Fall is traditionally a season for new undertakings in the publishing business, and this year is no exception. PW recently touched base with some publishers poised to introduce new lines of children's books. Here are profiles of a trio of such ventures.
MacAdam/Cage Moves into Children's Books
MacAdam/Cage, a publisher with editorial offices in San Francisco and marketing and sales operations in Denver, now has a presence in the East as well, as it recently launched MacAdam/Cage Children's Books out of the western Massachusetts office of Chandler Crawford, editor-in-chief of the new line. A 22-year veteran of publishing, Crawford now runs her own literary agency, specializing in selling international rights for American books.
Explaining the latest step on her career path, Crawford noted that over the years she has spent a great deal of time reading to her now eight-year-old daughter. "I have enjoyed reading to her great books that belonged to my stepson, who is now 24," she said. "But whenever I'd go to a bookstore to try to buy these books to send to friends, I repeatedly discovered that they are out of print. Then my sister, who is a bookseller in New Hampshire, passed along to me a copy of Quimble Wood by N.M. Bodecker, and I thought it was the most perfect book I'd ever read. But it, too, was out of print. So my husband and I thought, 'Why not start a publishing house so that we can reintroduce some of these wonderful out-of-print books?' "
While at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Crawford shared that prospect with the folks at MacAdam/Cage, one of the publisher clients of her foreign rights business, who suggested that they join forces. "We all thought this was a very good idea, since they have an excellent infrastructure to publish and distribute books," Crawford said, adding that her publishing philosophy was entirely in sync with that of this house. "David Poindexter, MacAdam/Cage's publisher, others at the company and I all believe that there are many great authors and great books not getting published. There are so many wonderful children's books from other countries that are never released here and many of the great children's books published in this country go out of print."
Not surprisingly, books translated from other languages and out-of-print titles will make up the MacAdam/Cage's children's book list. Of the inaugural four titles, due this season, two fall into the latter category. These are brief chapter books written by Bodecker: Quimble Wood, which follows the adventures of a quartet of diminutive characters called quimbles, is illustrated by Branka Starr, and The Mushroom Center Disaster, in which Beetle and his pals find a way to recycle the discarded remains of a picnic. Both feature art by Erik Blegvad.
Also debuting this season is a pair of picture books originally published in Europe. Emile, the story of a white house cat who discovers the beautiful colors of the outdoor world, is written by Kurt Futterer, illustrated by Ralf Futterer (his son) and translated from the German by Bronwen Gray, Sepcht and Ingrid McGillis (the book won Germany's Troisdorfer Bilderbuchpreis). The Boy Who Did Not Like Television, whose title character misses his parents' attention while they are glued to the TV screen, is by Rui Zink, illustrated by Manual Jaoa Ramos and translated from the Portuguese by Patrick Dreher.
Crawford anticipates that the imprint will initially release eight titles a year, primarily aimed at readers ages two to 10, and hopes that the size of the list will increase after several years. She reported encouraging sales to less traditional outlets, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and various art stores, as well as into the trade, noting that "independent booksellers have been very supportive."
A Children's Publisher Sprouts in the Midwest
Peggy Tierney, a long-time publishing professional, has founded her own children's book company called Tanglewood, which will publish its debut list this fall. The inaugural titles are Audrey Penn's Mystery at Blackbeard's Cove, a middle-grade novel illustrated by Philip Howard and Josh Miller, and It All Began with a Bean by Katie McKy, a picture book with art by Tracy Hill.
Oklahoma-born Tierney began her career in children's books while living in London, where she worked as what she termed "an Americanization editor" for Usborne Books, after which she did freelance stints with Kingfisher and DK. When she and her husband, who is British, decided that they wanted their young son to experience living in the U.S. as well, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Tierney landed a job in the publishing branch of the Child Welfare League of America.
But the pace of life took its toll, Tierney said: "My husband and I realized that we were tired of the rat race. Our jobs were incredibly demanding, and I felt as though our son was starting to raise himself." So they moved to Terre Haute, Ind., where she has family. "For about 24 hours" she thought she was going to be a housewife, but a lunchtime conversation with Audrey Penn changed her mind. This author, whose The Kissing Hand has been a bestseller for the Child Welfare League since its publication 11 years ago, told Tierney she had written a novel. "Since we had bonded when I was working at the league, she said to me, 'Publish my book,' " Tierney recalled. "So I immediately said, 'I'd love to!' I realized this meant that I could continue to work in publishing, but could be a mom and work from home. This had always been my fantasy."
Tierney turned that dream into reality by founding Tanglewood, an endeavor for which she believes her work at the League prepared her well. "I had worn every hat there, having been responsible for everything from acquisition to fulfillment," she said. "It was the perfect training for me to start my own small publishing company. And I realized that having Audrey Penn as an author would give me credibility as a new publisher."
That it did: National Book Network immediately agreed to distribute Tanglewood's books, and, in Tierney's words, "everything else seemed to fall into place." The editor phoned Katie McKy, who had submitted It All Began with a Bean to the league when Tierney was publisher, to ask if that book were still available. "I thought the story was brilliant, but I had to turn it down, since it didn't fit into the League's publishing program," she said of this picture book that imagines what would happen if everyone in the world farted at the same time. When she learned that McKy's manuscript was still available, she snatched it up as one would, of course!
Tierney, who relies on freelancers to design, copyedit and publicize her books, expects that Tanglewood will initially issue two to four titles each season, ranging from picture books to middle-grade and young adult novels. Upcoming lists will feature books by Judith Caseley, T. Duncan Dunsmuir and the team of Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz.
"I am thrilled that authors are coming on board in spite of the fact that my company is so small and new," Tierney said, "but I think that this is part of what appeals to them. I think these authors are looking for the personal relationship that I can offer them. And I'm excited that I don't have to publish anything I don't wantto publish. I can wait to find the books I feel passionate about." In keeping with this philosophy, she has named her company not after a performance venue in the Berkshires but after a region west of Tulsa, where she grew up: "Tanglewood is a beautiful area on the Arkansas River, which is home to many of my friends. It is very dear to my heart." As, obviously, is her new publishing venture.
Science Series at the Heart of New Imprint
Long a publisher of well-respected science tomes for adults, Smithsonian Books is debuting its new publishing program for children, Smithsonian Kids. Launching the list is Aristotle Leads the Way, the first of six volumes in the Story of Science series by Joy Hakim, author of the acclaimed 10-volume History of US series. Discussing the genesis of the children's imprint, Janey Tannenbaum, director of sales and marketing for the publisher, said that several years ago Don Fehr, Smithsonian Books' director, "began making an effort to acquire more trade-oriented adult books. As it happened, one of the first intriguing projects that he came across was the Story of Science, which is aimed at middle schoolers. He loved it and felt that it filled an enormous hole in the area of authoritative science books for children. And so he acquired it, which led Smithsonian Books to decide to launch a children's line."
Tannenbaum reports that the company has had "an enormous response" to the series' first book, from trade outlets as well as from schools. "We immediately received 750 teacher requests for sample books," she said. "Joy Hakim has a large following among teachers, and they are enthusiastic about the fact that this is a terrific narrative series about science, which is hard to find. There are plenty of dry, textbook-driven science books out there, but there is little science written in narrative form. We've had many reading teachers as well as science teachers calling us, since this series will appeal to girls who don't usually gravitate toward science, but relate more to narrative, as well as to boys who love science but may be reluctant readers."
Also on Smithsonian Kids' inaugural list this fall are the first two books in the Smithsonian Answer Book series. The volumes are Cats, coauthoredby John Seidensticker, who has studied felines for more than 30 years, and Susan Lumpkin, director of communication at Friends of the National Zoo; and Snakes, coauthoredby George Zug, curator in the division of amphibians and reptiles at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and Carl Ernst, a professor of biology at George Mason University. Still in the planning stage is a third series that will focus on the same subjects as the Answer Book series, but will be aimed at younger readers.
Smithsonian Books' staff members and freelancers will edit and produce Smithsonian Kids' books, which (like the company's adult releases) are distributed by W.W. Norton. Tannenbaum estimates that the list will have an annual output of between 20 and 30 titles a year. "This line is a natural for Smithsonian Books, which has been publishing authoritative science books for adults for so many years," she said. "When we began to investigate what was being published in this area for kids, we realized that we had something very important to bring this genre—real authority. I'm just surprised that this hadn't happened earlier."
