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Re: Marketing, Ideology and Parental Concerns
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From: maggie_bo_at_comcast.net
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 23:44:45 +0000 (UTC)
Charles has some interesting points that I think can be taken into consideration when thinking about marketing any book on a serious, disturbing topic for kids, but I disagree when he writes "That's a pretty targeted set of interests." Really, any given book, if you break it down, focuses on a very small set of "interests." People--adults and kids--may choose to read a historical fiction title (or really, any fiction title) to learn more about a given set of "interests," or because they share those "interests," but I'd say usually not ... usually, they're just interested in a good read. I believe someone who's never thought twice about Guatemala could see Marge's book and be attracted to it. I don't think it's unusual for people to select books on topics they've never heard of before, or know little about ... so I don't think that really explains the problem. Just my take.
When one is selling children's books, part of the issue is, you're selling them to two different audiences: the people who buy them (parents, librarians, teachers) and then an entirely other audience--the kids themselves. It's very tricky to package and market a book so it appeals to both, but if it doesn't appeal, the book won't flourish. If it succeeds with adults but not kids--it might sell initially, but will flounder and quickly go out of print. If it is a potential winner with kids, it'll never have a chance if the adults never buy and promote it in the first place. Worst of all, sometimes what kids want and what adults want are diametrically opposed. What many adults want to hear are some or all of these things... it's related to the curriculum, it supports the common core, there's no violence, it reinforces good values, and there is nothing in it that will upset the child or confuse them or send them out of their (read: the adult's) comfort zone. What many kids want to hear are some or all of these things: it's exciting, it will keep me even more entertained than my video games, there's at least some funny parts, it's got a lot of action (and maybe some serious gore), the hero/heroine is someone I can relate to and is therefore not perfect and might even be someone who screws up a lot, and I'll get to learn some stuff I would never find out about at school.
I am just guessing this balancing act gets super tricky when dealing with the kinds of books we've been discussing this month.
I'm a school librarian, so I'm mostly in the business of selling books to kids... I don't have much expertise in any other area. (I do "sell" books to teachers and administrators too, but, lucky for me, in my district that's been easy.) Just if anyone is curious, here's some of the ways I promote our diverse historical fiction stories ...
1. Many kids love survival/adventure books, or sports books, or romances, or mysteries. Many historical fiction titles also fit into one of these categories. I'll sell the book, as, say, an adventure story, and then add, oh yeah, the story is set during x time and place. 2. I'll tell them parts of the book are BASED ON A TRUE STORY! Kids love stuff BASED ON A TRUE STORY (in fact, they're often disappointed other things they read are not in any way real). Wow, some of this stuff REALLY HAPPENED and some of these people are REAL! 3. I'll mention the protagonist's personality/issues. John can't stand his new stepfather ... Maria is always fighting with her sister .... even in the middle of a revolution, anywhere, in any culture, this stuff is usually going on, and the kids can relate.
And finally, this is just a comment ... but I'm so tired of adults ... educators and parents ... thinking kids cannot handle "mature" content such as genocide. How do we get past this? It's especially frustrating because so many parents seem so much more concerned about censoring their kids' reading than their movies, TV, video games, and internet, which IMO is much worse than anything in books that are typically questioned. Preaching to the choir here, I know. I just don't understand what seems to me to be a double standard between print and every other media type.
Maggie Bokelman Librarian Eagle View Middle School
Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2014 23:44:45 +0000 (UTC)
Charles has some interesting points that I think can be taken into consideration when thinking about marketing any book on a serious, disturbing topic for kids, but I disagree when he writes "That's a pretty targeted set of interests." Really, any given book, if you break it down, focuses on a very small set of "interests." People--adults and kids--may choose to read a historical fiction title (or really, any fiction title) to learn more about a given set of "interests," or because they share those "interests," but I'd say usually not ... usually, they're just interested in a good read. I believe someone who's never thought twice about Guatemala could see Marge's book and be attracted to it. I don't think it's unusual for people to select books on topics they've never heard of before, or know little about ... so I don't think that really explains the problem. Just my take.
When one is selling children's books, part of the issue is, you're selling them to two different audiences: the people who buy them (parents, librarians, teachers) and then an entirely other audience--the kids themselves. It's very tricky to package and market a book so it appeals to both, but if it doesn't appeal, the book won't flourish. If it succeeds with adults but not kids--it might sell initially, but will flounder and quickly go out of print. If it is a potential winner with kids, it'll never have a chance if the adults never buy and promote it in the first place. Worst of all, sometimes what kids want and what adults want are diametrically opposed. What many adults want to hear are some or all of these things... it's related to the curriculum, it supports the common core, there's no violence, it reinforces good values, and there is nothing in it that will upset the child or confuse them or send them out of their (read: the adult's) comfort zone. What many kids want to hear are some or all of these things: it's exciting, it will keep me even more entertained than my video games, there's at least some funny parts, it's got a lot of action (and maybe some serious gore), the hero/heroine is someone I can relate to and is therefore not perfect and might even be someone who screws up a lot, and I'll get to learn some stuff I would never find out about at school.
I am just guessing this balancing act gets super tricky when dealing with the kinds of books we've been discussing this month.
I'm a school librarian, so I'm mostly in the business of selling books to kids... I don't have much expertise in any other area. (I do "sell" books to teachers and administrators too, but, lucky for me, in my district that's been easy.) Just if anyone is curious, here's some of the ways I promote our diverse historical fiction stories ...
1. Many kids love survival/adventure books, or sports books, or romances, or mysteries. Many historical fiction titles also fit into one of these categories. I'll sell the book, as, say, an adventure story, and then add, oh yeah, the story is set during x time and place. 2. I'll tell them parts of the book are BASED ON A TRUE STORY! Kids love stuff BASED ON A TRUE STORY (in fact, they're often disappointed other things they read are not in any way real). Wow, some of this stuff REALLY HAPPENED and some of these people are REAL! 3. I'll mention the protagonist's personality/issues. John can't stand his new stepfather ... Maria is always fighting with her sister .... even in the middle of a revolution, anywhere, in any culture, this stuff is usually going on, and the kids can relate.
And finally, this is just a comment ... but I'm so tired of adults ... educators and parents ... thinking kids cannot handle "mature" content such as genocide. How do we get past this? It's especially frustrating because so many parents seem so much more concerned about censoring their kids' reading than their movies, TV, video games, and internet, which IMO is much worse than anything in books that are typically questioned. Preaching to the choir here, I know. I just don't understand what seems to me to be a double standard between print and every other media type.
Maggie Bokelman Librarian Eagle View Middle School
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Received on Thu 13 Feb 2014 05:47:57 PM CST
