Amazon Takes its First Big Step Into Children's Publishing

Publishers Weekly reveals Amazon's first step here:

Amazon Publishing Expands into Children's Books

Candlewick Publisher on the Future of Kids' Books

In an interview, Karen Lotz describes her vision of how children will read books in five years.

How Will We Read: Children's Books?

Black Friday Round-Up

Publishers Weekly recaps sales of children's books on Black Friday:

Children's Booksellers Report on Black Friday Weekend

The Year in Notable Kids' Books

The New York Times presents their list of notable books for the year:

Notable Children's Books of 2011

For Children, An Emotional Connection to Print Books

The New York Times discusses parents' reluctance to introduce their children to e-books, even when they are digital fans themselves:

For Their Children, Many E-Book Fans Insist on Paper

PW's Best Children's Books of 2011

Following on the Times's list, here is Publishers Weekly's list of the top children's books of the year:

Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2011

10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011

The New York Times has released its list of the top ten illustrated children's books this year. Check out the list here:

The 2011 Best Illustrated Children's Books

A Boom Time for Children's Books?

With Children's Book Week upon us, it seems there's quite a lot to celebrate. Take a look here:

It's boom time for children's books

Harry Potter E-Books Delayed

The creators of Pottermore, the site set to host the Harry Potter e-books, say the delay is meant to ensure wider access to other components of the Pottermore site. Read more here:

'Harry Potter' E-Books Launch Delayed Until 2012

Book Apps for Toddler

Is the proliferation of new book apps and e-books for toddlers a good thing? Is it inevitable? Take a look here:

Alarm bell and whistles

Why Adults Like Children's Books

An article in The Independent discusses the reasons that adults love to read children's books. Read more here:

Why do adults read children's books? Blame modern life

Scholastic's Fiscal Year Off to a Good Start

Scholastic FY12 has started off well, which the company attributes to good sales in its education division as well as higher sales of children’s books in retail trade channels. See more here:


Sales Rise at Scholastic, Loss Cut

Children's Bookstores Fared Well Over the Summer

A bit of good news for children's publishing: it seems as though kids' bookstores did a pretty good business over this past summer. Check out some details here:

Summer’s Over—and the Kids' Bookstores Are All Right

Scholastic's New E-Book Venture

Looks like Scholastic is teaming up with Ruckus to create a new imprint that will include both print and digital books for children and teens. The first of these books is set to publish in 2012.

Scholastic, Ruckus Media Form New Digital/Print Imprint

Anniversary Editions of The Phantom Tollbooth

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Phantom Tollbooth, Knopf is coming out with two new editions of the classic children's book. Take a look here for more:

The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth

The Berenstain Bears and the Modern Age

With the age of computers upon us, how has classic children's series the Berenstain Bears changed? Find out:

Berenstain Bears remain faithful

Children's Diet Book Under Fire

A dieting book aimed at children ages 6 and up has been criticized for its message. Read more now:

Children's Diet Book Targeting Kids 6 to 12 Years Draws Criticism

Children's App Developer Gets Major Investment

Children's book developer iStoryTime gets a two million dollar investment, allowing them to expand their already impressive library. Read more:

Children's App Developer iStoryTime Gets $2 Million Investment

Basketball Star Turned Writer

NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire is writing a middle grade fiction series for Scholastic. Find out more about his upcoming books:

NY Knicks Captain Turns Children's Author

Book Industry Shows Signs of Revival

Despite a bumpy road for the industry, one survey finds that publishers are reporting an increase in revenue. Learn more:

Publishing Gives Hints of Revival, Data Show

Summer Camp for Book Worms

If only a summer camp like this had existed when I was younger. Taking kids' love of reading to another level, a camp has been established especially for bookish children. Read more about it here:

Summer Camp for Bookish Kids

Turning the Garden of Moat Brae Into A Children's Literature Center

Money is being raised to turn the garden where JM Barrie used to play into a children's literature center:

Peter Pan's Neverland could become forever-land

Sales and Profit for Six Houses

The current state of the publishing industry is one of concern as e-readers take over and Borders closes shop. See how six publishing houses have been impacted by the current climate:

Penguin Satisfied with Competitive First Half
Harlequin Results Fall in Second Quarter
HarperCollins Year-End Results In
Scholastic Announces Fiscal 2011 Results
Earnings Up, Sales Slip at Simon & Schuster
Second Quarter Results Down at McGraw-Hill Education

Borders is Closing: Who Will This Affect?

Borders's fate extends well beyond the obvious. Not only have we lost one of the largest bookstore chains in the country, many people have lost an aspect of their livelihoods. Read more about it here:

Borders Succumbs to Digital Era in Books

Borders Going Out of Business

Though it has been a long time coming, it is not official. Borders is, unfortunately, closing. Read more:

Borders Auction Canceled, Going-Out-of-Business Sales to Start Friday

Hunger Games Movie Poster Revealed

Check out the motion poster for the Hunger Games:

‘The Hunger Games’ Exclusive Motion Poster Revealed

Fall 2011 Titles

Get a sneak peek at the upcoming children's titles coming out this fall:

Fall 2011 Sneak Previews

Harry Potter Publisher Leaving Bloomsbury

Sarah Odedina, the publisher of all seven Harry Potter books, is leaving Bloomsbury for a new venture. Find out more:

Harry Potter Publisher Leaving Bloomsbury Children’s for New Venture

Spring 2011 Children's Announcements

Read about the latest announcements for this seasons' children's titles:

Spring 2011 Children's Announcements

Too Many Good Children's Writers?

Authors in the children's genre are struggling to make a living. Read about it here:

Children's publishing "haemorrhaging talent"

The Next Big Dystopian Novel

Dystopian novels have been all the rage in children's literature (thanks, in large part, to The Hunger Games). Read about Putnam's latest young adult dystopian novel acquisition:

Lu's dystopian novel is a 'Legend' in the making

Jacqueline Wilson's Next Project, A Re-Imagining

Nobel Laureate, Jacqueline Wilson, to write a contemporary retelling of classic children's book "Five Children and It." Find out more here:

Jacqueline Wilson to update Five Children and It

Eoin Colfer on Artemis Fowl and His Next Project

Eoin Colfer has announced the end of his current series, Artemis Fowl, and what his next project will be. Read about it here:

Eoin Colfer and Artemis Fowl: a beginning and an end

"Where the Wild Things Are" Author Maurice Sendak to Publish New Book

It has been thirty years since his last book but Maurice Sendak has a new book in the works. Learn more:

Maurice Sendak returns to being author-illustrator after 30 years

Lost Dr. Seuss Books

Rare Dr. Seuss stories to be published into a new book. Check it out:

Lost Dr Seuss stories to be published

JK Rowling on New Work

JK Rowling has said she has started working on a couple new projects. Read about it here:

JK Rowling 'writing hard' on new work

USA Today Expands Book Coverage

USA Today has added a new element of book coverage by expanding to the internet. Read about it here:

USA TODAY Expands Coverage of Books With New Online Destination Books.usatoday.com

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore App

Read about a children's book app that has quickly taken the eBook world by store:

‘The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore’ Soars To Top of Book App Category

Harry Potter Sales Count

With the eighth and final movie coming out, Harry Potter book sales are expecting a bump, not that it needs one. Check out its sales so far:

Potter in Print Count

"I Can Read" Series Going Digital

Harper Children's "I Can Read" series is making the move to digital. Read more about it here:

Harper Children's Books Debuts Digital 'I Can Read' Series

As General Sales Drop, Children's Lit Holding Strong

Publisher's weekly has posted some book sales figures that you feel good about children's books. See it here:

The Newest Harry potter Adventure

You may have thought having something to look forward to in the Harry potter world was over: the books are finished, the movies are done filming. But clearly if you thought that you don't know JK Rowling very well. Always one to use the internet well, Rowling has unveiled her newest Potter Project, Pottermore. Read more about it here:

J.K. Rowling unveils new 'Pottermore' website
Three Ways Pottermore.com Could Change Book Publishing

50 Cent, YA Author?

Rapper 50 Cent recently signed a deal to write a young adult book for Razorbill Press. Read more about it here:

50 Cent Inks Deal for YA Book on Bullying

Children's Series on Kindle

A new series has launched exclusively on the Kindle, in which children surf between the book, Booksurfers, and classics.

Read more about the new series here.

Young Adult Book Controversy: Are Books Too Dark These Days?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal has sparked debate in the Young Adult Book World as it discusses the current trend of darker, more gruesome books and whether or not they should be banned. Check out the article and its responses:

Wall Street Journal Article
The Twitter Feed #YASaves
Rebuttal in the Wall Street Journal
One Writer's Response

Chris Colfer's Book Deals

Here is some news talking about the book deal between Chris Colfer, one of the stars of Glee, and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:

"Glee" star Chris Colfer set to write children's books

YA Deals March 2010-2011

While we put together the finishing touches to the site, I thought I would share a link. This blog has broken down the percentage of YA book deals that were debut novels, deals by how much was paid for them, and single vs multi-book deals. Check it out here: YA Deals

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