Against a cacophony of voices that have declared the picture book dead, Jed Bennett, associate director of preschool and young readers marketing for the Penguin Young Readers Group, begs to differ. According to Bennett, the house “stands firmly behind picture books as a genre” and is willing to spend money and put marketing muscle behind them.
This commitment can be seen in a striking promotional tool, spearheaded by Bennett: the Fall 2011 Penguin Portfolio: A Spotlight on Picture Books, which recently landed in the hands of 500 or so booksellers, librarians, teachers, publishers, authors and illustrators. The Penguin Portfolio is a boxed collection of six full-color prints, each one from a fall 2011 picture book. The individual 8 x 8 inch prints feature a piece of interior art on the front, while the back features comments from the publisher of each book, the artist, and in some cases, the art director.
The campaign had its genesis last December, with the in-house launch of the fall 2011 list. Bennett said he and his colleagues were struck by a group of what he called “fantastic” picture books, which he felt needed to be promoted in a special way, adding that he is always looking for “new and inventive ways to bring books into a much brighter spotlight.” There was a consensus that the art should be showcased in some way, and the team effort began immediately. They decided to go beyond the art and seek the commentary of the books’ publishers, artists and art directors to provide the creative backstory.
The books represented are: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle; Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman; Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein; King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury; Otis and the Tornado by Loren Long; and Stuck by Oliver Jeffers.
The set includes art from heavyweight names like Carle and Oxenbury as well as lesser known author/artists. Bennett explains that the selections were not based on the authors’ status, but instead, “the vision was to focus on the art itself. We have six beautiful books, and it doesn’t matter if they’re from a Leonardo or an unknown. We want people to be able to read about these artists and books, to immerse themselves in the art, to hold or frame the prints.
Bennett is a zealous advocate of picture books, believing that they are the vital ingredient in the development of lifelong readers, a spectrum that in Bennett’s words has three essential steps: “loving books, learning to read, and finally loving to read.” He thinks that early readers and chapter books do a wonderful job teaching children how to read, but it remains his fervent belief that picture books are the first books children fall in love with.
Passion aside, in an increasingly challenging economic climate where the swag of yesterday (such as keychains and T-shirts) is rare and money spent on even basic promotional tools like posters, bookmarks and press kits, come under scrutiny, Penguin’s decision to create the Portfolio is an extravagant gesture, but one that’s indicative of the company’s dedication to the category. Last fall, the group created a boxed set of five young adult ARCs by debut authors that got a lot of attention and had competitors guessing (and gasping) at the cost of the promotion. And now the Portfolio.
When asked if these promotions were indicative of a larger marketing philosophy, Bennett replied that it was the lists in both cases that prompted the campaigns. The YA boxed set (which Bennett was not involved in) came about from the happenstance of five debut authors in one season that seemed to invite special attention. The Penguin Portfolio, too, happened through the serendipity of the books on the list. “It came down to the scope and beauty of the art,” Bennett said.
Booksellers are appreciating the art’s “scope and beauty” too. When Shelly Plumb, owner of Harleysville Books in Harleysville, Pa., received her portfolio, she said she was “a little surprised, because these days publishers don’t normally go to the expense of printing and sending materials like this.” In fact she received two portfolios, but has put both to good use. The layout of her store allowed her to hang the first set on a glass wall where both sides of the prints can be seen by customers. The second set of prints was raffled off in a fundraiser at the store and Plumb noted that it was one of the more popular prizes.
Going to such expense in a tough picture book market may seem counterintuitive, but Don Weisberg, president of Penguin Young Readers Group, strenuously disagrees with the naysayers. “Picture books are going to be here forever,” he said. “We all remember a few outstanding picture books from when we were young. There is no reason to think this will change. I am surrounded by staff from all generations who love these books, but is particularly the 20-somethings who can’t keep their hands off of them.”
Though he doesn’t necessarily believe that the delivery format will stay the same, Weisberg is not overly concerned, observing that “a device is only as good as what’s on it.” In his words, “the best books will find a way,” and that the challenge for publishers is to reach the consumer in new and better ways; he believes the Penguin Portfolio is one of those ways.
