Janet Spavlik's The Next Chapter
By Janet Spavlik
About Janet
Janet Spavlik is editor-in-chief of Book Business magazine and editor of the e-newsletter Book Business Extra, which reaches thousands of publishing industry executives. She also is contributing editor for Publishing Executive magazine.
Previously, she was a staff editor and writer for The Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J., and also held positions as managing editor of book production for Information Today Inc. and production editor for W.B. Saunders Co. (now Elsevier). In June 2007, Spavlik published her first book, "Images of America: Collingswood," with Arcadia Publishing. She is a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
E-mail her at jspavlik@napco.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/janetmspavlik.
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Remembering My Favorite Children's Book Author
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Reminded of Chew, I did a Google search in hopes of finding out more about her. I didn't know if she would still be alive after all these years, but if she was, I was hoping I would find some way to contact her. I'm not typically one for "fan letters," but I truly feel that her books not only fed my love for reading, but helped inspire me to want to become a writer. The stories she weaved, and her sheer imagination, amazed me as a child.
My Google search brought me to www.ruthchew.com, where sadly I learned that Chew had passed away just months prior in May of this year. She was 90 years old. I also read on the site that in August, Scholastic—the publisher of most of Chew's books—relinquished the rights to the last of her books it still controlled. Her family now owns the rights to all 29 of her books.
In a "How You Can Help" section on the website, her family writes: "We are seeking means of republishing Ruth Chew's books so that they can be easily purchased in any quantity in mainstream retail bookstores. The copyrights for all 29 books written by Ruth Chew have reverted to Ruth Chew and her family. If you are a literary agent interested in assisting us pitch Ruth Chew's books to a publisher, or if you are an editor seeking classic stories in the tradition of Edith Nesbit that will appeal to fans of Harry Potter, please contact us."
These were stories that I read over and over again as a child, and that now as an adult, I plan to go back and read again. If I had grown up in today's world of online book-selling, where it's easy to find and purchase nearly any book you can think of in a matter of minutes, I'm sure I would have bought and read all 29 of Chew's books.
I'm sad to learn not only of Chew's passing, but also that her books are no longer in print and not easily accessible to children who may be as impacted by them as I was. It also made me think about just how difficult this business of ours can be as far as successfully publishing and selling books, if even the family of an author who published so many books with one of the world's largest publishers is now struggling with those very things. I hope that someday these books find their way back into print and bookstores.
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COMMENTS
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Most Recent Comments:
Dee - Posted on October 20, 2011
As a little girl I loved reading all the witch books. I always wanted to find a magic button or to be friends with a witch like the characters in her stories. I teach second grade and read her books to my class. They all love them. Even the boys ! They are all sad to hear that they can no longer purchase these books. I would love for them to come back into print so my the children in my class could keep reading .
As a little girl I loved reading all the witch books. I always wanted to find a magic button or to be friends with a witch like the characters in her stories. I teach second grade and read her books to my class. They all love them. Even the boys ! They are all sad to hear that they can no longer purchase these books. I would love for them to come back into print so my the children in my class could keep reading .
J. - Posted on September 23, 2011
It really helped me to come across your posting about Ruth Chew. Her works are absolutely delightful, and are very dear to my heart. I devoured every book I could find as a grade schooler. I am quite saddened to read that these books remain out of print. They are gems and should be readily available.
It really helped me to come across your posting about Ruth Chew. Her works are absolutely delightful, and are very dear to my heart. I devoured every book I could find as a grade schooler. I am quite saddened to read that these books remain out of print. They are gems and should be readily available.
Derwyn Ravello - Posted on October 11, 2010
WOW! I am glad to see this story. Hello, My name is Derwyn Ravello. As a child in middle school I was required to read a certain amount of books for our class. All of the books I chose to read for my requirement were by Ruth Chew. When I read her books, it felt like I disappeared from reality for a bit to the setting in the book. I recently bought a good amount of her books from ebay to re-read the joys that I read in middle school. Thank you for writing this story, I am sure there is alot more Ruth Chew fans out there! -Derwyn Ravello
WOW! I am glad to see this story. Hello, My name is Derwyn Ravello. As a child in middle school I was required to read a certain amount of books for our class. All of the books I chose to read for my requirement were by Ruth Chew. When I read her books, it felt like I disappeared from reality for a bit to the setting in the book. I recently bought a good amount of her books from ebay to re-read the joys that I read in middle school. Thank you for writing this story, I am sure there is alot more Ruth Chew fans out there! -Derwyn Ravello
Janet Spavlik - Posted on October 12, 2010
Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your experiences as well, Derwyn! It's always good to hear from other fans of Ruth Chew and to hear how books have touched people's lives in different ways.
Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your experiences as well, Derwyn! It's always good to hear from other fans of Ruth Chew and to hear how books have touched people's lives in different ways.
Click here to view archived comments...
Archived Comments:
Dee - Posted on October 20, 2011
As a little girl I loved reading all the witch books. I always wanted to find a magic button or to be friends with a witch like the characters in her stories. I teach second grade and read her books to my class. They all love them. Even the boys ! They are all sad to hear that they can no longer purchase these books. I would love for them to come back into print so my the children in my class could keep reading .
As a little girl I loved reading all the witch books. I always wanted to find a magic button or to be friends with a witch like the characters in her stories. I teach second grade and read her books to my class. They all love them. Even the boys ! They are all sad to hear that they can no longer purchase these books. I would love for them to come back into print so my the children in my class could keep reading .
J. - Posted on September 23, 2011
It really helped me to come across your posting about Ruth Chew. Her works are absolutely delightful, and are very dear to my heart. I devoured every book I could find as a grade schooler. I am quite saddened to read that these books remain out of print. They are gems and should be readily available.
It really helped me to come across your posting about Ruth Chew. Her works are absolutely delightful, and are very dear to my heart. I devoured every book I could find as a grade schooler. I am quite saddened to read that these books remain out of print. They are gems and should be readily available.
Derwyn Ravello - Posted on October 11, 2010
WOW! I am glad to see this story. Hello, My name is Derwyn Ravello. As a child in middle school I was required to read a certain amount of books for our class. All of the books I chose to read for my requirement were by Ruth Chew. When I read her books, it felt like I disappeared from reality for a bit to the setting in the book. I recently bought a good amount of her books from ebay to re-read the joys that I read in middle school. Thank you for writing this story, I am sure there is alot more Ruth Chew fans out there! -Derwyn Ravello
WOW! I am glad to see this story. Hello, My name is Derwyn Ravello. As a child in middle school I was required to read a certain amount of books for our class. All of the books I chose to read for my requirement were by Ruth Chew. When I read her books, it felt like I disappeared from reality for a bit to the setting in the book. I recently bought a good amount of her books from ebay to re-read the joys that I read in middle school. Thank you for writing this story, I am sure there is alot more Ruth Chew fans out there! -Derwyn Ravello
Janet Spavlik - Posted on October 12, 2010
Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your experiences as well, Derwyn! It's always good to hear from other fans of Ruth Chew and to hear how books have touched people's lives in different ways.
Thanks for the kind words, and for sharing your experiences as well, Derwyn! It's always good to hear from other fans of Ruth Chew and to hear how books have touched people's lives in different ways.
