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Suzanne Murphy will become president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books. Susan Katz, the executive who is currently holds these titles, will retire this summer.

Murphy has been working as a vice president and publisher at Disney Publishing Worldwide. Her start date at HarperCollins has been set for May 20th. She will report to CEO Brian Murray.

Murphy gave this statement in the press release: “I am thrilled and honored to be taking the baton from Susan, whose leadership of HarperCollins Children’s has set the bar high in the industry for so many years. I look forward to working with the incredibly dynamic, creative, and smart team at HarperCollins. Joining the Children’s group at a time when they are experiencing such tremendous success, with the prospect of even greater growth globally, following the establishment of new international divisions, is incredibly exciting”

The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub!: Poems About the Presidents
By Susan Katz
Illustrated by Robert Neubecker
Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
$17.99
ISBN: 978-0-547-18221-6
Ages 6-10
On shelves now

Funny what kids pick up. When I was a tot of four I had a little electronic game that came with its own book. You’d turn the pages and press the button that corresponded to the correct trivia question. In this way I learned that Mozart wrote his first piece of music when he was five (I figured I had some leeway because of this), that Marie Antoinette had her head cut off, and that President Taft got stuck in his bathtub because he was so fat. That’s the kind of presidential wisdom a kid’s gonna carry with them the rest of their life. It’s also how I learned that teaching kids about famous people at a young age actually will stick with them into adulthood if the medium is interesting enough. Poetry would not be my first method of instilling memories, but in The President’s Stuck in the Bathtub!: Poems About the Presidents poet Susan Katz does a darn good job locating fun facts about even the dullest leaders. They may not have been equal in stature but at least in this book each one has his say, whether it’s escaping a vicious rabbit or seeing the occasional ghost.

They’ve been dull and scintillating. Clever and thick. Remarkably tall and surprisingly short. And what’s with all the parrots as pets? With great dexterity and even greater patience Susan Katz culls, entices, and sometimes even forces interesting facts out of each and every one of our presidents. That done, she turns those traits or events into poems, being sure to include fun additional facts at the bottom of each page. The result is that kids get to meet “Elevator Operator” John F. Kennedy, the “Funny-Looking” James Buchanan, and even “Vegetating” George H.W. Bush. Accompanied by work by illustrator Robert Neubecker, the book is a ribald look at our nation’s leaders. Backmatter includes dates, quotes, nicknames, and “firsts” for each man.

As it says on the bookflap, “Susan Katz discovered while working on this book that not all American presidents were very funny people, and she found herself doing more research for this one project than for all her other books put together.” I’m not surprised to hear it since the sheer number of new facts here are astounding. She even seems to have made a conscious effort to avoid the obvious ones (George Washington’s teeth, Lincoln’s jokes, etc.). Of course, you can’t help but wonder if Ms. Katz made too much work for herself when she included a note on what each president was the “first” to do, and didn’t go with the obvious answers. George Washington? “First president pictured on a postage stamp.” Abraham Lincoln? “First president born outside the boundaries of the thirteen original states (in Kentucky).” No mean feat.

In one of the reviews I read the reviewer complained that Katz brings up facts about the presidents that aren’t particularly

Starting next month, the online writing community Figment will manage HarperCollins’ Inkpop writing community in a new partnership.

Here’s more from the release: “Figment will assume control of all inkpop activity and operations … In addition, HarperCollins will join the many other publishers currently marketing their titles on Figment by signing a multiyear marketing partnership with the site, which will include opportunities for members to publish the creative work they submit to Figment.”

Both writing communities are aimed at teenage writers and readers. HarperCollins opened Inkpop in 2009 and Figment launched in 2010. HarperCollins Children’s Books president Susan Katz explained the move: “We approached Figment because we’ve admired what they are doing in the digital space. Together we can broaden our marketing reach for our authors and their stories by tapping into this highly engaged group.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Starting next month, the online writing community Figment will manage HarperCollins’ Inkpop writing community in a new partnership.

Here’s more from the release: “Figment will assume control of all inkpop activity and operations … In addition, HarperCollins will join the many other publishers currently marketing their titles on Figment by signing a multiyear marketing partnership with the site, which will include opportunities for members to publish the creative work they submit to Figment.”

Both writing communities are aimed at teenage writers and readers. HarperCollins opened Inkpop in 2009 and Figment launched in 2010. HarperCollins Children’s Books president Susan Katz explained the move: “We approached Figment because we’ve admired what they are doing in the digital space. Together we can broaden our marketing reach for our authors and their stories by tapping into this highly engaged group.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

What am I reading now? Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger
 

The Carrier of the Mark

Publishers of children’s books have, in recent years, come to appreciate the importance of social networking sites. The greatest role such sites play is to allow direct contact with your target audience. If you have a line of communication with your audience, you can sell to your audience.

HarperCollins Children’s Books took the concept of the social networking site a step further with the creation of Inkpop. Inkpop allows teen authors to submit pieces of writing to be read and discussed by their peers. Leigh Fallon, a teen writer from Ireland, did just that with her novel, The Carrier of the Mark. Her manuscript was subsequently voted into the “Top Five” an honour that garners a review by an editor at HarperCollins, and, perhaps, publication.

Fallon’s paranormal romance is the first Inkpop book to be chosen for print. The Carrier of the Mark is set for a Fall 2011 release.

Susan Katz, president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books said, “Inkpop is HarperCollins Children’s Books’ first site (and not the last) to really put the users’ voice and ideas in the forefront. Social media is incredibly empowering if used correctly, and HarperCollins recognizes this and is gearing up to make social media the cornerstone of all of its digital endeavors.”

So, if you’re a teen writer, head on over to Inkpop. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Who knows? You could be the next Leigh Fallon.