the spring and summer lists. Plans are to publish Razorbill twice a year; booksellers may order bundles of 25 from the Penguin Putnam catalogue or a sales rep. The zine has its own Web site, too, www.razorbillzine.com, which launched last month. In addition, booksellers can draw teen browsers with Penguin Putnam's Fresh Print retail promotion, which features new hardcover YA novels (a Lucite display is available). This season's selections include One Night by Marsha Qualey, Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers and Aimee by Mary Beth Miller.

Celebrating the red, white and blue, Penguin Putnam has created an All-American Summer display kit, befitting the patriotic observances on the summer calendar—Memorial Day, Flag Day and Independence Day. The kit contains a tablecloth featuring art by David Catrow, a scroll-shaped store banner and table signage, along with event and activity ideas. A four-page brochure lists appropriate frontlist and backlist titles like We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by Catrow and Hats Off for the Fourth of July by Harriet Ziefert, illus. by Gustaf Miller.

Also waving the flag this summer is Workman, which will be promoting its Brain Quest America question-and-answer game with the Brain Quest America "Challenge USA" Sweepstakes. Stores around the country will host quiz-show-style challenges throughout July, testing kids' knowledge of the people and events that shaped the country. Prizes will be awarded to all participants and one lucky grand-prize winner will receive a trip for four to Washington, D.C., over Presidents' Day weekend 2003.

This year, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing's annual off-price ($2.99) summer paperback promotion takes on a magical glow with the theme "Books That Cast a Spell." Booksellers can purchase the 60-copy floor display that spotlights such popular fantasy titles as The Dark Is Rising and King of Shadows by Susan Cooper, The Folk Keeper and Well Wished by Franny Billingsley and The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula LeGuin.

YA books are at the heart of Simon Pulse, S&S's newly launched literary magazine for teens. Featuring articles on books, authors and reading, the magazine will be published annually and distributed through retailers, libraries and schools. S&S has printed 25,000 copies of the premiere issue, which is available from the publisher in packs of 10.

S&S and the National Amusements cinema chain are once again partners in the fourth annual Bookworm Wednesdays program. In 15 participating markets nationwide, children aged six to 12 receive free admission to a local screening of select family films in exchange for submitting a book report to the box office. Parents, guardians and kids younger than six are also admitted free. The promotion runs from June 26 to August 14 and includes such family fare as Jimmy Neutron (June 26), Rugrats in Paris (July 17) and The Trumpet of the Swan (August 7). As added reading incentive, kids who submit book reports receive bonus treats including bookmarks, books from S&S, copies of Nickelodeon magazine and candy. Participating kids are also eligible for a grand-prize drawing for one year of free movie passes.

Peachtree Publishers steps up to the promotional plate with a Play Ball! contest for kids inspired by its March release Play Ball Like the Pros: Tips for Kids from 20 Big League Stars by Steve Krasner. Children aged eight to 14 may enter by writing, in 75 words or less, "How Playing Sports Has Helped Make Me a Better Person." Prizes include a book signed by Krasner and a baseball star of the winner's choice.

There will likely be some happy campers taking advantage of a "Books to Take to Camp" campaign from Little, Brown featured on the company's Web site: www.twbookmark.com/children. Highlighted books include the Cirque Du Freak series, the Jenny Archer series, Operating Codes, What Every Girl (Except Me) Knows and select Matt Christopher sports titles. Visitors to the site can enter a contest to win a prize pack of books.

As dyed-in-the-wool favorites often show up on reading lists and are sometimes perceived as having more educational value, Harcourt plans to focus on the reissued titles in its Odyssey Classics paperback line this summer. Shelf-talkers, bookmarks and co-op advertising opportunities will promote books like Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Half Magic by Edward Eager and Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes.

Gallopade International kicks off its Helpers and Heroes series of books and other items starring everyday heroes (firefighters, doctors, etc.) with a summer promotional contest that incorporates an essay and art contest for kids six to 14, and posters and in-store bag stuffers for booksellers.

McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing unveils the Summer Success series of full-color reading and activity books for four different age levels published under the American Education Publishing imprint. In addition, the company's phonics-based Mercer Mayer First Readers Skills and Practice books launched last summer will be featured at Barnes & Noble.

Elusive author Lemony Snicket will surely find the advent of the "Win a School Visit from Mr. Snicket" contest from HarperCollins Children's Books most unfortunate. Details for the promotion, which dovetails with last month's release of Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, can be found at www.lemonysnicket.com.

Bargain hunters are in luck with Harper's buy-two-get-one-free retail offer on select titles, including Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish, Jason's Gold by Will Hobbs and Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda. Among the many summer display options are a 24-copy mixed floor display containing such reading-list stalwarts as Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson and Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, an Avon True Romance display with tasseled bookmark giveaway and a Chronicles of Narnia display featuring the seven newly repackaged titles and box set. Harper joins the summer reading-list frenzy as well, touting its own roundup of suggested summer reads at www.harperchildrens.com. Web site visitors may also enter contests to win tie-in books to summer flicks Men in Black II and Stuart Little 2.

For Candlewick, the list—the summer reading list—is in the mail. The publisher has formulated a list of suggested titles to send to teachers and librarians across the country. Broken down into three categories (Preschool/ Elementary, Middle School and Young Adult), the list includes Weslandia by Paul Fleischman, illus. by Kevin Hawkes; Judy Moody by Megan McDonald, illus. by Peter Reynolds; and Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.

Pleasant Company offers an American Girl counter display featuring new American Girl Library activity titles—often marketed as summer boredom busters—and includes a special summer/back-to-school shipping offer for booksellers.

Readers looking to beat the heat may want to browse titles in the Barefoot at the Beach promotion from Barefoot Books. The still-in-the-works promotion will include Island in the Sun by Stella Blacktone, The Barefoot Book of Pirates by Richard Walker, Sea Dream and other books with a sea/water theme to be displayed at the Barefoot Books retail store in Cambridge, Mass., as well as on the publisher's Web site, www.barefoot-books.com. Barefoot plans to launch a consumer catalogue of its products in the coming weeks as well.

Random House Children's Books builds a case for summer reading with its "What Kind of Sleuth Are You?" mystery promotion. In-store kits provided by the publisher will help participating booksellers turn their stores into Mystery Headquarters where they can spotlight books like Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh and the series A to Z Mysteries, Nate the Great and Encyclopedia Brown.

Farrar, Straus & Giroux arms teachers and parents with fun summer (and year-round) reading ideas via the title Games with Books by Peggy Kaye, a guide for using children's books to enhance learning. To mark the book's spring publication, FSG is offering a bookstore event kit and a sweepstakes; the winner receives a bookstore and/or school visit from Kaye, who will conduct a bookstore event for kids as well as an instructional event for local educators.

On the Christian publishing front, Tyndale Kids is supplying prizes and promotional items for a summer reading program conducted by independent retailer Covenant Supply in Spartanburg, S.C. And Tommy Nelson is teaming up with the LifeWay Christian bookstore chain to sponsor a race-car themed "Reading to Win" program. From June 15 to August 31, participating kids earn "laps" for books read from a LifeWay list of suggested titles (though books not on the list count as well). "Pit stops" (story time sessions at LifeWay stores) also go toward the participant's lap total. Tommy Nelson books and other promotional items will be used as prizes throughout the campaign; other prizes include a Dell computer and gift certificates from a variety of vendors. Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton, an author on the Tommy Nelson list, is spokesperson for the program.

It's clear that publishers are covering more promotional ground than ever this year, hoping to entice a wide array of readers by touting classics as well as new books, and offering plenty of contests, giveaways and other incentives. There's likely to be something in the mix for just about every retailer and reader. And booksellers are taking the kinds of extra steps that often result in solid seasonal sales. That combination should ensure tail-wagging results during the dog days of summer.