Audiobooks: Where They’ve Been & Where They’re Headed

Audio Publishers Association executive director Michele Cobb on the future of the audiobook industry.   April 2015 By Michele Cobb, Executive Director, APA

I always refer to audio publishers as digital pioneers. Long before the rise of the ebook we sat in stuffy conference rooms and discussed the importance of good metadata and the best methods for file transfers or website downloads or digital sampling. With the turning of the 20th century and the introduction of this funky little device called the iPod the audiobook world was revolutionized. Suddenly, audiobooks stopped taking up physical space. People could carry 20 audiobooks wherever they went. And they did.

(Read the Rest)

Most Parents Prefer Print: INFOGRAPHIC

By Maryann Yin on May. 1, 2015 - 3:00 PM
First Book has created an infographic to show that “Parents Value Printed Books.” According to the company’s blog post, “a recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that 9 out of 10 parents of children under 18 say it’s important to them that their children read printed books.” We’ve embedded the entire graphic below for you to explore further. To learn more about kids and reading, check out Scholastic’s “What Do Kids Want in Books?” piece and BookUp’s “Reading Among Teenagers in Decline” piece.

When it comes to books, libraries and publishers should be in it together, argues a leading marketing expert

By David Vinjamuri | 

Apr 03, 2015   for Publishers Weekly

Publishers are running out of space. Not in their headquarters, some of which are larger and more imposing than ever, but in retail. The number of booksellers has been dwindling since the demise of Borders, and the largest book retailer today is Amazon, which has no physical space at all. So the question is, where can publishers showcase new books? If only there were a space dedicated primarily to reading that hundreds of millions of Americans visit annually. If only there existed a trusted space, free of the revenue pressure that necessitates displaying lightly pornographic books of debatable quality. If only there were a space largely inhabited by active readers, where publishers could showcase new authors or shine new light on talented mid-listers.
(Read the Rest)

Baltimore Libraries Stay Open Through Riots, Because ‘The Community Needs Us’

All library locations, including those at the epicenter of the riots, are welcoming patrons today.  by kat rosenfield 4/28/2015

You can find more than books at the Baltimore public library today, as all branches remain open and fully staffed in the wake of protests and riots that have rocked the city. With a state of emergency declared and schools closed citywide Tuesday morning, the Enoch Pratt Free Library has chosen to stay open, providing a hub of comfort and community to all Baltimore neighborhoods, including the ones most affected by the mayhem.

“It’s at times like this that the community needs us,” library Director of Communications Roswell Encina told MTV News. “That’s what the library has always been there for, from crises like this to a recession to the aftermath of severe weather. The library has been there. It happened in Ferguson; it’s happening here.”

(Read the Rest)

RHCB Ups First Print Run on New Seuss to 1 Million

By Clare Swanson | 

Apr 20, 2015    (Publishers Weekly)

Random House Children’s Books has increased its first printing on What Pet Should I Get?, a new picture book by the late Dr. Seuss, from 500,000 to 1 million. The book, which goes on sale July 28, was first announced in February, after the unpublished manuscript was rediscovered by Seuss's (given name, Ted Geisel), widow, Audrey Geisel, and his longtime secretary and friend, Claudia Prescott, in fall 2013.
(Read the Rest)

Rally around reading: Scholastic study shows how to get kids to read more, and why

  More Content NowBy Melissa Erickson
Posted Apr. 7, 2015 at 10:15 PM 

Studies show that the more kids read, the better they read and the more pleasure they get out of reading. So how can you get your kids to read more? Scholastic recently released the fifth edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report, and it offers insight on how to get students reading and some surprising facts.

Encouragement

Providing encouragement and time “both in school and at home for children of all ages to enjoy books they choose to read will help them discover the power and joy of reading,” said Francie Alexander, chief academic officer at Scholastic. “These tactics will also help to motivate kids to read more books, which will improve their skills and open a world of possibilities for them in the future.”

(Read the Rest) 

10 tips to learn from a creative writing lecturer

Some people enjoy writing for the sake of it, while others want to develop and improve. If you fall into the latter category then read this. A creative writing lecturer and published author with a new novel The Dark Light out in July 2015, Julia Bell is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on creative writing. Here, she shares with us the top ten pieces of advice she gives her students at the start of each year.   Sometimes as a teacher you feel like you’re trapped in a groundhog day, repeating the same pieces of advice every year, just to a different cohort of students, although as I get older and more forgetful perhaps I’m just repeating myself and students are being too polite to call me on it. In any given year these are the pointers about writing good prose – novels and stories – that I find myself saying over and over, but they are also in themselves, light bulb moments from my own practice as writer.   (Read the Rest)

Top 10 historical fiction titles for youth

Booklist Feature Article Books For Youth - Fiction - Historical Fiction Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth: 2015. Cooper, Ilene (author).   FEATURE.  First published April 15, 2015 (Booklist). This year’s top 10 historical fiction titles will transport young people from ancient times to 1960s America, with stops in different countries and centuries. All were reviewed in Booklist between April 15, 2014, and April 1, 2015.  Black Dove, White Raven. By Elizabeth Wein. 2015. Disney/Hyperion, $17.99 (9781423183105). Gr. 8–11. Deftly weaving in details about the 1935–36 Italo-Ethiopian War, Wein uses the essays, journal entries, and flight logs of teens Teo and Emilia to help tell the stunning story of their attempt to flee Ethiopia. (See our starred review on p.00.)

(Read the rest)

Harper Lee Declared Fit to Publish

By Rachel Deahl,  

Apr 06, 2015

After the press jumped on reports that Harper Lee might not be mentally sound enough to have signed off on the publication of her forthcoming second novel, Go Set a Watchman, the state of Alabama has made the call. Over the weekend the New York Times, and other outlets, released the state's finding that Lee was not manipulated into signing a contract to publish the book. 

As the Times noted, state officials began the investigation after an anonymous complaint was filed claiming that Lee, who resides in an assisted living facility in the town of Monroeville, was coerced into the publishing deal forWatchman, which Harper acquired in February.

(Read the Rest)