Episode #86: Understanding Imprints and Changes in Publishing

Welcome back! The book friends took a couple of weeks off from the podcast and are happy to be recording again. The pause was a combination of not being satisfied with some past recordings and also the chaos of pandemic life in the midst of a big election season. It seems like a great time for fresh starts!

Speaking of fresh starts, there are going to be some changes to this podcast. The book friends are trying to figure out where they want to take the podcast from here. There may be a few more inconsistencies! In the meantime so you don’t miss a show, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts! There will be a survey sent out soon because Grace and Alvina would like to hear your podcast suggestions. Thank you in advance for staying supportive and tuned in!

“How have you been?”

Grace has obviously felt as though a weight has been lifted since the election. Her husband said recently “Hey, you laughed at my joke! Like really laughed, not just a courtesy laugh.” She hadn’t realized how stressed and anxious she was leading up to the election. Her daughter’s school is going back to a few days in-person learning so that is causing some trouble with the keeping the pod together. It’s also hard to try and keep adjusting to all these school schedule changes.

Alvina has also felt so relieved post-election. Although she has some big changes and happenings on the work front. Little Brown had their big focus meeting and it “was hard to focus!”. (Grace asks, “what’s the difference between a focus meeting and a sales conference?”) The other big news is that Jimmy Books, the James Patterson children’s book imprint, will be closing and shifting gears. All of the books will be moving over to Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

Alvina goes onto explain what this means to Little Brown and her job. First, she defines what an eponymous imprint actually is. She mentions other examples such as Christy Ottaviano books, Macmillan imprint, author imprints, Joy Revolution imprint, and Rick Riordan Presents. An author can have an imprint if they have a platform and a way to uplift other author’s work.

Grace is curious about imprints from an author’s point of view. She asks what benchmarks have to be achieved in order to have an imprint? Alvina explains to her that she could have one right now if she really wanted! You really just need a consistent platform and a brand. Grace and Alvina also discuss buying backlists, Little Brown’s acquisition of Disney, and the pros and cons of the publishing company’s growth.

“What are you grateful for?”

Grace is grateful for the election results but also that it took a while to get the results. After the first night, when it seemed like Trump was going to win, Grace said something to her daughter that was really therapeutic for her too. She told her, “Whatever happens we are going to continue to work hard and do good things.” This helped calm herself down as well!

Alvina is grateful for representation in our newly elected VP, Kamala Harris!

Two-Minute Book Review with Alison Morris

“My Hair is Like Magic” by M.L. Marroquin and illustrated by Tonya Engel.

…"multi-layered richness that I think just radiates emotions.”

Alison Morris is a nationally recognized children's book buyer with an infectious enthusiasm for reading and 20 years' experience matching books to readers. As the Senior Director of Title Selection for nonprofit First Book, she oversees the curation of children’s and young adult books on the First Book Marketplace, hand-selecting a diverse range of titles that speak to and address the needs of kids in underserved communities, with a keen eye to inclusion, authenticity, and kid-appeal. She previously served as Senior Editor at Scholastic Book Clubs, Children's Book Buyer for Wellesley Booksmith and The Dartmouth Bookstore, and was the founding blogger of the ShelfTalker children’s book blog for Publishers Weekly. She'll be joining us from her home near Washington, DC where she spends LOTS of time discussing books with her husband, illustrator and graphic novelist Gareth Hinds.