Letter from London
By Julia Eccleshare, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 11/29/2007
Richard & Judy Boost Children’s Sales
Children's publishers in the U.K. have been overwhelmed by the sales generated by the Richard & Judy show’s first-ever children’s program, Richard & Judy’s Best Kids’ Books Ever, which aired October 28 on Channel 4. “This is the type of experience that makes publishing really fun and exhilarating,” said Ingrid Selberg, publishing director of Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, which won the 5+ category with Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s Aliens Love Underpants, as well as having Sophie McKenzie’s Girl, Missing nominated in the Fluent category. Selberg reported having sold more than 100,000 copies of Aliens Love Underpants in the U.K. trade to date, with another 25,000 to book clubs. “The rate of sale in November is 10 times what it was in the summer, when it was selling very well already at 5,000 a month.” she said. “We will have sold 50,000 through the trade in November.”
Richard & Judy.
The impact was mixed according to whether titles were the winners in their categories—there were four categories and two winners in each—or just one of the original 19 titles (click here to see the full list), but all of the books were given a considerable sales boost. Chicken House, which had three titles nominated but no winners, was still delighted by the Richard & Judy effect, as it brought new books into the limelight. Rachel Hickman, deputy managing director of Chicken House, said, “It highlighted terrific newer writers with broad popular appeal to parents in an unstuffy and accessible way. We hope it can build into a regular feature."
At Puffin, publishing director Francesca Dow said, “Our two shortlisted titles saw substantial increases in sales and our winner, Spy Dog, saw a dramatic increase. It was a strong seller anyway but sales have doubled since the Richard & Judy shortlist [and then winners] were announced.”
As promised from the outset, the Richard & Judy program was the begininng of a sustained commitment that is being kept live on the Web site. Titles selected for the program continue to be promoted and sold and there is also guidance on how to assess children's reading levels and a free guide to helping your child to read. Given this kind of attention, children's publishers are confident more children's books will become a regular feature of Richard & Judy shows.
On the Move
Suzy Jenvey has left Quercus to join Peters Fraser & Dunlop as head of the agency’s children’s books division. It’s a move that reunites Jenvey with PFD’s managing director Caroline Michel, with whom Jenvey worked at Jonathan Cape. Formerly editorial director of children’s books at Faber where she brought a fresh look to the list with authors including G.P. Taylor, Paul McCartney and Ricky Gervais, Jenvey joined Quercus this past April to set up a children’s list. In her short time there, Jenvey put in place a 12-book publishing programme for 2008. Despite Jenvey’s departure, Quercus intends to expand its children’s list to 24 titles in 2010.
In other moves, Anne-Janine Murtagh became publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books in July, joining the company from Orchard. In October she was joined by Mario Santos, who was named managing director. The appointment of Santos, previously senior v-p and business manager of Chorion (the intellectual property company responsible for developing the Enid Blyton estate and Mr Men), signals significant growth for HarperCollins’s children’s division. Kirsty Skidmore left Scholastic where she was associate editorial director and took up her new post as editorial director of fiction at Orchard. Bloomsbury children’s marketing manager Rosamund de la Hey has left after 10 years to set up her own retail business in Scotland. De la Hey was closely involved in the launches of all seven Harry Potter titles. In December Rebecca McNally will join Macmillan Children’s Books as publishing director for fiction and poetry. It is a return for McNally who worked at Macmillan before her current five years at Puffin, where she has been publisher, fiction and nonfiction. McNally’s recent author successes include Meg Rosoff, Charlie Higson and Cathy Cassidy. Puffin has promoted Sarah Hughes, fiction publisher, to publishing director of Puffin Fiction. Hughes’s authors include Rick Riordan, Morris Gleitzman, Ahmet Zappa and Eoin Colfer. Also at Puffin, Kate Hayler has been promoted to editorial director, Puffin Characters, which includes Lauren Child’s Charlie and Lola as well as Ian Whybrow’s Harry and the Dinosaurs and its sequels.
Book News
 Blackman. |
Blackman, who has frequently been asked for a fourth volume by her many fans, told PW, "The idea came to me for Double Cross and it wouldn't leave me alone. Writing this book has been like revisiting old friends and meeting new—and old—enemies."
U.K. and Commonwealth rights were acquired by Annie Eaton, fiction publisher at RHCB, from Hilary Delamere at The Agency. Noughts & Crosses, the first in the trilogy, was recently voted one of the U.K.’s favorite books in the BBC’s Big Read survey. A major stage adaptation opens for the Royal Shakespeare Company opens at the end of this month. Sue Buswell, publishing director for picture books at HarperCollins Children’s Books, who bought U.K. and Commonwealth rights from Hilary Delamere of The Agency. The new title will be published on the 50th anniversary of A Bear Called Paddington, the first of many stories about the internationally famous bear.
HarperCollins will publish a new Paddington Bear title in June 2008. Michael Bond’s Paddington Here and Now has been acquired by Sue Buswell, publishing director for picture books at HarperCollins Children’s Books, who bought U.K. and Commonwealth rights from Hilary Delamere of The Agency. The new title will be published on the 50th anniversary of A Bear Called Paddington, the first of many stories about the internationally famous bear.
The Big Picture
Set up in response to widespread anxiety about the diminishing picture book market in the U.K., The Big Picture is a national campaign to expand the market by raising their profile and status and by increasing space and display opportunities in bookshops. Organized by Booktrust, the Big Picture campaign was launched to the public in September by Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen. Rosen, who is himself the author of many picture books including the bestselling We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, urged schools to do more. “Picture books are the fuse that lights our awareness that reading is full of intense pleasures,” he said. “If schools aren’t the places where a huge range of these small works of art are to be discovered, many children will never find their way to this pleasure.” Many other illustrators, including Shirley Hughes, Anthony Browne and Michael Foreman, are also backing the campaign, which is widely supported by publishers and booksellers including Waterstone’s, the campaign’s trade partner.
Abigail Campbell, project director of The Big Picture, is optimistic about the changes that the campaign can bring about, especially as it unfolds during 2008, the National Year of Reading. “The Big Picture will launch the ‘illustration generation’—a new generation of picture book illustrators in April 2008.” Campbell said. “We’re delighted that Waterstone’s will be promoting the campaign in their stores and we look forward to working with the wider trade and library sectors to make sure we involve as many people as possible. We’re keen in particular to build on the good relationship many independent booksellers already have with families, and with local picture book writers and illustrators.”
In the Winners’ Circle
 On awards night: Jamila Gavin, who gave a talk about the winner; Jane Nissen; and Anne Harvey, representing the Eleanor Farjeon estate. |
Suzanne Sjoqvist's Still Here with Me (Jessica Kingsley) has won the 2007 YoungMinds Book Award, which has been sponsored by Philip Pullman since 2005. “The award draws attention to the work of writers who have a particular insight into the thoughts and feelings of young people under stress of one kind or another,” said Pullman. “In giving the award, YoungMinds is keen to recognise the work of the imagination in helping us understand the emotional turmoil that often marks our progress through this stage of life.”
The shortlist for the Costa Children’s Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread Book Awards) has been released. The contenders are: The Bower Bird by Ann Kelley (Luath Press), Crusade by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan), What I Was by Meg Rosoff (Puffin) and Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick (Orion). The winner will be announced on January 3.
