WestSide Books Up for Sale

WestSide Books, a two-year-old publisher focusing on edgy, realistic teen fiction, has been put up for sale by owner Stewart Penn. Books under contract will be published, but Penn said the company has "suspended all new acquisitions."

What's Selling at Fundamentals Children's Books

Tami Furlong, owner of Fundamentals Children's Books in Delaware, Ohio, talks about what's moving well in her store this summer.

Red Balloon Bookshop: New Owners, New Vision

More than a quarter-century after Michele Cromer-Poire and Carol Erdahl opened the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minn., they're handing it off to another pair of female entrepreneurs.

Scholastic Announces Fiscal 2011 Results

Scholastic today reported fourth quarter earnings of $545.8 million, up 1% from 2010, and overall annual revenue for the fiscal year, which ended May 31, of $1.91 billion, roughly level with last year.

Rowling's Pottermore Inks Deal with Google

Harry Potter’s next adventure will be in the cloud. Google officials and author J.K. Rowling announced today that when Rowling's new Web site Pottermore.com goes live in October, U.S. visitors will be able to store their Harry Potter e-books in their Google Books libraries.

Harry Potter Publisher Leaving Bloomsbury Children’s for New Venture

Sarah Odedina is leaving Bloomsbury Children's Books after 14 years. Odedina, who has published all of the Harry Potter books, will take the reins as managing director and publisher of an to-be-named children’s fiction list at Bonnier.

The Heyday of Children's Bookselling

Former children's bookstore owners have skipped down different yellow brick roads since closing their stores but they still have one thing in common—taking heart in the impact they've had on readers. Although most of those original children's booksellers have moved on, many still relish the thrill of being pioneers, of establishing thriving community resource centers that ignited children's imaginations. Some of those pioneers have survived major changes in the book industry, while others have happily integrated their children's bookseller pasts into their current lives.

Read on for a feature in which pioneering booksellers reflect on their impact. This article first appeared in our fall 2011 children's announcements issue.

Getting Apps Approved: Two Case Studies

Print-book purists take note: Apple recently announced that the world's 200 million iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users have downloaded more than 15 billion apps from its 425,000-app collection. According to the company, books are among its most popular offerings (games are #1). To shed light on Apple's approval process, we turned to two well-regarded app publishers, who discuss recent titles that earned a quick "yes" from Steve Jobs's magic kingdom.

Colorful Characters

We asked some industry veterans to recall memorable personalities they've encountered during their careers

CPSIA: Lead Limit for Children’s Products to Decrease in August

The Consumer Products Safety Information Act of 2008 called for the amount of lead in children's products to decline from the currently mandated 300 parts per million (ppm) to 100 ppm, "if technically feasible," on August 14, 2011.

Of Snitches and Witches: CBC Hosts Potter Trivia Night

This past Tuesday, the Children’s Book Council’s Early Career Committee, a networking group for those new to children’s book publishing, held a Harry Potter trivia night that tested their knowledge of the ins and outs of J.K. Rowling’s fictional universe with questions about spells, characters, and other Potter lore.

Licensing Hotline: July 2011

YA Series Making Fast Tracks

It's fairly common for the books in a middle-grade fiction series to be released in quick succession—think 39 Steps, Big Nate, and Warriors—but it's less the case for YA series, with their more complex themes and higher production values. But publishers are finding, particularly with series that lean on cliffhanger endings, that the wish to accommodate eager fans and hold on to them as readers is making for some different strategies.

Gecko Inks with Lerner

Gecko Press, a six-year-old children's book publisher in New Zealand, is entering the U.S. and Canadian markets by partnering with Lerner Publishing Group's new book distribution division, Lerner Publishing Services.

New Lit Mag to Showcase Emerging YA Writers

When Hannah Goodman had trouble finding a publisher for her YA novels Fear of Falling, My Summer Vacation, and My Sister's Wedding, the Rhode Islander published them herself. She's now taking matters into her own hands and launching an online literary journal to help other emerging YA writers like her, Sucker Literary Magazine.

This Week in Children's Apps: June 30, 2011

This week in children's apps features an opera-loving hippo named Hildegard in a game that lets players help her get her voice back through games and activities. Also this week is an app based on the hit children's book The Heart and the Bottle, formerly a bestselling app in the U.K., and now featuring the voice of Helena Bonham Carter in the U.S. version.

LBYR Inks Pact with Disney for Muppets Line

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has signed an agreement to release a number of titles, in different formats, featuring The Muppets.

Pottermore: Interesting But Not a Game Changer

Many people who work in publishing think that as interesting as Pottermore is, the endeavor says less about the future of the book business than it does about the singular status of a very wealthy author who has the inclination and means to build her own brand.

RIF and Macy’s Launch 'Be Book Smart' Campaign

On Friday Macy's will launch a five-week campaign, called Be Book Smart, to raise money for Reading Is Fundamental.

Movie Alert: 'Winnie the Pooh'

Winnie the Pooh, an animated feature-length film from Disney, arrives in U.S. theaters on July 15, the first big-screen Pooh story since Pooh’s Heffalump Movie in 2005.