Roaring Brook Press

Just as a new imprint signals a company's growth or change in direction, a newly minted imprint is also a perfect symbol for making a fresh start. Such is the case with Roaring Brook Press, a children's book imprint formed at Millbrook Press last year that is releasing its first titles in March. Roaring Brook is a confluence of publishing experience, the meeting of three long-time children's book professionals who had previously worked in large publishing houses.

Roaring Brook publisher Simon Boughton, formerly publishing director of Random House's Knopf and Crown imprints, relishes both the opportunities and the challenges that come with working for a smaller company. "There are some things that large houses do well and some things that a small house can do well or even better than the large houses," he said. "We can pay authors a certain level of attention no matter where they are on the list. We are an author-driven program and plan to do well by our authors so that they stay with us. Our goal is not to have any overlooked books."

Boughton believes that in these days of consolidation, larger companies simply cannot compete on that particular point. "Big houses are now managing very, very big lists. Everyone is stretched thin and has to keep a lot of balls in the air at once."

For Roaring Brook, not only are the books new but so is the office set-up. Boughton works from the Millbrook offices in Connecticut along with an assistant, Lorrie Barrett. Deborah Brodie, Roaring Brook's executive editor (and former executive editor at Viking Children's Books) works from her home in Manhattan, as does consulting editor Neal Porter (formerly v-p and publisher of children's books at DK). "It works very well," Boughton said of the arrangement. "Most days we talk on the phone and we probably meet two or three times a month. Distance has not been an obstacle."

Porter agreed. "It's been great to work at home," he commented. "We don't really have formal meetings, but Deborah, Simon and I can get together for a bite to eat and go through things. Small is definitely better in this case. We have more time to physically work on the books and are able to dispense with all the bureaucratic stuff. That's been a terrific boon."

The spring 2002 launch list contains 20 titles, with 18 to 20 more to follow in the fall. Given their respective backgrounds, Boughton, Brodie and Porter have been able to bring existing relationships with authors, illustrators and agents to Roaring Brook. A mix of picture books and novels, the list is, in Boughton's words, "distinctive and somewhat literary," with room for each of the principles to bring his or her own perspectives to the program. Brodie has edited middle-grade and YA fiction for the first list, while Boughton has focused on some "straightforward picture books that are very young." Porter has brought with him a few picture books that were under contract at DK and has acquired some others as well. But Roaring Brook does not plan to rely only on established alliances. "We're trying to keep a balance of people we know and new people," Boughton explained. "We'd like to have authors and illustrators at all different stages of their careers."

Roaring Brook is expected to make good business sense for Millbrook, a company with a long-standing presence in the school and library market. "They have a solid base in libraries, and we're a trade publisher where lots of sales are going to be to libraries. We can pull Millbrook more into the trade side of things," Boughton noted. "They have really given us terrific support." Roaring Brook titles will be sold by Millbrook's commission sales reps and promoted via Millbrook's publicity and marketing divisions, with a freelance publicist, Deborah Broide, dedicated to the imprint.

As the Roaring Brook launch draws closer, Boughton expressed his enthusiasm for the new line. "I'm really having a lot of fun," he said. "There's nothing better than starting something from the beginning." And Porter concurred: "I'm delighted at how it's come together."

Bloomsbury USA

Three years ago, U.K. publisher Bloomsbury brought a division of its adult publishing operations to U.S. shores. According to Sarah Odedina, Bloomsbury's editorial director for children's books worldwide, the success of that earlier Stateside move prompted the company to open a children's unit of Bloomsbury USA in New York. The first Bloomsbury USA children's list makes its debut this May with 19 titles.

Having published such international hits as Harry Potter (Bloomsbury U.K. is J.K. Rowling's originating publisher), Odedina said, "It seems to make enormous sense for us to publish our own books in the U.S. rather than to continue to license them to other U.S. publishers." When asked in particular about Harry Potter's future in the U.S. market, however, Odedina responded, "Scholastic is the U.S. publisher of Harry Potter."

The new children's book arrangement will help Bloomsbury build on its world view. "The ideal model for us as an international children's publishing house is to produce books on both sides of the Atlantic for sale on both sides of the Atlantic," Odedina said. "For the first few lists, the titles will primarily be books originated in the U.K., but the balance will shift, with more books coming onto the Bloomsbury list worldwide from our American editorial office."

The New York office has three staff members: editorial director Victoria Wells Arms, marketing and publicity director Anna Johnson and their assistant, Julie Romeis. There are no plans to expand the group; as Odedina noted, "I think for the time being that works perfectly." Bloomsbury USA books are distributed by Holtzbrink/St. Martin's Press.

Arms and Odedina will work jointly on acquiring titles. "Victoria and I are part of the same editorial department. Victoria considers submissions that are made to the London office and we in London consider submissions that are made to the New York office, and between us we commission." Odedina admits that some titles may be perfect for one market and not the other, but "ideally, we are building a global list with just a few exceptions." Bloomsbury in the U.K. publishes 60 to 70 books per year and Odedina expects the new division will approach that same output, but such volume "will take a few seasons to grow."

As for Bloomsbury USA publishing rights, Odedina explained, "We are aiming to acquire U.K. rights in everything that we think would work well in the U.K., just as we are aiming to acquire U.S. rights in titles originated in the U.K. I think as a transatlantic publisher, we can bring a lot to a book and an author. We feel 'ownership' of the book in a fundamental way when we know it is going to be published with our logo in both markets."

It's obvious Bloomsbury believes the time couldn't be better for this expansion as Odedina characterized her company's enthusiasm: "I think that the differences that were once felt to exist between the U.K. and the U.S. have now pretty much vanished, and the opportunity to enjoy the world English market is fabulously exciting."

Starscape

What to do when your company has an acclaimed adult science fiction and fantasy backlist that consistently attracts a younger audience? In the case of Tor Books, the answer was to create a new imprint making those adult books more readily available to young readers. Thus, Starscape, a new line of science fiction and fantasy books for readers 10-up, was born.

"It was a fortuitous collaboration of the thoughts I had about developing and expanding the children's list and where Tor was in the marketplace," explained Jonathan Schmidt, the editor who will be overseeing Starscape (which he also named). Kathleen Doherty, publisher of Tor's children's and young adult division, has a similar recollection of Starscape's genesis. "It was partly timing and partly understanding what we had. I've seen interest in science fiction and fantasy grow and become more respectable in the school and library market over the years. We knew there was an interest there, but we weren't doing anything to maximize the authors and titles we had; there was a whole audience that was not being marketed to appropriately."

To reach the new market, Schmidt established that Starscape books would be hand-picked from what was considered "the best of the best. The titles I'm looking at must have received special attention and commendation from librarians, reviewers, and respected journals and organizations," he said. In addition, Starscape books must be thematically and age appropriate.

"This list is not just a repackaging effort," Schmidt emphasized. "I'm trolling far and wide looking for great books." He added that his search includes considering works from other publishers and also original material, something he hopes to publish more of in the future.

Popular books by Robert Jordan, Diana Wynne Jones, Joan Aiken and Orson Scott Card are among those backlist titles receiving the Starscape treatment, meaning they have been repackaged and redesigned with larger type and new art that is more "kid-friendly." The debut Starscape entries, From the Two Rivers and To the Blight, both by Robert Jordan, were released this month, each featuring a new chapter, new glossary and illustrations—what Doherty calls "value-added additions."

According to Doherty, plans are to publish on a mass-market schedule: approximately two titles per month, at $5.99 each, a lower price point than the adult versions. "We wanted the books to be more affordable for the younger readership," she commented. The first year of Starscape books will consist of 90% backlist and 10% reissued out-of-print titles. By 2003, Doherty hopes they will offer 80% backlist, 10% reissues and 10% original material.

"Feedback has been tremendously supportive," said Doherty. "We did a mailing to librarians and teachers, and I've been getting many wonderful e-mails from them." A national movie slide ad campaign shown in conjunction with screening of the hit film The Fellowship of the Ring has meant eight million impressions touting Starscape's launch. In addition, the coming months will provide fans with opportunities to meet some Starscape authors. Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game) will tour in Florida in February; Joan Aiken will also be in Florida in late March and may make appearances in New York City; and plans are in the works for signings by Jane Yolen and Patricia Wrede in various cities. According to Schmidt, the Web site www.starscapebooks.com will, hopefully, evolve into a place where readers and authors can interact and where "we can respond to our readers in a more direct fashion."

Looking to the future, Schmidt feels confident that Starscape will become a fixture in the publishing landscape. "For adults, science-fiction and fantasy are genres," he said. "But for kids, science fiction and fantasy are a rite of passage that they go through, trying to figure out how the world works and what their place in it is. These books help orient curious children in a confusing world. It gives them a compass for finding their way."

Firebird

With the tag line "Where Fantasy Takes Flight," Penguin Putnam tests the wings of a newly hatched imprint called Firebird, launching this month. The paperback line, consisting of backlist science fiction and fantasy titles with appeal for both teenage and adult readers, is under the aegis of Sharyn November, senior editor at Puffin and Viking Children's Books.

According to November, Firebird was born out of the feedback she has received from teen readers over the past several years. "I've been working with teenagers in the schools since 1996," she said. "During that time, I discovered that the most devoted readers I heard from were into genre fiction and they were going to the adult sections to find the books they wanted. I realized that there was an opportunity there for us."

Science fiction and fantasy, which November collectively terms "speculative" fiction, have the broadest genre appeal, in her view, because they can be enjoyed by a wide spectrum of readers. "Fantasy and science fiction aren't ageist," she explained. "There's no stigma in being seen reading something like A Wrinkle in Time or The Blue Sword or anything by Lloyd Alexander. Whether you're 10, 25 or 50, it doesn't matter." For that reason, Firebird books are designed to be cross-shelved in bookstores in both the young adult and adult genre sections. Cover art will be created by adult genre cover artists and each inside back cover will contain an essay or biography written by the author. November describes the general design as "upscale, mass-market-trim books." And to distinguish Firebird as a truly new bird for an older audience, the books will contain no mention of Puffin, its younger counterpart.

Firebird's first four titles—Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies, Westmark by Lloyd Alexander, I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer and The Ear, the Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer—are examples of the range November will look for when selecting books for the line. At present, Firebird's list will consist of reprints and reissues; there are no plans to introduce original works. With that strategy, November has a wide field from which to harvest Firebird titles, beginning with the various Penguin Putnam imprints (Dial, Dutton, Philomel, Viking among those on the children's side; Ace, Roc and DAW on the adult end) as well as other hardcover publishers or individual authors November deals with in her continuing capacity as senior editor at Puffin and Viking.

But November will have more than her instincts to rely on for title selection. She has formed two editorial advisory boards—one consisting of teenagers from across the country (and other countries, too) and one consisting of authors, editors, publishers, booksellers, librarians and reviewers who are experts in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Comments and advice from the board will play a role in November's selection of the 12 to 18 Firebird books published each year.

Getting the word out about Firebird includes the debut of www.firebirdbooks.com, a Web site that will feature a book cover gallery, first chapters, related links, an interactive bulletin board and book discussions with author participation. November is currently working on the first Firebird newsletter as well. Of her pet project, November enthused, "It's so rewarding. I come to this as a reader first and now I can turn teenagers on to these wonderful books. That's really, really exciting."

PUSH

A line of books that will "push teen literature to the next step, into the next generation." That's what Scholastic senior editor David Levithan had in mind four years ago when, as an assistant editor, he wrote what he jokingly called "the manifesto" proposing a new imprint. The result of those efforts is the paperback imprint PUSH, which debuts next month. Among the four launch titles are You Remind Me of You, A Poetry Memoir by Eireann Corrigan, an autobiographical account of a young woman's struggle with anorexia, and the paperback reprint of Cut by Patricia McCormick, about another young woman's confrontation of serious self-esteem issues.

"Our goal in general is to create a new body of teen literature," Levithan explained. "We were seeing publishers doing less for readers over the age of 13 and realized that much of what we had known as 'young adult' was quickly becoming out of date. This presented us with a choice. Either we had to go for it 100%, or forget it and say that we don't publish YA anymore. We decided to approach teens again and we chose the most radical approach."

Part of that radical approach are the criteria for a PUSH book. Each title must be written by a first-time author and must "speak straight to teens," according to Levithan. The only exception is authors whose first work appears on the PUSH list; their subsequent books can also be published in the imprint.

So far, Levithan has had no trouble discovering new voices. "It's been mostly word-of-mouth at this point," he said. "These writers don't have agents or know the ins and outs of publishing. I'm often going outside all the regular channels to find authors." He notes that much of what he reads is coming from high school students, or those just out of high school or college. Additional submissions will come via a PUSH novel contest, run in conjunction with the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards contests open to middle-grade and high school students. The lucky PUSH winner will have his or her book developed for publication.

A Web site dedicated to the imprint, www.thisispush.com, went live on January 15. Levithan hopes that it will become a place where writers will share ideas. To that end, the site is not connected to the www.scholastic.com server, and does not have the same content restrictions as sites for other Scholastic imprints for younger readers. Further efforts to publicize the new line include radio ads, Internet cross-promotions and free postcards distributed at Tower Records stores. Two of the debut titles, Pure Sunshine by Brian James and Kerosene by Chris Wooding, have been made available as e-exclusives in the Gemstar e-book format from December 15—February 15. Those titles benefited from promotion on the interactive program guides featured by Gemstar-TV Guide. And this spring Levithan and several authors from the PUSH list will embark on a tour to New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Seattle, visiting bookstores, high schools, cafes, writing workshops and other places where they are likely to reach teens interested in both reading and writing new books.

Currently, plans call for publishing six to eight PUSH titles per year, not on a strict seasonal schedule, but "when we have just the right books," said Leviithan. And judging from in-house enthusiasm, there are likely to be lots of titles in the pipeline. "It's so exciting to work with new writers and shepherd their words into the world," he said. "We're very happy to be able to bring these books to the table."