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[CCBC-Net] April Part II: The Demise of the Picture Book
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From: esme codell <esme>
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:17:56 -0500
(warning: LONG!)
Kimberly, I used to feel more as you do, sharing concern about the demise of the picture book. But now, when I look at sites like http://lookybook.com/
, I have an easier time imagining and reconciling a bridge between the world of picture books and technology. (I love how the pages seem to turn!) Though it does not yet exist, it's not hard to imagine a slim piece of hardware (a la the new Mac) that could even fold open, with a 9 X 12 LCD display on both sides, through which a teacher or parent could download and display content. In fact, as an educator, it would be awfully fun to be able to zoom in on illustration details of books by Jan Brett or Trina Schart Hyman, which is sometimes hard to do in a large group without a "big book" version. School libraries, public libraries and educators are huge supporters of picture books, but costs for regular collection development are prohibitive and budgets shrink, so I imagine an attractive e-book version of favorite titles would be welcomed if they could be shared in a way that is comfortable and familiar. Grown-up books will come first (like Amazon's "Kindle" machine) but eventually someone will see potential in the children's market and develop specialized machines, software or formats. I think we can still have a child sitting on a lap with turning pages, as long as, as consumers, we only support the technology that most closely replicates that experience.
While I certainly love the smell and feel of a traditional book and the feeling that a published work is lasting, I am starting to feel like it is a bit of an indulgence at a great monetary and environmental cost. In fact, the industry has glutted the demand, publishing...what is it?...8,0000 children's books a year? 12,000? As a reviewer, believe me, I see PLENTY of titles that will not be in print in five years, and doing 25,000 copy runs of The Adventures of Trademarked Television Character Flavor-of-the-Month, Book #11, only to have 3/4ths of that printing returned, is extremely wasteful. That kind of overload in the market also overwhelms consumers and keeps them from having the confidence to forge the kind of meaningful relationships with books you describe. With the economy the way it is, it's disappointing to blow sixteen smackers on a book that can only be read once. How many times is the average middle-low income consumer going to do that? Skinner says not many! That's why people keep falling back on classics from their own childhood or heavily promoted bestsellers, and a lot of other worthy titles get lost in the shuffle. Technology has already shifted the tide of the way books are promoted, but I think even bigger changes are on the horizon as authors themselves self-publish, promote via the internet, and books become more widely available in digital form.
As an author, I have been very lucky to enjoy wonderful and warm relationships with brilliant and experienced editors (knock wood), but I know this is not the case for everyone...how could it possibly be, with so many books out? Generally, while the breed of Ursula Nordstrom diminishes, one of the biggest draws for book authors/illustrators in going with a publisher at all is the publisher's ability to distribute and promote. I can see how technology could rock that world. With such big lists, its hard for publishers to fairly promote authors across their list, which affects author loyalty to a house and vice versa. Right now, self-publishing is stigmatized, but as authors work harder and harder and use more of their own time and resources to make books stand out in the crowd, and self-published picture books become visually harder to differentiate from those published by big houses (SHLEMIEL CROOKS by Anna Olswanger is an example), wow, that's a recipe for some very big changes in the industry! Add to the mix that there is relatively NO overhead in e-books (no paper, no warehousing, no shipping), the next decade or two could see authors and illustrators distributing through cyberspace cooperatives and publishers looking to work in whatever capacity they can as collaborators (again, making good editors worth their weight in gold, and strong publisher-author loyalties imperative...maybe underscoring some better parts of publishing?s 20th century golden age).
Whether I?m right or wrong, from my POV from a few different vantage points, it's pretty clear that picture book publishing can't continue in the way it has been going. Just like the movie industry and the record industry, technology is going to shift the role...and the cut...of the artist, the accessibility to the consumer, and the impact of on-line reviews. Just like the Victorian Era you describe, it's a time of a lot of changes, but they don't have to be negative if we keep quality and a child-centered approach at the forefront. I think it's a rebirth and reinventing sooner than a demise.
That's all from Nostradamus! ;-) Esme Raji Codell
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:17:56 -0500
(warning: LONG!)
Kimberly, I used to feel more as you do, sharing concern about the demise of the picture book. But now, when I look at sites like http://lookybook.com/
, I have an easier time imagining and reconciling a bridge between the world of picture books and technology. (I love how the pages seem to turn!) Though it does not yet exist, it's not hard to imagine a slim piece of hardware (a la the new Mac) that could even fold open, with a 9 X 12 LCD display on both sides, through which a teacher or parent could download and display content. In fact, as an educator, it would be awfully fun to be able to zoom in on illustration details of books by Jan Brett or Trina Schart Hyman, which is sometimes hard to do in a large group without a "big book" version. School libraries, public libraries and educators are huge supporters of picture books, but costs for regular collection development are prohibitive and budgets shrink, so I imagine an attractive e-book version of favorite titles would be welcomed if they could be shared in a way that is comfortable and familiar. Grown-up books will come first (like Amazon's "Kindle" machine) but eventually someone will see potential in the children's market and develop specialized machines, software or formats. I think we can still have a child sitting on a lap with turning pages, as long as, as consumers, we only support the technology that most closely replicates that experience.
While I certainly love the smell and feel of a traditional book and the feeling that a published work is lasting, I am starting to feel like it is a bit of an indulgence at a great monetary and environmental cost. In fact, the industry has glutted the demand, publishing...what is it?...8,0000 children's books a year? 12,000? As a reviewer, believe me, I see PLENTY of titles that will not be in print in five years, and doing 25,000 copy runs of The Adventures of Trademarked Television Character Flavor-of-the-Month, Book #11, only to have 3/4ths of that printing returned, is extremely wasteful. That kind of overload in the market also overwhelms consumers and keeps them from having the confidence to forge the kind of meaningful relationships with books you describe. With the economy the way it is, it's disappointing to blow sixteen smackers on a book that can only be read once. How many times is the average middle-low income consumer going to do that? Skinner says not many! That's why people keep falling back on classics from their own childhood or heavily promoted bestsellers, and a lot of other worthy titles get lost in the shuffle. Technology has already shifted the tide of the way books are promoted, but I think even bigger changes are on the horizon as authors themselves self-publish, promote via the internet, and books become more widely available in digital form.
As an author, I have been very lucky to enjoy wonderful and warm relationships with brilliant and experienced editors (knock wood), but I know this is not the case for everyone...how could it possibly be, with so many books out? Generally, while the breed of Ursula Nordstrom diminishes, one of the biggest draws for book authors/illustrators in going with a publisher at all is the publisher's ability to distribute and promote. I can see how technology could rock that world. With such big lists, its hard for publishers to fairly promote authors across their list, which affects author loyalty to a house and vice versa. Right now, self-publishing is stigmatized, but as authors work harder and harder and use more of their own time and resources to make books stand out in the crowd, and self-published picture books become visually harder to differentiate from those published by big houses (SHLEMIEL CROOKS by Anna Olswanger is an example), wow, that's a recipe for some very big changes in the industry! Add to the mix that there is relatively NO overhead in e-books (no paper, no warehousing, no shipping), the next decade or two could see authors and illustrators distributing through cyberspace cooperatives and publishers looking to work in whatever capacity they can as collaborators (again, making good editors worth their weight in gold, and strong publisher-author loyalties imperative...maybe underscoring some better parts of publishing?s 20th century golden age).
Whether I?m right or wrong, from my POV from a few different vantage points, it's pretty clear that picture book publishing can't continue in the way it has been going. Just like the movie industry and the record industry, technology is going to shift the role...and the cut...of the artist, the accessibility to the consumer, and the impact of on-line reviews. Just like the Victorian Era you describe, it's a time of a lot of changes, but they don't have to be negative if we keep quality and a child-centered approach at the forefront. I think it's a rebirth and reinventing sooner than a demise.
That's all from Nostradamus! ;-) Esme Raji Codell
-- Esm? Raji Codell Site Director PlanetEsme.com Be a part of the PlanetEsme Plan! www.planetesme.blogpot.com How to Get Your Child to Love Reading makes everyone a children's book expert! Vive la Paris, the award-winning companion to Sahara Special, now in stores!Received on Wed 23 Apr 2008 02:17:56 PM CDT
