kidsbooks – Read With River

What is Freedom? Exploring the concept through Picturebooks. #LibrarianFightClub

Posted on February 12, 2022 by readwithriver

What is Freedom? What’s the difference between ‘freedom’ & Privilege’?

Lately I have been asking myself “What is freedom?” an awful lot. So I started looking at my books trying to find freedom. Here’s what I found…

Growing up in Canada, we don’t’ spend a lot of time talking about the concept of ‘Freedom.’ Not in the way that seems to take over a lot of the discussion in America around what they demand from their society, what they expect of their lives. “Freedom” has never been our primary value in our Canadian society.

But lately I’ve begun to really start thinking about what it means to have freedom, and where does freedom end and privilege begin? What is a basic freedom and what is entitlement? So I turned to my books, to search for freedom and this is what I’ve found.

The freedom to dream big?

“Astronaut Training” by Aneta Cruz & Olivia Aserr from Astra Publishing House
“Baby Young Gifted and Black, With a Mirror” by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins from Quarto

On the surface level, I think a lot of people think of freedom as breaking free from the constraints of society, letting their hair down and, letting out their emotions.

Freedom is the space to run, to howl and cry.

“Howl” by Kat Patrick and Evie Barrow from Scribble
We Became Jaguars” by Dave Eggars and Woodrow White from Chronicle
“When I See Red” by Britta Teckentrup from Prestel

Being able to count on your basic needs being met is freedom, freedom to live.

But, freedom is the right to clean drinking water, safety, food security.

“Nibi’s Water Song” by Sunshine Tenasco and Chief Lady Bird from Scholastic
“Bright Star” by Yuyi Morales from Holiday House Books
“Saturday at the Food Pantry” by Diane O’Neil and Brizida Magro from Albert Whitman

Freedom from Oppression & Persecution

“When We Were Alone” by David A. Robertson and Julie Flett from Highwater Press an imprint of Portage and Maine
“Best-Loved Jewish Songs: Songs for Friends and Family” from Cottage Door Press
“When We Say Black Lives Matter” by Maxine Beneba Clarke from Candlewick
“The 1619 Project Born on the Water” by Nikole Hanna-Jones and Renée Watson and Nikkolas Smith from Penguin Random House
“Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii” Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Sara Florence Davidson, Alyssa Koski (Illustrator), Judy Hilgemann from Heritage House

Freedom is autonomy over your own body (not someone else’s.)

“Don’t Touch My Hair” by Sharee Miller from Little Brown Books for Young Readers
“Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesnt Like It)” by Carrie Finison and Daniel Wiseman from G.B. Putnam and Son’s Books for Young Readers
“The Bare Naked Book” by Kathy Stinson and Melissa Cho from Annick Press

Freedom is, to be in your own skin, to love yourself and take up space without apology or explanation.

Freedom to exist in your body, to love yourself and, be respected.

“What Happened To You?” by James Catchpole and Karen George from Faber
“Laxmi’s Mooch” by Shelly Annand and Nabi H. Ali from Penguin Random House
“Eyes that Kiss in the Corners” by Joanna Ho and Dung Ho from Harper Collins
“Magic Like That” by Samara Cole Doyon and Geneva Bowers from Lee & Low

Freedom is to be able to love without fear.

“Love Grows Everywhere” by Barry Timms from Quarto
“Bathe The Cat” by Alice B. McGinty and David Roberts from Chronicle Books
“Prince & Knight” by Daniel Haack and Stevie Lewis from Little Bee Books in partnership with GLAAD
“Two Grooms on a Cake” by Rob Sanders and Robbie Cathro from Simon & Schuster

Freedom is to be able to express your identity.

“Ho’Onani Hula Warrior” by Heather Gale and Mika Song from Tundra Books
“The Spectacular Suit” by Kat Patrick and Hayley Wells from Scribble Kids Books
“Téo’s Tutu” by Maryann Jacob Macias and Alea Marley from Penguin Random House
“When Aiden Became a Brother” by Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita from Lee & Low

What did they all have in common? Safety. The safety to dream, to feel, to love, to be, to live. If your idea of freedom is directly endangering any of that safety of others, then what you’re asking for isn’t freedom, it’s privilege.

#Librarian Fight Club

What makes a Picturebook Universally Appealing? And how does the kidlit genre differ from country to country?

Posted on February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 by readwithriver

Why do some picturebooks only become classics in one country? Is it just marketing, or something more?

Becoming a picturebook reviewer in an age of social media has demonstrated to me one thing. Almost nothing is universal. Picturebooks are no exception. It’s not something the average reader questions a lot, ‘is this book famous in other countries?’ But after spending a few years making friends with picturebook reviewers around the world I’ve learned that the kinds of picturebooks that are popular in each place varies quite a lot.

**When I first started Bookstagram I was shocked and a little bit aghast that most people outside of Canada had never heard of**
**Robert Munsch.** Munsch & Martchenko are a fixture of Canadian kid lit, having published over 60 books in the last 40 years, they are on every shelf and in every classroom.

Look I could write love letters to Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko all the live long day, and I have. Actually one time I met Martchenko at a party and I almost passed out, he was quite dashing. I’ve never been so starstruck. But I’ll spare you at the moment and get to the point, how, in the world are these books not famous everywhere? Certainly they are household staples here in Canada. For good reason, they’re unsurpassable.

Munsch’s stories are always funny, with an element of the ridiculous, and centre on the experiences and thoughts of children.
They are in my opinion unparalleld. **But why don’t people feel that way outside of Canada?**
**Most are made by Scholastic so it’s not an issue of distribution.**

But I’m not just going to dismiss this as a matter of lack of taste. I really want to know, why aren’t Munsch books as famous in other countries? They’re all humorous, is that the issue? Is Canadian humour-an ephemeral concept to try and define-fundamentally different from humour elsewhere, and if so then what is it? Is Canadian humour too ridiculous? Is it all the snow (they don’t all have snow…)? OR is it that Munsch books avoid lessons and morals? Is it the purpose of kidlit what makes them less appealing to people elsewhere? Do Canadian families just want to read for fun, where as elsewhere, families read for other purposes?

Is it that our sense of humour is fundamentally different?
Or is it that our purpose for childrens’ books is fundamentally different?

**Are different topics just more popular in different countries?** These Australians kids books never took off in North America, is it because we don’t have Wombats and…well do we have possums?

When you take a look at the most famous Aussie kidlit, they tend to heavily lean towards books about Australian animals. Which makes sense, it’s Australia. Are Australian readers more interested in Animal stories than elsewhere? Or did they not gain popularity elsewhere because readers in other parts of the world don’t have wombats and kangaroos?

**And why isn’t Chicka Chicka Boom Boom not famous in the UK?** Is it because of the pace? The accent while reading? Or is this colour scheme just too much for everyone?

When it comes to style and mood how does that play into this? Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is another fixture in every North American kindergarten room, but that’s not so in the UK? Why? Clearly I have more questions than answers today.

**What makes a British Book a British Book? And do young readers even notice?** Is it a mood?
Is it pacing?
Or is it just down to how things look?

**And then some books just take off everywhere. Over 50 mill. copies have been sold of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”** Why?
Why THIS book?
What makes this universal?

When we look picturebooks that have ‘made it’ worldwide. Is there a theme? What connects them, is it all random? Or is it something more? “The Hungry Caterpillar” it’s simple, and carries themes of change, of growth, of hope. That’s pretty universal. But is it any more universal than any other of the thousands of books that are beloved in their home country and don’t make it abroad?

So what is it? What makes a picturebook universal? But also, what defines the needs and desires for readers of each country?

#Librarian Fight Club

#LibrarianFightClub to Hug or not to Hug?

Posted on January 21, 2022January 21, 2022 by readwithriver

One of the reasons I love picturebooks is that they take all of the values and social discourse of the time they’re made in and present them in this beautiful little package to pick apart and wonder at. Looking at two books made a handful of years apart can show how society has grown and changed and there is no better example than this than these two hug books.

I love both of these books actually, “Hug Machine” by Scott Campbell 2014, and “Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like it)” By Carrie Finison 2021. But what I find most fascinating about them, especially next to one another, is to marvel at how fast mainstream ideas are moving about issues around childhood, consent and, toxic masculinity.

When “Hug Machine” came out in 2014 it was subversive in quietly challenging toxic masculinity and traditional gender roles in this beautiful pale pink and red ode to a little boy who loves to love and show affection. Hug Machine is concerned with the emotional needs of those around him when; a baby is crying, a hedgehog feels unloved, etc. These things fundamentally challenge the emotional frigidity of toxic masculinity.

However, things have moved on, the world has moved on and become more complex, and isn’t that a wonderful thing? “Don’t Hug Doug” explores the complexities around consent, boundaries and, also the many ways that one can show their friendship. But I think what’s most poignant is the piece around expectations that children take on burden of emotional labour.

Less than a decade ago, it was seen as appropriate that the Hug Machine should be taking on the emotional labour of hugging literally everyone so that they felt better. The kid didn’t even have a name he was reduced to his performance of giving. In “Don’t Hug Doug” the onus is not on Doug to take on that burden, the children in this book are being relieved of that expectation and being given agency regarding their personal space. This is a major step forward in society’s understanding of the fundamental rights of a child, and the nature of childhood itself.

Is there space to celebrate both of these books? Are they even fundamentally in opposition? #LibrarianFightClub

Author Resources, Demystifying publishing

Advice to Self Publishers from @ReadWithRiver

Posted on November 27, 2021November 27, 2021 by readwithriver

So you want to launch a self-published book. **Common Problems**
**to Avoid &**
**Boundaries with Influencers**
**You Need to Respect.**

Research First: **Picturebooks are not just ‘faster to write than novels’ and if you don’t respect them or read them, then you have no business writing them.**

**We can tell when reading, if the creator doesn’t actually like picturebooks.**

**Recommendation: go to a library, read two hundred different picturebooks written in the last five years. Then go back to your idea and ask yourself ‘is this going to work?’**

Get it Edited: Your computer spell check program is not adequate for editing a book.
**You need more than one editor, who you are not related to. by blood or marriage.**
**They should be looking at things like structure, logical consistency, dialogue believability, if it’s in verse is the meter good?**
**If you’re including marginalized groups you are not a part of you need to hire a Diversity and Inclusion consultant/sensitivity reader.**

Rhyming is hard : **Picturebooks do not need to rhyme.**
**Unless you are a poet or a musician, its likely you’re going to struggle with writing in verse.**
**Bad poetry is unforgivable and if it’s a little bit off, all anyone will focus on is exactly where it is off.**
**Often people who force rhyming stories ignore the more important part, the plot, the character development, the dialogue, all so that they can force rhymes.**
**Ditch the rhyme and write something true.**

The Picture in Picturebook is Key: **The illustrations of a picturebook are arguably more important than the text. People can forgive a boring story if the pictures are beautiful. There’s no forgiving an ugly picturebook.**
**You need a real artist, who knows how to do picturebooks.**
**You also need someone who can do Cover Design, and text lay out (which the illustrator may not know how to do.)**
**For the love of Jon Klassen do not use a weird font or comic sans, just don’t.**

Costs to consider: **Paper, Printing, & Binding. If you skimp on this the quality will be bad, fewer people will promote it-unfortunate I know, but just a fact.**
**Ordering samples**
**Editors, lay out designers, cover designers,**
**Reputable illustrator will be 3k minimum**
**Website costs**
**Review copies, shipping, promotion**

Setting up social: **If you open up your Instagram/Twitter/Tiktok account three days before you launch nothing is going to happen for you.**

**If you’re just opening up your social accounts right now with the intetion of selling a book for Christmas you have missed the boat by six months.**

**All of the reputable influencers have their content planned until Christmas, most traditional publicists get out all the stuff they want featured in December out by August-October.**

There must be some way to get immediate promotion: **You can pay people. (Not me, do not ask me..) But you can approach people and be upfront that it’s a paid ad opportunity.**
**Influencer standard is $10 per a thousand followers so do the math before asking, some people may ask for more if you want it done quickly.**
**Kirkus also has an expedited review program for self pub but it’s gonna cost you about $400 USD.**

I only want free publicity: **You can pay people. (Not me, do not ask me..) But you can approach people and be upfront that it’s a paid ad opportunity.**
**Influencer standard is $10 per a thousand followers so do the math before asking, some people may ask for more if you want it done quickly.**
**Kirkus also has an expedited review program for self pub but it’s gonna cost you about $400 USD.**

Book influencers are friends. Behave Accordingly. **We tell each other about self published authors who are difficult, audacious, rude or threatening.**
**We share screenshots of your spam messages.**
**No means no, do not keep badgering someone, do not investigate them or show up at their place of work, do not do it.**
**If people are refusing to respond to your messages, ask yourself, did I have a bad interaction with an influencer? Because if you did, that’s why noone is answering.**

Anti-Gift Guide

Just Because it’s a Good Deal Doesn’t Make it a Good Toy: More Books Less Crap 5

Posted on November 16, 2021November 24, 2021 by readwithriver

Here are 5 ‘great deals’ that have filled me with regret and five fun read alouds you should get instead!

A blinger, it’s litteraly just a contraption for applying sticker jewels. I admit when I purchased it, I thought that the jewels would stay on more firmly than a regular sticker? But no. They’re just stickers. Ridiculous.

So, one day, a few years ago, I was driving along on a cold November’s day, much like today and I saw a big sign! “GIANT TOY OUTLET SALE!” We were passing through a strange industrial complex we had never been through and I yelled “STOP THE CAR!” And my husband, reluctantly did. I jumped out and ran, into this giant warehouse, there were loads and loads of toys, they were in fact very cheap…in every sense of the word. The piano mat was not the only thing I bought from this sale, and all of it was garbage, I also bought a microphone with stand that never worked, period. But of course sales like this-all sales are final. So turns out, not such a great deal.

My older daughter asked for a pogo stick, and we were like, why in the world do you want a pogo stick? She had seen one on a tv show and became obsessed with the idea. So we searched around for her birthday and found one, it was a pretty good deal, we bought it. She used it twice. Pogo sticks, are just not fun. Add to this they’re wildly impractical and dangerous.

I was at Costco. Which is the number one place I fall for good deals that are in fact bad deals. They had this absolutely enormous packet of unicorn crystals. You grow these crystals with like a powder that then flakes off and leaves a disconcerting dust on everything. I said to my self “WOW! LOOK AT THIS GIANT PACKET! WHAT A GREAT DEAL!” Not a great deal, and now I’m going to have this enormous box in my house forever.

Whoever came up with “Baby Alive” hates parents. It’s ugly, it’s noisy, and it yells at you when you’re trying to think and you jump five feet out of your chair. Just say no.

Just Because it's a Good Deal Doesn't Make it a Good Toy: More Books Less Crap — Fun Read Alouds you should get instead! Light hearted books that pull little readers in and invite them to stay. All of the books today are from the submissions for the #bookstagang_bestof2021.

“Unicorn Night Sleep Tight” by Diana Murray and Luke Flowers from Source Books Kids

This is a weird incidence of me really preferring a sequel to the original, “Unicorn Night Sleep Tight” is the sequel to “Unicorn Day” which was fine but it never really stole our hearts to be perfectly honest. “Unicorn Night” however, has become a fast favourite in our household. My kids just love this book, it’s one of my 3 year old’s go to bedtime picks. it’s a cute rhyming read aloud, and perfect for bed.

“A Pizza with Everything on it” Kyle Scheel and Andrew J. Pizza from Chronicle Kids Books

“A Pizza with Everything on it” is completely ridiculous. A kid and his dad make a pizza, but they have to put EVERYTHING on it, and they really explore the boundaries of that. I will be honest, I really questioned the physics behind the pizza dough continuing to expand when they started adding like, cars and things on it, but I think I need to let go of that. It’s one kids will enjoy and, the illustration is really full of personality.

“My School Unicorn” by Willow Evans and Tom Knight from Simon Kids

One little girl is nervous about starting kindergarten, but as luck would have it the school uniform store also provides a handy little school unicorn to lend emotional support. This story was adorable, my kids were confused about why the girl had to return the unicorn, and honestly I kind of wish they got to stay friends forever too. Either way, very cute, very colourful, fun read aloud.

“Room for Everyone” Naaz Khan & Simon Kids

“Room for Everyone” is an instant classic in my opinion, fast paced, colourful, fun read aloud. With a structure that really is reminiscent of classic folk tales. It’s beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated, and tons of fun for readers.

“Wolfboy” is truly a delightful book, with it’s unusual plasticine illustration, that are fun and unique and a story that’s charming with a sweet twist at the end that readers will have a laugh at. Adorable.

Anti-Gift Guide

ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME YOU HATE ME? A Holiday Anti Gift Guide & 5 Books We Would Strongly Prefer

Posted on November 3, 2021November 24, 2021 by readwithriver

The expectation that when someone gives your kids something- when they were not asked to do so- you must pretend to be grateful, and then let it collect dust until it finally finds its way onto a donation pile or scrap heap is complete nonsense. And I object. So I’ve created a sample season’s greetings but no thank you letter for you all!

seasons-greetings-but-no-thank-you PDF Download

The narrative of forced gratitude for something that is actively inconvenient and wasteful is especially infuriating, to me, when the offending item was purchased for my child without considering my child as a person with preferences and feelings. (My kids are capable of talking, why doesn’t the person call them up and ask them “Hey what kinda stuff do you like?”)

Extra infuriating when it’s gigantic and noisy.

Can we please start changing the narrative that relatives and family friends need to give flashy toys to demonstrate a relationship? It’s really messed up, inconvenient, wasteful, and desperately harmful to our environment.

Before you say “well some people can only afford crappy plastic toys and they deserve to enjoy the gift giving time of the year” YES, they do, but can they ask first? Can they ask what the kid actually likes instead of deciding ‘that’s a boy-child and I’m gonna buy them a great big gun thing.’ Can they maybe get a ten dollar bill, go to the convenience store, have it broken into nickels, and give the kid a giant bag of coins? (My brother in law did that one year, and it was such a huge hit with my kid, and it cost him less than ten bucks.) Can they perhaps just buy some nice books, write a nice message in them, and sit down and read to the child? It’s not hard to make space for books, if they’re good books they get enjoyed way longer than a crappy plastic toy, and its an opportunity to build a relationship.

So here is a list of 5 love filled Grandparent Books I recommend Grandparents buy instead of getting random crap in the clearance section at Walmart.

TIME FOR BED, OLD HOUSE Janet Costa Bates, A.G. Ford @candlewickpress a boy’s first sleep over with his Grandpa, and it’s time to say goodnight to every part of the house.

CARLA AND THE CHRISTMAS CORNBREAD Carla Hall and Cherise Harris @simonkids a beautiful nostalgic story, with a delightful array of foods, and family traditions.

THE ELECTRIC SLIDE AND KAI Kelly J. Baptist and Darnell Johnson @leeandlowbooks One boy practices his dance moves in anticipation of finally seeing his grandpa again. A joyful happy family story.

THE WHOLE WORLD INSIDE NAN’S SOUP Hunter Liguore and Vikki Zhang Absolutely beautiful, would be nice to include your own recipe to pass down when writing a dedication into the end papers.

WE’LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN Lucy Menzies and Maddy Vian @quartokids this one is unusual, it flips open like two doors, and shows the little girl waiting to be reunited with the grandfather, who is on the otherside.

THE LONGER THE WAIT THE BIGGER THE HUG Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar @faberchildrens the third book in this charming classic series about love and affection.

These books were all submitted by the publishers for the #bookstagang _bestof2021 which is currently being judged!

#picturebooks

#christmasgiftsforkids

Anti-Gift Guide

5 Toys I Regret Buying & 5 Books You Should Get Instead! : More Books, Less Crap

Posted on November 2, 2021November 24, 2021 by readwithriver

This year I’ve had it with the garbage. I’m done I tell you, finished. I’ve been burned too many times before, and not only am I going to try my best to minimize the plastic crap that comes into my house, I want to warn you all against some of my worst purchasing choices (that came highly recommended) and give you a short list of the most hilarious read aloud books from this year. So yes, I bought all of these crappy toys, please don’t make my mistakes.

These book were all gifted to me by publishers, some are submissions for the #bookstagang_bestof2021 which is being judged as we speak. I am doing NO affiliate linking. If you choose to buy any of these books, I recommend ordering them from your local independent book shop, you can call and place an order ahead of time!

“Gigantosaurus: Roar, Giganto, Roar!: A Puppet Book” by Cyber Group Studios @bigpicturepress Willow is obsessed with this dinosaur puppet book. Such a huge hit!

“When I’m Not Looking” Farren Phillips @yeehoopress hilarious, engaging, search and find element included. Absolute delight.

“The Grumpy Fairies” by Bethan Stevens, adorable, funny, beautiful.

“Here Be Dragons” Susannah Lloyd and Paddy Donnelly @quartokids this one doesn’t technically release until February in North America but if you order from Blackwell’s you can get around that in time for the holidays.

“Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle” Cathay Ballou Mealley and Kelly Collier @kidscanpress

“Maybe…” by Chris Haughton Okay I said five but here’s a bonus book because I can’t leave it off the list! We love Haughton’s humorous books about mischievous animals and this new one about monkeys tempted by a tiger surrounded mango tree is top notch. Instant classic.

So these are the books I thought were the funniest of the year so far, they’re not the most educational, they’re not the most important or diverse. Just the funniest books my kids and I loved. If you’re looking for something more sentimental, fact filled, or looking to create a more intentionally diverse collection, check out some of my other recommended lists!

Demystifying publishing

What Happens to Banned Books?: Demystifying Publishing Part 9 with @readwithriver

Posted on September 27, 2021November 24, 2021 by readwithriver

What's the deal with banning books? What happens to the books? Who is most affected? Let's discuss! — Demystifying Publishing Part 9 with @readwithriver: What happens to Banned Books? #Bannedbooksweek

The History of Banning Books. As long as books have existed, people have tried to ban them. Banning books has always been about maintaining existing hierarchies of power, and control. Empathizing with people who are oppressed by those hierarchies is considered a threat to that power. In 1121 CE Abelard was forced to burn is hown book…he was also castrated. They didn’t play around back then. (Source Bond, S. ” Top 5 Ancient and Medieval Censored Books TO Read During Banned Book Week” Forbes, 2016.

Banned Books Today. Are banned books illegal tools of the devil? …No…Books are banned by individual school boards, libraries, schools, etc. You can still buy them, they are often harder to find.

Does banning a book make it more popular? “No Publicity is Bad Publicity”-P.T. Barnum. Books by already famous authors often see a jump in sales when they have a banned book. “Whether or not there is a benefit often hinges on how high profile an author is at the time of the challenge.” (Source King,N. “Banned Books Week: How the Blacklist can Goose a Book’s Sales” Marketplace.org, 2013.)

IF You’re Not A Famous Author… not a good time. “A lot of these authors who are challenged are not famous….Wealthy authors who sell a lot of books can hire publicists and attorneys to defend them, but your average mid-list author can’t. They’ve got to take these battles on personally.” (Source. King,N. “Banned Books Week: How the Blacklist can Goose a Book’s Sales” Marketplace.org, 2013.) “As an author of a recently challenged book, I will not trade freedom for profit. And I wouldn’t trade freedom for profit, even if the math was on my side.” (Sara Hockler, Sarahockler.com, 2010)

Who is most Impacted? Children. “THe history of children’s book publishing in America offers insight into the ways in which traditional attitudes about “appropriate” stories often end up marginalizing the lives and experiences of many young readers, rather than protecting them.” (Source, Ringle, P. “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children,” TheAtlantic.com, 2016.) “When we say ‘this book is inappropriate’ we’re telling those childrne your situation…your family…your life is inappropriate.”-Kate Messner

What kind of books get banned? “In 2019, eight out of the 10 books on the association’s list featured L.G.B.T.Q. subject matter. For 2020, however, that majority was fractured, with the addition of books that touch on racial injustice and police violence toward Black people and books by authors of color.” “In this case, we’re seeing an effort to stigmatize and vilify stories about racial injustice.”(Source, Waller, A. “Books About Racism and Police Violence Fill Out List of ‘Most Challenged Titles.” NYTIMES, 2020.)

Banned Books Week Since 1982 every year in September Banned Books Week is celebrated to fight against challenges, and support books that have been banned. A Coalition of Organizations works together for banned Books Week. Check it out to learn more.

Sources

Source 1: Bond, S. ” Top 5 Ancient and Medieval Censored Books TO Read During Banned Book Week” Forbes, 2016.

REad Source 1

Source 2: King, N. “Banned Books Week: How the Blacklist can Goose a Book’s Sales” Marketplace.org, 2013.

Read Source 2

Source 3: SaraH Ockler, SarahOckler.com, 2010

Read Source 3

Source 4: Ringle, P. “How Banning Books Marginalizes Children,” TheAtlantic.com, 2016.

Read Source 4

Source 5: Waller, A. “Books About Racism and Police Violence Fill Out List of ‘Most Challenged Titles.” NYTIMES, 2020.

Read Source 5

Demystifying publishing

4 Reasons why it’s important to Preorder Books if you want to help an Author Succeed

Posted on August 31, 2021November 24, 2021 by readwithriver

Have you ever wondered why publishers and authors are always publicizing preorder availability? There’s some very practical reasons for it!

Preordering a book that doesn’t arrive for months or years might seem unnecessary but your decision to preorder directly affects the book’s chances of commercial success.

1. Pre-release, preorders signal to publisher there will be interest, and they can adjust print runs to accurately meet demands. THe size of an initial print run announces to the world the confidence the publisher has in a book’s commercial success. The bigger the print run, the more confidence, the more buzz. Under printing can be a huge problem, because often people who cannot find a book in stock when they want it, will forget about it and not come back and buy it later.

2. Preorders then build buzz and encourage larger orders from big retailers. The buzz around the book is a great sales point that gets big retailers to make larger initial orders to prepare for consumer demand. This is of course not a good thing if after the fact nobody buys them, because they’ll be returned. But having them ordered and in stock means that they are available and a book has a chance to succeed.

3. Post-release, preorders sales count as part of first week sales. These inflated numbers allow books to launch and climb the rankings onto the bestseller lists which guarantee continued sales. Being on a bestseller list is one of the best things that can happen to a book commercially. People who have never heard of it, and might have never considered buying it, will go out and buy it because it is on this list.

4. Support independent Bookshops with guaranteed sale for their stock, helps mitigate risks. Independent bookshops help authors with creating readership and awareness. Preorders are guaranteed sales, and it allows retailers who operate on small profit margins and are risk averse to have a guaranteed sale on a book. Independent bookshops work hard to create opportunities for local authors and illustrators, to help them create buzz and get books out there. Supporting indie bookshops is supporting the culture of books.

Special thanks to the team at Walker Books for answering questions about this issue as well as UK Book Publisher, Editorial director at Andersen Press, Libby Hamilton @LibbyHamHam on Instagram