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Do you remember your favorite book from childhood? It could be Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf, or maybe it’s Miss Rumphius  by Barbara Cooney (that’s mine!). Thinking about that book probably makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You LOVED it! So, of course your son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson will love it too!

This holiday season I found a large percentage of customers making gift purchases based on these exact emotions. They’d ask for that treasured book (be it out of print or not) with hopes of sharing the feeling they had as a child. On Christmas Eve, I walked into our classics section and found it plucked bare. Little House on the Prairie, The Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables – all had been purchased, wrapped, and now sat under trees with bright shinny bows.

I think there are two ways to look at this trend. On one side, these books DO stand up against the test of time. They’re classics, timeless, and just plain good! But on the other side of this discussion, I think some might argue that not all classics appeal to today’s kids. Some are slightly outdated and harder for today’s audience to relate to. In this second case, I think adults are buying classic books because they feel nostalgic about them. They hope their kids (or grandkids) will love the book as much as they did, and it’s that hope that gets them to take it home and put it under the tree. Ultimately, this comes down to why someone buys a gift (or any product). In this case its about the feelings and memories the gift-giver has about a book. There’s a ton of great new books on the shelves these days, but sometimes that can’t compete with the joy of sharing a loved classic.

This leads us (as writers) back to the age-old point that books need an emotional punch. Books we loved as kids stay with us because we are connected to them emotionally and something in them has resonated over the years. Look back at your favorite classic and see if it still holds up today. Why? Why not? What about the book makes it timeless? What makes it memorable and worth sharing?

Continuing my notes from Emma Dryden’s 2011 SCBWI LA talk on publishing and the digital landscape, this post will cover the challenges publishers and authors are faced with as the marketplace keeps changing. Be sure to read PART 1 on the development of digital technology and how it affects the way we read.

Who Gets What Percentage?

• Currently publishers take in 50% of profits from e-books.
• Self-published authors get 60%  to 80% of their royalties.
• Barnes and Noble currently has 25% of the e-book market.  Apple has been interested in purchasing Barnes and Noble so they can compete head to head with Amazon.

Google is No Giggling Matter:

• Pay attention to Google! They are trying to put out-of-print books into digital devices.

Do Agents become Publishers?

• There is a new trend of agents and agencies doing editing, cover design, and even some publishing.
• Andrea Brown Agency and Dystel & Goderich are becoming agency consultants.
• This is a controversial concept. Is an agent really the perfect publishing partner? The jury is still out on this topic.

New Publishing Outlets:

• Retailer Publishing
• Author Publishing
• Children’s Publishing by: tik-a-tok, inkpop, and figment.
• UTales is a new platform for illustrators and picture book writers.
• Indies on Demand
• Great places to share content include: youtube, itunes, flicker, blogTV, Glogs, Skype.

How does a Publisher Stay Competitive and Fashionable?

• What keeps a publisher making money?
• They need to consider Google editions and Google affiliates. How do you control what is on Google? What is fair to the copyrights?
• How do we deal with piracy? How do we determine what’s free and what is not?
• “Don’t pirate this book because your friend needs the money vs. Buy this book so you can read it.”
• Publisher’s Competition = Online Vendors. How does a publisher make themselves a better outlet for authors than these other outlets?
• Publisher’s Competition = Self-Publishing
• Publisher’s Competition = Print on Demand (POD) (Such as: Lulu, iUniverse, or Amazon.)
• The relevancy of the publisher will be diminished if they are not involved in the digital market.
• Publishers are asking: Who are our customers and why are they our customers? The answer used to be the bookstores, but that is changing.

Changes in Customer Choice:

• Consumers are now starting to demand some choice in what they consume.
• There is a growing trend in creating objects that a customer can purchase and customize.
• We’ve moved from average mass media to the individual.

Author Interaction with His/Her Audience:

• Lots of interaction is happening online now in “The Cloud”
• Are authors ready to socialize? Do they want to create a dialog with their audience?
• Do authors want to create a shared experience online with their audience?
• What’s your web-utation (play on the word reputation).
• As an author do you provide your audience with a website that includes: backstory (yours or your
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Emma Dryden spoke at the 2011 LA SCBWI Conference and gave a very in depth talk about how the digital marketplace is changing the business of books. I took so many notes I’ve had to break this into two posts. Part one will cover how kids interact with technology and fiction, how this is influencing the business, and some of the key factors that have changed the landscape. Part two will look into how the book business is adapting and the challenges it’s facing to stay competitive, as well as some of the new models that are surfacing due to self publishing. This is a big hot topic and Dryden was very thorough! Enjoy.

Dryden pre-empted this talk with a reminder that we should never forget that story matters most!

Kids and Technology:

• The landscape of technology is a place kids know intrinsically.
• Paper is not something kids are used to interacting with.
• Most children are media consumers by the time they are one year old.
• Kids are not linear.
• Kids brains have adapted to a digital dialect.

How Interaction with Digital Technology is Changing the Way We Read and Acquire Information:

• In the absence of bursts of stimulation we now get bored faster.
• The way we read is different and changing. How we interact with an object is changing.
• The internet creates a whole new area of narrative. One people can explore and drive.
• It’s become more important for one to know how to search for a fact, rather than to know the fact itself.
• Does heavy technology use diminish empathy, whereas fiction creates empathy?

Our Connection to Fiction:

• Our experience of fiction is based on: literacy, imagination, and human connection.
• Fiction allows us to think for the sake of thinking.

How is the Book Business Changing?

• The digital world is changing the book business and we had better adapt!
• Print is not going away for the sake of digital, but we are moving to a model that uses both.
• It pays to be flexible and on time when it comes to this new digital landscape.
• Some smaller publishers are taking the e-only option and no longer printing books.
• Libraries need to become more like Lady Ga Ga and less like Lady Bird Johnson.
• Technology should not or need not drive a story.
• Storytellers and illustrators are our best guides as to how the landscape is changing and how it should change.

Things that Changed the Game:

• Apple created the iPhone in 2007
• Amazon came out with the Kindle in 2007. Currently there are 15 million kindles in the hands of consumers.
• The recession hit us hard and created more start-ups.
• The e-book battles began.

Things that Continue to Change the Game and Influence the Market:

• In 2010 the Sony Walkman was retired.
• Apple baked the iPie and wants to eat it too.
• The expanding book market changed to create less cost book production through digital sources. (Less cost not NO cost).
• E-Books are everywhere! It is estimated that 50% of book sales will be E-Books by 2014.
• What’s your app-titude? Apps are changing the market as well.
• Pottermore is influencing and changing business models.
• We are easily distracted by new devices.

What about Picture Books and the Digital Market?

• Picture books do still matter! And they still are selling. Electronic media should not be a thread to picture books, it should be a supplement!

Bloomsbury Editor Margaret Miller spoke at the 2011 Southern California SCBWI Writer’s Day event. She answered the following questions after her talk:

How Does an Editor Approach Pitching a Project?

• Yes, they do the “Hollywood thing” sometimes, but they are a bit sick of it. Everyone groans when you compare a book to Harry Potter.
• Has a book like this one succeeded before, and how is it different. That’s the way to approach pitching the book.
• How can I position this book so it is on the cusp of a growing trend?
• Editors can position about as “if they read it they will love it” but also know that it requires a certain type of marketing (to indy bookstores for example).
• The editor needs to provide evidence that other people (readers) will love the book.

Is YA Realism a Trend That’s on its Way Out?

• YA realism isn’t a trend. It will always be around. Kids always want to read books about “real life.”
• You need to find a hook that is genuinely unique, however. It’s hard to sell a book where stuff just happens in the real world. It’s hard when you have no plot in a mundane world.

What do you do if an Editor Changes Houses?

• You editor will always be the first person to have the most passion for your book. However, there are lots of other people at a house who also care about and have passion for your book.
• This is a hard question because there is a lot to consider.
• Passion for a project can fade at a house.
• You can move houses with your editor, but that can depend on your contract.

How Long Does the Editorial Process Take?

• That’s different with every author.
• Once the book is approved and ready to go (done with edits) then it takes a year. Before that depends on the author.
• It can also depend on how polished the drafts you send in are. We editors like polish!

What are the Trends Coming in?

• Lots of people say that Paranormal Romance is on its way out. But it will probably become something else. Romance is not going to go away. Be on the cusp of a trend and invent a new way for forbidden romance! Find new obstacles for your romantic book!
• There is a void in the market for really well drawn characters that have deep feelings and deal with difficult issues. The key words here being “really well drawn.”

Check Out These Other Great Posts with Margaret Miller:

• The Writer and Editor Relationship
• Quick Tips on Submissions

From the top things look pretty good! But from such a high angle one has a different point of view of the marketplace. Four senior editors were kind enough to share their view of the current children’s book  marketplace at the 2010 SCBWI LA Conference. This star studded cast included editors: Stephanie Owens Lurie (Disney/Hyperion), Francesco Sedita (Grosset & Dunlap, and Price Stern Sloan), Jennifer Brown (Little Brown), and Justin Chada (VP and publisher at: Simon and Scheuster, Anthem, and Margaret K. McElderly Books).

MODERATOR: Tell us a little about yourselves.

FRANCESCO: I’m the publisher of two imprints at Penguin. I was at Scholastic for 8 years before, an also worked at Knoph adult before that. “Leading by Instinct” is my motto. The spirit of a project is what is most important to me. I also went to school for writing and am the author of Miss Popularity.

STEPHANIE: The school library introduced me to Little House On the Prairie, and later my heart was stolen by Harriet the Spy. I worked at Little Brown for 12 years, then Simon and Schuster for 6 years. Dutton for 9 years, and now I’m with Disney Hyperion. I was interested in working with an entertainment company and a smaller staff.

JENNIFER: I work at Little Brown. Initially I started on the marketing side, and I also did an internship with Beacon Press. I’ve also worked at Time and Money Magazines, and Random House Adult, as well as with Lee and Low’s multi-cultural picture books. I’ve been with Little Brown for the past 9 years. We are a small boutique house and we “strive to be the best in the class.”

JUSTIN: I work at Simon and Schuster and Makelberry. I work on the fourth floor.  I oversee 250 titles per year, and work with a staff of 15 editors and assistants. I used to write for kids television and this is my 12^th year in publishing!

MODERATOR: Characterize what you do at each of your imprints.

FRANCESCO: Grosset and Dunlap was a licensed publisher for awhile, and did things like Star Wars, etc. We are trying to develop books for 1-10 years old and middle grade. Pryslter and Sloan is the original publisher of madlibs, and is thought of as the obnoxious little brother to Grosset. We like to try to new things with format and develop new ideas. We are trying out a $9.99 picture book. We are playing with margins to make books easier to read. Some of our books include: Frankly Frannie, George Brown Class Clown, and Katie Kazoo Switch-a-roo.

STEPHANIE: Disney Press publishes all things related to Disney. But Disney Hyperion does non-Disney related content.  We publish everything from Pre-School to YA, and things that are high concept. We are author focused and have people like Mo Willems, Clementine (book), Rick Riordan, Ally Carter, Melissa De La Cruz’s Blue Bloods. We publish 100 books a year, including literary fiction through series. 80% of our titles (per year) are commercial, and 20% are literary.