From: Lee Sullivan <hummingrk_at_aol.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 13:46:53 -0400

I like Megan's point that informational books fulfill different purposes. It is interesting that these diverging purposes actually drive the creation of the books, themselves. Trade book editors answer to marketing departments and publish books on topics that parents or grandparents will purchase at a bookstore or chain retailer. Many subjects, such as rocks and minerals mentioned by Megan, would not find enough buyers to make publication profitable, yet children still want (need) to learn about them. For example, Carolrhoda Books, a subsidiary of Lerner Publications, published my Building Block Book series, which included titles on bridges, dams, canals, roads, towers, parks, libraries, etc. These topics receive little coverage in the trade book market. The purpose of publishing these books, which were printed in runs of no more than 5,000 copies (tiny by trade-book standards) was to feed the curiosity of budding young engineers and fill an information gap. There is room for a wide variety in the kind of no nfiction books published, because it opens up a wider range of topics and reaches readers of varying abilities and temperaments. Lee

Lee Sullivan Hill, Author 20 Bethune Street, Apt 2B New York, NY 10014 hummingrk_at_aol.com
Received on Wed 28 Mar 2012 01:46:53 PM CDT