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Random House Children’s Books has plans to release a new chapter book series based on the Disney phenomenon Frozen.
The stories will pick up where the movie left off and follow Anna and Elsa on further adventures. Christopher Angelilli, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Director of License Publishing, Random House Children’s Books, is heading up the new series.  Author Erica David will write the books. Random House Associate Editor Christy Webster will edit the titles. The first two books in the series Anna & Elsa #1: All Hail the Queen and Anna & Elsa #2: Memory and Magic are slated for publication in January. In total, the publisher has plans to do four books next year and three or four more books a year going forward.

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Marketing Interview

Hi Christy! Thanks so much for coming and answering questions about marketing for us. It's always nice to get an editor's perspective. First, tell us a little about yourself as an editor.

I’ve worked at Random House Children’s Books for about four and a half years. Between my own books and the books I’ve assisted my bosses to edit, I’ve tried my hand at almost every kind of kids’ book there is. Baby to YA, licensed and non-licensed, fiction and non-fiction, new and reissued, you name it. I come from Maine. Oh, and everything I’m about to say is my opinion, not my employer’s. (Sorry).


In your opinion, after watching a book go through the publishing process, what are the top three things an author can do to help promote their book?

1. Be available to your readers in a way that makes most sense to you, your book, and your publisher. Whether it’s touring, school visits, an online presence, or something else, a personal connection is a wonderful thing.

2. Talk to people about your books, and books in general. Connect with people who love books and stories as much as you do.

3. Be nice to everyone.


I assume the last pertains to any online interaction as well as in person. I think some people forget to be as nice in Twitter as they are in person. Based on that, how can an author utilize social networking to build an audience and what should they keep in mind when doing it?

I think an author (or anyone) should put effort into social networking only if they enjoy it on its own merits. By all means—check it out, give it a chance, see how people are using these various services. But the people who find success connecting with their audience on these websites are the ones who are using them in a similar way to their fans—to connect with people, to learn new things, to share information, and to have fun.

Those who are using them as a marketing tool only? People can tell they’re not that into it, and I don’t think it’s as useful that way. Your readers want something authentic, and if social networking just isn’t your bag, it’s OK—you don’t want to fake it. Find other ways that are more you. But I definitely think it’s worth checking out and seeing for yourself. It’s one of those things that you need to try hands-on before knowing what it’s all about.