You Can't Compete With the World Series ...

... but you can capture an outstanding program on the Common Core and publishing just before the Red Sox clinch game six at Fenway.

Turnout was small last night, but honestly, anyone who chickened out can be forgiven. President Obama was at Faneuil Hall, Drake was at the Boston Garden, and an audience of about fifteen at Pearson watched and listened to a fantastic panel discussion on the Common Core and its effect on publishing. And, oh yeah: 37,000 people watched the Red Sox beat the St. Louis Cardinals, with the first pitch thrown minutes after our panel ended. Drake got a poor review, but I think the rest of us did pretty well!

Our panelists and moderator are shown at left: Amy Pattee from Simmons College, Roger Sutton from Horn Book, Stephen Pekich from Victory Productions, and moderator Christopher Kenneally from Copyright Clearance Center. The evening's sponsor was Edwards Brothers Malloy.

There is no easy way to summarize a Common Core discussion, since there are so many facets to the topic. The biggest takeaway for me was that the Common Core aims to diminish the potential of "teaching to the test" by emphasizing skills such as critical thinking over memorization. As such, it will be challenging to assess results of the Common Core, and much is in flux.

A question on "Common Core Plus" from HMH.

For a more detailed observations, take a look at some of the live tweets from this event (thank you, Kate Elwell and others). Or, better yet, listen to the panel and Q&A on SoundCloud. David Stirling made these recordings and did a great job without ideal technology available. You will need to use earbuds and turn the sound up, but after my mumbly introduction you will be able to hear well. Please listen and send us your feedback.

SoundCloud Audio Links
Part 1: 40 minutes, panel
Part 2: 20 minutes, Q&A

Friendly panelists at the conclusion of our program.

Top-Quality Educational Offerings: All Free of Charge

I want to encourage members and nonmembers alike to attend our upcoming educational workshops--the topics are timely, and several of the speakers are NEW to Bookbuilders education.

July Casual Networking
On Boston Common.

Roger Sutton from Horn Book is new this coming Wednesday (October 30), speaking on the topic of Common Core. Whether you deal with the US Common Core on a daily basis or not, rest assured that it affects the work we do in Boston educational and children's trade publishing. In November, we welcome companies who help publishers manage their metadata, with Scope eKnowledge Center sending a speaker from New York. 

Venue for October casual networking:
Park in Harvard Square.

Again, whether you think this topic affects your career or not, it absolutely does. We have entered a new age in all sectors of book-buying--there are fewer bookstores in which to browse, and more format options, even for students buying required textbooks. The increased choice and unmediated access to books mean that publishers need to supply reliable, timely information on their complete title list. Without good data, the potential for lost sales is extremely high.

Winners Circle speakers From
Harvard University Press and Chelsea Green.

All of this is not to say that this season's first educational offering was lacking in any way: for the first time, we held a New England Book Show Winners Circle to showcase some winning covers and interiors. As a non-designer, this discussion is really necessary for me to understand trends, considerations, and processes in the variety of industry environments we have in Boston. I am grateful to the members and others who participated in this discussion for so freely sharing their thoughts.

Register now to attend upcoming educational sessions, and remember to bring a photo ID for the security desk at Pearson (501 Boylston Street, 6:00 pm start). On October 30, I recommend the commuter rail to avoid Fenway Park traffic. We WILL announce the score during the break on Wednesday, and we'll also forgive you for checking your phone!

Spring Forum: Children's Publishing Today

Last night's forum on children's publishing was well-received by 100+ attendees gathered at Emerson College. Panel participants (l-r) were Amy Pattee, Associate Professor at Simmons and author of Reading the Adolescent Romance; Mary Wilcox, VP and Editorial Director of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children and HMH Books; and Yolanda Scott, Editorial Director of Charlesbridge Publishing.

Yolanda and Mary described the various types of children's books being published, from picture books to early readers and YA (young adult) novels. There was also discussion of business processes at Charlesbridge and Houghton Mifflin, very different companies in size and scope. The core function of the editorial department as "list builder" (i.e., spring list, fall list) was common to both, as was passion for the material and adherence to high literary standards in acquisition.

Amy's overview of her recently published book was popular--the title focuses on an interpretation of the Sweet Valley High series for young teenagers. The analysis emphasized that children's literature often deals with dream scenarios that allow readers to experience lives others than their own. In some cases the dreams are designed by adults as models for the children, but in others the dreams express the children's own desires.

The Q&A portion of the forum was also popular, with interest in the following topics:

• E-books in the library setting (reference to Harper Collins controversy, new to me and very interesting)
• Weight of digital considerations in editorial process (currently not essential to acquisition)
• Simultaneous release of print and e-product (adopted by Charlesbridge)
• Concerns regarding piracy (in this genre, sometimes considered to enhance discoverability)
• Difficulty of bringing nonfiction titles (esp. backlist) to electronic form because of costly permissions
• Interest in Spanish-language translations (produced by both publishers)
• Concern about Borders' closing stores and decline of brick-and-mortar retailers

The question of brick-and-mortar viability comes up at almost every event I attend, and more and more in casual conversation as well. Publishers appreciate the importance of "hand selling" and hate to think of it going away. More to the point, they don't know what will replace it. Readers as well have a sense that the physical store, particularly an independent store, is a valuable part of their literary life. For an interesting demonstration of readers' commitment to an independent store in action, read about a proposed customer buyout of Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, NY.