06-15-12 Paranormal and dystopic themes are still going strong in the publishing world, but young readers are becoming more discerning about their vampires and werewolves, says book seller Jennifer Sabol. Younger readers, in particular, want paranormal stories set in more realistic or historical time periods, rather than plots set in the future or based in pure fantasy.
Meanwhile, bullying and revenge are emerging as the next hot themes within children’s and young adult genres. To that end, in October, Penguin Young Readers Group is introducing Each Kindness by E.B. Lewis and Jackie Woodson teaching kids how “each kindness makes the world a little better,” and Susane Colasanti’s Keep Holding On, “empower[ing]” kids to overcome bullying. Also, Peachtree Publishing is releasing JJ Johnson’s Random, tracking the travails of a high school student.
Anti-bullying is the core theme for Phyllis Cafaro’s multi-platform property Captain McFinn and Friends, which includes the S.H.A.R.K. patrol, an anti-bullying in-school program being introduced to K-3 students this fall.
Among other notable points of discussion during June’s Book Expo America held in New York:
• Well-known series and characters are returning to book shelves and e-readers after multi-year absences. After six years, Dav Pilkey is publishing the ninth title in his Captain Underpants series. Similarly, Daniel Handler is launching Who Could That Be At This Hour , a new series based on his best-selling Lemony Snicket character. And Patricia McLachlan is releasing the first official prequel to The Boxcar Children book series in September. Also, in July, Scholastic is publishing R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps Most Wanted, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the book series.
• Scholastic plans to debut The Infinity Ring, a new multi-faceted property similar to its 39 Clues on August 28. The new property balances the same structure — a collection of book titles by several authors all connected to an online world — with slight differences, including more emphasis on puzzles and a greater focus on time travel. The other major enhancement is this online world will be accessible via mobile devices, says Scholastic’s Tracy Van Straaten.
• The American high school setting is a hard sell internationally, according to several young adult novelists. However, ghost- and martyr-themed titles sell well in Latin America and Italy, say YA authors.
• Diversity in young adult novels was a hot topic, with many YA authors purposely excluding any acknowledgement of hair color or race. “I don’t want to impose my view and don’t want to define it for my readers,” says author Melissa Marr. Yet, YA authors seem resigned that the default mindset for most readers is to just assume their characters are White. “Even when I read Hunger Games, I just assumed Prim was white. Even as a person of color, I just assume these characters are white if I am not told,” says Burn for Burn author Jenny Han. [Ed note: Han is Asian.]
• Don’t quit your day job, according to YA authors. Even best-selling author Jenny Han works part-time in a high school library. Several other popular YA novelists hold full-time jobs as teachers and journalists.
• E-readers are undeniably changing reading habits. One familiar refrain finds young consumers selling their print books at used book stores, yet refusing the in-store credit offered to them. “They all say they are just going with eBook titles and would rather [receive] nothing than a free printed title,” says one book seller. The expectation of instant gratification is another concern. “Say you are a teen who just finished the first Hunger Games title at 2 a.m. and you want to begin the second one,” says the book seller. “No store is open. All you have to do is one click on your e-reader and you instantly get it. No more bothering that the store might not have it in stock. Or taking the time to drive to the store. I don’t know how to compete against that. I don’t even know if we can compete.”
• The most popular conversation starter was speculation over who will be the next author to break out with Hunger Games-like success. The most commonly cited names including Veronica Roth, Julie Kagawa, and Jon Scalzi.
Contacts and Connections:HarperCollins Children’s Books, Kate Jackson, SVP, 350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019; 212-261-6500; kate.jackson@harpercollins.com; www.harpercollins.com.
Peachtree Publishing, Kenyette Kilpatrick, 1700 Chattahoochee Ave., Atlanta, GA 30318; 404-876-8761; kenyette@peachtree-online.com; www.peachtreeonline.com.
Penguin Young Readers Group, Don Weisberg, President, 345 Hudson St., 15th Fl., New York, NY 10014; 212-414-3400; us.penguingroup.com.
Scholastic, Tracy van Straaten, 557 Broadway, 8th Fl., New York, NY 10012; 212-389-3782; tvanstraaten@scholastic.com; www.scholastic.com.
Simon & Shuster, Liz Perl, SVP Marketing, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10022; 212-698-1204; liz.perl@simonandschuster.com; www.simonandschuster.com.
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