#BEA11: “What’s Next?” A Chance Encounter with Jan Brett

In What's the Buzz by Kathleen Sweeney

By Kathleen Sweeney As a BEA newbie, I hadn’t counted on being starstruck by a children’s book celebrity siting. I was strolling through the Penguin Books pavilion scanning books when there she was, Jan Brett, the author and illustrator extraordinaire, no less than a legend on my daughters’ bookshelves, passing out swag bags emblazoned with her book covers for Home …

#PubNewsCheat: Bologna’s iPad Obsession, Amazon’s Bid on Hocking

In News by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka Our cheat sheet to some of last week’s notable publishing news from around the world… Children’s publishers descended on Bologna last week for the Book Fair where -– aside from the usual rights deals –- all talk focused on developing books for the iPad and the iPad alone. A debate ensued about whether it was better to …

Storytime Goes Digital: Assessing the Children’s E-Book and App Market at TOC Bologna

In Guest Contributors by Guest Contributor

O’Reilly’s Tools of Change conference at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair focused on apps vs. e-books, legacy publishers vs. start-ups, and adapting to this digital world. By Sophie Rochester The children’s market is a huge opportunity within the digital publishing arena, but for the first time, computer and tech publishing giant O’Reilly Media took it’s “Tools of Change” conference on …

Can You “Bring Back the Book” to a Country That Can’t Afford to Read?

In Children's, Growth Markets by Tolu Ogunlesi

Nigeria’s President launched a campaign to inspire reading that was part-election, part-Facebook festival and part-magical thinking. Editorial by Tolu Ogunlesi LAGOS: Nigeria has no national funding for the arts, no government-run grants-awarding body to support the production of books, and no National Book Policy. In place of a proper publishing industry, the country is awash with book printers, supporting a flourishing …

Is There a Global Market for Indian Comics and Children’s Books?

In Children's, Discussion by Edward Nawotka

By Edward Nawotka The first annual Comic Con in India was held last weekend and, according to Andrew Dodd of Campfire Books, it was a runaway success. Homegrown stories from Indian publishers and featuring Indian heroes were especially popular. While Dodd acknowledges that the comics market in India is still “nascent,” there might be potential for Indian publishers to market …