Vying for Attention
Chris Boral, marketing director of Chronicle Books, believes that children’s book publishers face a time of selective growth, but believes there are opportunities in retail even amid bookstore closings and shelf reductions. “There have been too many books out in the market for too long,” he states. “Bringing the right books out with a specific customer in mind and with reasonable expectations will continue to be a good plan.”
Jeanne Emanuel, vice president of sales, United States and Canada, for Candlewick Press, also sees opportunity through the retail giants, even despite today’s weak economy. “This holiday season, consumers might be more likely to reach for books as gifts rather than higher-priced alternatives,” she says. “But nevertheless, the economy is most certainly keeping us on our toes.”
Keeping Pace With Technology
“Of course, the elephant in the room for everyone in the trade-book value chain is the decline in the number of young readers, who have more entertainment and leisure options than you can imagine,” says Norris. “The publishers are just stuck doing this dance with the dreaded ‘other media.’ They compete with it, but they also want to exploit it to help sell books. And figuring how to convince people that books are where the content-filtering process ends in a world full of free content is the ‘Holy Grail’ for this industry.”
Publishers are finding that it is not enough to release the ordinary, run-of-the-mill book to this generation of children that is growing up with technology all around them. In the children’s book publishing industry, innovation is key, says Berry. “A cute children’s storybook with a moral message will probably never see the light of day—it’s not innovative or new,” he explains. “The only way to get your books noticed is if you have a unique presentation integrated into the book.”
