S&S Rolls Out with INsiders

by Sally Lodge, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 5/24/2007

Its title is key. INsiders, a new nonfiction series from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, offers an in-depth, graphically innovative look inside various worlds. The inaugural titles, due out in June, examine Dinosaurs, Space, Oceans and Egypt. Written by an international spectrum of authors, the paper-over-board volumes contain computer-generated art and 3-D model imagery.

That art surely grabbed the attention of Rubin Pfeffer, senior v-p and publisher of S&S Children's Publishing, who spotted a large poster promoting the series at last year's Bologna Book Fair. "I was on a mission to find good, engaging nonfiction for children and that poster pulled me in to talk to the packager," he recalls. That packager was Sydney-based Weldon Owen, whose Discoveries series has sold more than nine million copies in 23 languages.

"I saw sample spreads for INsiders and liked the promise of what I saw," Pfeffer says. "I made a decision to go for it shortly after the fair. One of the commitments I needed from Weldon Owen was that Simon & Schuster would be actively involved in creating the books. In fact, we were exceedingly hands-on in developing the series." The series is being edited at S&S by Alexandra Cooper.

While developing INsiders, Pfeffer notes that they analyzed the series' competitors in the marketplace, most obviously DK's Eyewitness line. "I am a big fan of the Eyewitness books," he says, "and our goal was to bring out a series that was not necessarily better but complementary to that and other existing series. It wasn't our plan to unseat them but to publish something different."

What makes the books distinctive, Pfeffer says, is their reliance on modern technology to create the art. "Photos only go so far, revealing images from the outside," he adds. "These computer-generated illustrations and models bring you inside and provide an infinitesimal range of perspectives. It brings the subject matter to life in a new way. We see this as the nonfiction series for the new millennium."

The series has been sold to publishers around the world and is slated to be released in a dozen languages, Pfeffer reports. Based on advance orders and feedback, the publisher is returning to press before pub date, augmenting the initial print run for each of the debut titles to 35,000 copies. "We are thinking big numbers but we want to build up to those big numbers," he says. "We will have frequent opportunities to go back to press easily given all the countries the books are being published in."

S&S plans a major marketing push for INsiders. According to Mary McAveney, v-p of marketing, "We are taking a long-term approach to this program and are looking at a six-figure campaign over the roll-out of the series." She explains that the series has been well received by trade and institutional accounts and that promotional and advertising efforts will target both markets. For the trade, S&S has created a 12-copy mixed floor display featuring spreads from the books and a rotating magnifying glass on the riser inviting customers to take a look "inside." The publisher has also developed a guide to the series for parents and educators, which will be distributed at bookstore educator nights and at conferences.

Insiders will also have a presence on the Web, with interactive and promotional content available on simonsayskids.com and simonsaysteach.com. Eventually, the series will have a dedicated Web site. S&S also plans to provide a downloadable e-book featuring color excerpts from the books and printable activities.

The house has committed to publishing 12 INsiders titles and Pfeffer hopes that the company will sign up additional titles. Scheduled for fall publication are Volcanoes and Earthquakes and Knights and Castles, with Human Body and Predators to follow in spring 2008.

McAveney expresses confidence in the series' success, despite the trend for kids to gravitate toward their computers. "Given the competition that comes from the Internet, particularly when you look at what is available on the Web for nonfiction topics, we had our work cut out for us to engage readers on the page in the same way the information on the Web engages them," she observes. "In that respect, this series really delivers with its multilayered images, info graphics and detailed studies, in a format that readers can hold and pore over again and again. I think they'll find something new every time they look at a page of an INsiders book."