Cool April Showers greeted attendees of the 35th annual Bologna Children's Book Fair, which kicked off on April 8. But it would take more than rain to dampen the spirit of the international children's book commu-nity, gathered for its annual foreign rights show. Despite the weather (which gave way to warm Italian sun by fair's end) and concerns about NATO military action in nearby Kosovo, the overall mood was one of understated enthusiasm, and most American editors came away with at least a few interesting titles to con-sider for purchase. The even-keeled tone of this year's event has prevailed at Bologna throughout most of this decade, a marked change from the auc-tions and big deals of the late '80s.
"The days of clamor and buzz were before my time," said Simon Bough-ton, publishing director for Crown and Knopf, who has attended Bologna for the past five years. "Lots of important books are pre-sold now."
Linda Kaplan, associate director of subsidiary rights at Hyperion, ech d his comments. "Unlike Frankfurt, it's very rare to make a deal here," she said. "We often finalize negotiations that were already underway, but I find that fewer companies have their top person here ready to commit. These days you must talk to the marketing people first."
Britain's Transworld is one pub-lisher that bucked the trends a bit this year. Rights director Rebecca Winfield evoked memories of fairs past when she gave word that a picture book she was showing at the fair, The Silver Swan by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Christian Birmingham, was the subject of a three-way auction among U.S. publishers. "We're looking at a 40,000-copy project," Winfield said. "We hope we can achieve those numbers." She was obviously pleased with the attention the book received, but did not expect to close the deal until after the fair.
For many in the children's book industry, recent changes in business practices have so far not undercut the importance of meeting one's foreign colleagues, publishing partners and friends face-to-face in Bologna. "Seeing how different countries publish always gives you a fresh idea," Boughton said. "I like the sudden reminder that this is an international industry."
The fair is also a chance for many larger publishers to tout their global reach. This trend was clearly evident in the combined stands of such behemoths as Egmont, Random House, Scholastic and DK, where geographically disparate divisions of the companies did business side by side.
But despite the presence of such powerhouses, the publishing world is not necessarily shrinking. Winfield commented, "A few years ago, I felt we might start to see an erosion of cultural differences because of the [economic] need to sell c ditions. But at a fair like this, you can see that the industry is still diverse and that nothing will erode that."
First-time attendee Liz Szabla, editorial director of Scholastic Press, observed, "Editorially, the perspective you gain from seeing books from all over the world is invaluable. We have few forums where we can communicate with foreign publishers."
Another newcomer to Bologna, Peachtree president and publisher Margaret Quinlin, said she was "exhilarated" by the meetings she'd had during the fair.
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| DISNEY'S LISA HOLTON (I.) and Random U.K.'s Linda Summers discuss prospective deals. |
"There's much more of a sense of collaboration here," she noted. "I'm having many more editorial discussions than at Frankfurt. I think it's the focus on children's books -- it's all you're thinking about, and you're not distracted by other possibilities." And she marveled, as many first-time visitors to Italy's gastronomic capital do: "It's amazing what pasta can taste like!"
Many longtime fairg rs noted a decrease in general aisle traffic this year. But the relative quiet was welcomed by most, since less foot traffic means less encroachment on the stands by public visitors (who frequently have sticky fingers). This by no means indicated lighter schedules; most rights directors, editors and agents still juggled full rosters of appointments.
Szabla said she had been expecting "more of a BEA-type fervor" at Bologna. "Though this fair feels calmer and easier to manage," she said, "it's just as exhausting."
In France, Les Chaises Musiques
Some of the biggest news at the fair involved the recent executive shifts at three French publishing houses. Unlike the sometimes "musical-chairs" atmosphere in U.S. publishing, such major personnel changes are rare in France.
Last month, after 27 years at Gallimard Jeunesse, where he developed a well-respected line of children's books (including the First Discoveries series published by Scholastic in the U.S.), Pierre Marchand moved to the newly created position of creative director at Hachette, one of the country's largest publishing houses. "I wanted to give myself a kick in the pants," Marchand said of the move. "I have several good years left and I want to do something important." In his new capacity he will work on all book genres, and he sees "endless possibilities to do more, in different markets."
In other changes, Jean-Claude Dubost left his longtime post as head of Bayard Editions to become head of the mass market paperback division of the Havas Group, which includes Pocket Jeunesse and other lines. Fol-lowing Du-bost's departure, Charles-Jean Pradelle is currently the acting director of Bayard Editions. "The 50-year-old guys are all moving around," Marchand said with a laugh.
Picture Book Trends
The auction for U.S. rights aside, Transworld's The Silver Swan is an anomaly for other reasons as well. According to Winfield, the title is a departure from the type of picture books American publishers have been buying for the past few years. "The books that have worked best in the U.S. lately are those with very short text and beautiful art," she said. "U.S. editors have generally been more interested in the preschool market -- which is why I was a bit surprised that The Silver Swan, which has a considerable text, has gotten so much attention."
Random House Children's Publishing's president Craig Virden commented on another aspect of that trend: "People don't seem to care what the text is as long as the art is pretty. My point of view is the opposite -- if you don't have a good story, you can't go anywhere."
For Rebecca Mancini at Houghton Mifflin, her book of the fair was David Wiesner's new picture book, Sector 7. "Everyone loves it across the board -- I've had really strong interest from France, Germany, Japan," she said. "It's been such a long time since his last book, and this one completely fulfilled everyone's expectations."
Jonathan Cape was showing a Babette Cole picture book that not surprisingly provoked some strong reactions: Hair in Funny Places, a rather in-your-face guide to puberty. Random U.K. rights director Linda Summers admitted that the book is "controversial," she sold 15,000 copies to Editions Seuil in France just before the fair, and was putting together a first printing that included Denmark, Holland and Finland. By fair's end she didn't have an American buyer, though she said "people do want to see it, and say they'll think on it." Another printing for Spain, Germany, Italy and the U.S. will be organized as well, and Summers also reported strong interest from Taiwan, Japan and Greece.
Australian publisher Margaret Hamilton of Margaret Hamilton Books remarked that in her home country, the market for children's hardcover picture books has become very tough. "Quite a few publishers are cutting back," she said. "But I'm trying to do more. I'm on a crusade to keep them going. I'm also very lucky to have the financial support of Scholastic Australia," of which Margaret Hamilton Books has been a division since 1997.
At the Simon &Schuster stand, v-p and associate publisher Carol R der said that publishers from several countries were thrilled to see the re-emergence of Kay Thompson's Eloise in newly reissued picture books, which have long been out of print. R der also talked up a picture book called Olivia by newcomer Ian Falconer, which was generating buzz among foreign editors. "People just love this character," she said of plucky pig Olivia.
R der noted that character-driven projects are particularly appealing, as S&S and other companies around the world now have greater potential to create an entertainment franchise that could include television, film and merchandise in addition to books.
Lisa Holton of Disney Publishing Worldwide, whose company is famous for its mastery of such synergies, agrees that franchises provide numerous possibilities. "It's wonderful for us to have so many options in terms of TV, film and book rights," she stated. In Bologna Hyperion finalized rights sales to France, Italy, Spain and Germany for Toni Morrison's children's book, The Big Box, illustrated by Giselle Potter, due from Hyperion this fall. A fall picture book by singer Julie Andrews, entitled Little Bo, also generated some international interest. And in perhaps the funniest cultural misunderstanding of the fair, Holton said that many British visitors to the Hyperion stand believed the picture book Happy to Be Nappy by bell hooks, illustrated by Chris Raschka, was a story about diapers.
The franchise idea is especially intriguing to Japanese publishers at the moment, according to R der. "An editor from Japan UNI told me that characters with franchise possibilities are very desirable in Japan right now because the children's book market is very tight," she said.
Yurika Yokota Yoshida, children's books manager for the Japan Foreign-Rights Centre, described a similar situation. "All of Japan is in a recession," she explained. "It's very difficult to introduce a new author or artist right now. For the first time, Japanese publishers are putting a real emphasis on backlist." As part of this trend, the Japanese houses are pursuing such older American classics as Harry the Dirty Dog and titles by Virginia Lee Burton. "Many of the big publishing houses are re-contracting the Japanese rights on these classic books and promoting them as `limited editions,' " she added.
The market may be quiet in Japan, but according to Mancini at Houghton Mifflin and Yoshikazu Iwasaki of Japan's Tuttle-Mori Agency, an auction will be held at the end of this month among three Japanese companies for rights to
 | BOLOGNA PROVIDES a chance for many larger publishers to tout their global reach, a trend evident in the combined stands of such publishers as DK (I.), Egmont (below), Random House and Scholastic, where geographically disparate divisions do business side by side. |
Houghton's new line of 8x8 Curious George titles. It's unusual for Japanese publishers to go to auction, but this is a hotly contested property. "Curious George is a classic in Japan," Iwasaki said. "It's been selling since the 1940s, and the movie is coming out in 2001. The merchandise is very successful; already in Japan there are 30 licensees."
Little, Brown's John Keller hopes to start a franchise of his own with a project he bought from Orchard on the first day of the fair: a picture book 
called Poppy and Max by newcomer Lindsey Gardiner. "We took a strong position on it," said Keller, who bought rights to a sequel as well, in hopes of repeating his company's success with Jane Simmons's Daisy books, another purchase from Orchard at a previous Bologna.
In a quest to find new and interesting picture-book talent, Brenda Bowen, publisher of S&S Children's Books, commented that she and other American publishers seemed to be working directly with more British agents and illustrators' representatives. "I don't think it's a threat to British publishers," she said. "But it is certainly getting more exposure for foreign illustrators."
Harry Potter and the Fiction Resurgence
The astounding success of British author J.K. Rowling's first two titles about Harry Potter has had a global ripple effect. Buoyed by the crossover appeal and staying power of the Harry Potter books in the U.S. and the U.K., editors from a number of countries are once again encouraged about acquiring hardcover fiction.
"Harry Potter has opened up the door for middle-grade hardcover," said Bowen at S&S. Boughton of Random House agreed. "There is lots of enthusiasm around the category," he said. "But if one more person tells me they've got `the next Harry Potter,' I'm going to scream."
Sarah Odedina, editorial director at Bloomsbury Children's Books (the originating publisher of Harry Potter), remarked that "our fiction status has risen since Harry Potter. Our books have been very well-received [in Bologna] and people are also keen to show us what they've got."
Odedina also described a strengthening home market for YA fiction. "The British YA market is becoming more sophisticated," she said. "We're choosing the best of what's out there. We know we can get literary, meaningful novels from the U.S." As an example, Odedina said, Bloomsbury is very happy to be publishing Holes by Louis Sachar in early 2000. She also described a new monthly YA promotion at Britain's W.H. Smith chain; beginning this month, the stores will feature YA titles once a month -- a first for the stores.
Young adult fiction is also making a bit of a splash in Germany, where Susanne Koppe, editor for the Rotfuchs division of Rowholt, said new authors and crossover titles are on the rise. "We have a lot more `Gen X' titles now," Koppe said. "We no longer indicate ages on the book covers, which makes the titles more of a crossover." YA books are also receiving more review coverage than ever before, especially in venues such as teen magazines. Rotfuchs will also publish the German edition of Francesca Lia Block's The Hanged Man this fall, though it will be re-titled The Queen of Cups.
Francesca Lazzarato at Mondadori gave word that fiction is thriving at her company; Mondadori publishes 120 children's fiction titles a year, ranging from popular series authors R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike to literary names like Robert Cormier, Margaret Mahy and Gary Paulsen. "The children's market is the only market that is working right now in Italy," Lazzarato said, "that and pocket books for adults." Though there is a demand among parents and teachers for Italian authors, Lazzarato prefers to publish foreign authors, because "Italian literature for children has a pedogogical aim," she said, and she believes "reading must be a pleasure."
Fiction is also faring well in France, but the market is becoming increasingly competitive, according to Christine Baker, editor-in-chief at Gallimard Jeu-nesse. "There is a new emphasis on marketing," she said. "We're finding new ways to promote our books." Gallimard is also taking new directions with its fiction, including Drôles d'Aventures, a humorous series that combines adventure and the exploration of geography, careers and cultures. Several U.S. publishers have expressed interest in the slick-looking Romans Images, a series of short novels that contain glossy photos of the characters on location, a technique inspired by films and magazines.
"We've done very well with titles by Philip Pullman and the Harry Potter books," Baker said. "And American authors like Ann M. Martin and Paula Danziger are fast becoming household names."
According to Margaret Hamilton, the middle grade and YA fiction market in Australia and elsewhere is ready for a walk on the light side. "People are sick of the gloom and doom books," she said. "They have been asking to see humorous titles."
Stateside, Disney's Holton closed a deal with British agent Rosemary Cantor for a fantasy trilogy called Wind on Fire by William Nicholson, for readers 10-up. Holton also noted a growing number of young readers in America who don't require translations of Briticisms. "We're publishing a series this fall called Fab Five and we're not Americanizing it at all," she said. "Lots of kids are already familiar with British slang through the Spice Girls and other influences."
Front Street's Stephen Roxburgh called the YA resurgence "music to my ears." He reported that many foreign publishers are starting up YA programs and were coming to see his list, and he was getting strong interest in his books from countries such as Scandinavia and Germany, as well as Israel, Italy and Slovenia. "Who'd have thought?" he said. "I'm flabbergasted."
According to FSG rights director Maria Kjoller, "Everyone's looking for quality fiction -- good, edgy, sophisticated stuff. Which is good for Americans -- we're starting to develop our lists that way. We're catching up. And we're not limited if a story is set in America; if it's really strong and character-driven people will look at it."
Elsewhere Around the Globe
"The kids' market [around the world] is big again," observed Jeanette Lundgren, subsidiary rights director of Random House Books for Young Readers, "ex-cept in territories where there's a problem, like Japan." Her biggest success at the fair was with Marilyn Kaye's Replica series, which has been sold into 14 countries, and a movie deal is pending.
"I've had more German meetings than I've ever had in my life," Lundgren said. "People have said to me that the German market is depressed, but we've never stopped selling to them. Spain isn't a happening market; they'll take series, but you're really lucky if you can sell them a novel. Eastern Europe is a non-market right now. Korea is coming out of its depression, but the Far East in general isn't doing great."
The market in South America is a difficult one at the moment, thanks to the struggling economies of the continent's largest countries, Brazil and Argentina. But Rafael Rodríguez Calcaño at Monte Avila Editores in Caracas reported that the market for children's books is increasing in Venezuela. Previously, he said, companies primarily imported books from Spain, but "now Venezuelan publishers are waking up and publishing more books on their own." His company, the second largest children's house in the country, issues 100 new titles a year. An important source of revenue, he said, has been sales of their books to distributors in the States, but he is beginning to sell rights this year as well, for the first time.
The situation in Scandinavia is stable, according to Jesper Holm, managing director of Carlsen in Denmark and Sweden. "Public buying [for libraries], which used to be very high, is going down," he said, "but parents are compensating by buying books themselves." Carlsen's major trading partners are Germany, Holland and Central European countries. "We don't buy or sell to the States very much," Holm said. "U.S. publishers are still very oriented toward their domestic market." But his company has done very well with the Star Wars novels, Dilbert and Garfield comics, and also Grosset's Zack Files series, which is selling in sets to schools.
The Web and the Future
The Harry Potter phenomenon has done much more than reinvigorate the fiction market. It is also forcing publishers from around the globe to examine the issues of territorial rights and online bookselling. Though it was not discussed so much in Bologna, publishers are well aware of the conflicts that arose when readers (and some booksellers) in the U.S. were able to obtain British editions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets via the Internet (the U.S. edition will be released by Scholastic in June). The situation signaled the potential for damage to territorial rights agreements as they are currently negotiated.
At least one publisher in France is taking action to avoid such problems. According to French agent Jacqueline Miller, editors at a French publishing house have been told that henceforth all rights acquisitions must be for world French rights, rather than for "world French rights excluding North America or Quebec."
"This mandatory acquisition of world rights is in direct response to online sales of books," Miller said. "As an agent I intend to negotiate future deals for world French-language rights, no matter where the publisher is located. I prefer to avoid setting up deals that are bound to make people unhappy as online bookselling grows."
But the Web has also been the catalyst for some positive developments as well. David Bennett of David Bennett Books in the U.K. was showing a handmade dummy of a complicated pop-up book, which garnered interest from a number of publishers. Rather than go to the expense of creating additional dummies and sending them to potential buyers, Bennett created a Web site where publishers could use a special password and get access to the page for 24 hours, to view the project. Rules for entering an auction on the book were sent via e-mail. "It was an innovation I hadn't encountered before and I thought it was pretty wonderful," said Bowen at S&S.
Such advances are sure to be more widely accepted as the Bologna Book Fair heads into the next millennium. And in 2000, fair officials will break tradition by hosting the fair from Wednesday through Saturday, in an effort to keep more of the public (who have traditionally gained admission over the weekend) at bay. And the dates are earlier than usual as well: March 29-April 1, well in advance of Easter (which d sn't fall until April 23).
