CCBC-Net Archives
Re: A Paucity of Picture Books
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Claudia Pearson <pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:50:19 -0500
Well said Leonard.
IMO there will be a new demand for pbs in the next 5 years or so with the m illenials having babies. I should know, my kids are millenials and all of t heir children are just reaching typical pb ages (2-5) with more on the way. I have encouraged them to read to their babies from birth, as have parenti ng books they consult, so they have been purchasing pbs and receiving them as gifts for several years now.
The current downturn may have more to do with flux in the industry (uncerta inty about the impact of ebooks leading publishers to delay new projects), and the economy (many young parents uncertain about their job status) than the value or desire to acquire pbs.
Claudia Pearson pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net
----- Original Message -----
From: To: bookmarch_at_aol.com;dipesh@navsaria.com;ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: 11/5/2010 8:00:09 AM Subject: Re:
A Paucity of Picture Books
Of course the thing about really good picture books is that you DON'T read them just once. You read them again and again, GOODNIGHT MOON being the ult imate example. If you "amortize" a picture book purchase on that basis, it turns out to be quite a bargain. The real problem for adult shoppers is not having enough guidance as they make their selections in stores. The defaul t options are (1) to buy a remembered and loved book, and there is certainl y nothing wrong with that--except it does nothing to encourage the chains t o stock a wide variety of newer books and thus ultimately results in more l imited stock selections and to more muddled articles like the one in the Ti mes; and (2) to reach for a celebrity book (because it's "author" is funny on television or whatever). The latter is unfortunate only because those bo oks are rarely good and do make the person who paid the $17 wonder whether it was worth the price, which in fact it was not.
Leonard
Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
T 718 596-1897 E leonardsma_at_aol.com W www.leonardmarcus.com
Message-----
From: bookmarch_at_aol.com To: dipesh@navsaria.com; ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: Fri, Nov 5, 2010 7:02 am Subject: Re:
A Paucity of Picture Books
I share the sense that the NYT article was limited and that the picture boo k is magnificent as both an artistic platform and a way of bringing childre n in to books and reading. However I also think there is a specific problem the picture book faces which is not just a function of the cycle of trends and the ups and downs of demographic curves (YA boomed when teenagers as a cohort formed an ever larger % of the population, a bulge that has passed) . Because new picture books are of necessity hardcover (paperback picture b ooks are so slim they disappear), a parent faces a relatively high cost (sa y $16) for a relatively short immersion experience (32, 40, 48 pages plus t he effort the parent puts into engaging the child spread by spread). That i s a tough purchase one, by one, by one. It becomes much more appealing to b uy a new picture book when you already have shelves full of others -- as li braries and some fortunate parents do. Then you are not just spending $16 f or 32 pages, you are adding one more c hoice to a rich set of options. The new 3 Billy Goats Gru ff is a fun pair with an older one, a nonfiction book on goats (or bridges for that matter), a silly rhymes book on trolls. I wonder if publishers, an d bookstores, might need to offer new picture books in something like a sub scription model -- where the buyer gets, say, 5 -- two classic paperbacks, one new hardcover, one book of poetry, one nonfiction -- for some lower set price. While the parent is spending more than $16, she is now populating s helves of a home library with great choices that can be used in many ways. She gets over the "can I spend so much for so little" barrier.
Marc Aronson
Date: Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:50:19 -0500
Well said Leonard.
IMO there will be a new demand for pbs in the next 5 years or so with the m illenials having babies. I should know, my kids are millenials and all of t heir children are just reaching typical pb ages (2-5) with more on the way. I have encouraged them to read to their babies from birth, as have parenti ng books they consult, so they have been purchasing pbs and receiving them as gifts for several years now.
The current downturn may have more to do with flux in the industry (uncerta inty about the impact of ebooks leading publishers to delay new projects), and the economy (many young parents uncertain about their job status) than the value or desire to acquire pbs.
Claudia Pearson pearsoncrz_at_earthlink.net
----- Original Message -----
From: To: bookmarch_at_aol.com;dipesh@navsaria.com;ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: 11/5/2010 8:00:09 AM Subject: Re:
A Paucity of Picture Books
Of course the thing about really good picture books is that you DON'T read them just once. You read them again and again, GOODNIGHT MOON being the ult imate example. If you "amortize" a picture book purchase on that basis, it turns out to be quite a bargain. The real problem for adult shoppers is not having enough guidance as they make their selections in stores. The defaul t options are (1) to buy a remembered and loved book, and there is certainl y nothing wrong with that--except it does nothing to encourage the chains t o stock a wide variety of newer books and thus ultimately results in more l imited stock selections and to more muddled articles like the one in the Ti mes; and (2) to reach for a celebrity book (because it's "author" is funny on television or whatever). The latter is unfortunate only because those bo oks are rarely good and do make the person who paid the $17 wonder whether it was worth the price, which in fact it was not.
Leonard
Leonard S. Marcus 54 Willow Street, #2A Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
T 718 596-1897 E leonardsma_at_aol.com W www.leonardmarcus.com
Message-----
From: bookmarch_at_aol.com To: dipesh@navsaria.com; ccbc-net@lists.wisc.edu Sent: Fri, Nov 5, 2010 7:02 am Subject: Re:
A Paucity of Picture Books
I share the sense that the NYT article was limited and that the picture boo k is magnificent as both an artistic platform and a way of bringing childre n in to books and reading. However I also think there is a specific problem the picture book faces which is not just a function of the cycle of trends and the ups and downs of demographic curves (YA boomed when teenagers as a cohort formed an ever larger % of the population, a bulge that has passed) . Because new picture books are of necessity hardcover (paperback picture b ooks are so slim they disappear), a parent faces a relatively high cost (sa y $16) for a relatively short immersion experience (32, 40, 48 pages plus t he effort the parent puts into engaging the child spread by spread). That i s a tough purchase one, by one, by one. It becomes much more appealing to b uy a new picture book when you already have shelves full of others -- as li braries and some fortunate parents do. Then you are not just spending $16 f or 32 pages, you are adding one more c hoice to a rich set of options. The new 3 Billy Goats Gru ff is a fun pair with an older one, a nonfiction book on goats (or bridges for that matter), a silly rhymes book on trolls. I wonder if publishers, an d bookstores, might need to offer new picture books in something like a sub scription model -- where the buyer gets, say, 5 -- two classic paperbacks, one new hardcover, one book of poetry, one nonfiction -- for some lower set price. While the parent is spending more than $16, she is now populating s helves of a home library with great choices that can be used in many ways. She gets over the "can I spend so much for so little" barrier.
Marc Aronson
---Received on Fri 05 Nov 2010 11:50:19 AM CDT
