The Bologna Children's Book Fair is where rights to books are bought and sold, and also a place for illustrators to discuss their work with others and to show their portfolios to publishers from many nations.
So international in scope is the field of children's books that at a recent Bologna Children's Book Fair there were thirteen publishers from China, fourteen from South Africa, and eight from Ghana, in addition to hundreds from Europe and North America.
The Scope of Children's Books Today
In the book business they are officially called "juveniles," although most professionals still refer to them as children's books. Whatever the name, children's books are one of the book industry's giant success stories. We offer some staggering statistics, but first, a definition of the category. Juvenile trade books cover a broad range from picture books for toddlers to stories and themes for young adults in their late teens.
Now for the numbers. Of the approximately fifty thousand books published each year, about five thousand, or just over 10 percent, are children's books. In net sales at retail, their total is more than $1 billion, or double their dollar volume in 1986. At a recent American Booksellers Association book convention, about five hundred publishers displayed a children's book line.
At this writing, there are about five hundred children's bookstores across the nation. The large Barnes & Noble and Borders-Walden chains now have bookstores exclusively for children, and their superstores have children's book sections containing hundreds of different titles.
Since the early 1990s the Doubleday Book Club and the Book-of-the-Month Club have included children's book clubs. They operate like traditional book clubs, and typically give discounts on their offerings.
The major book wholesalers and distributors are significantly involved in this field. One large distributor, Ingram, carries about twenty thousand different children's book titles in its inventory.
The major book wholesalers and distributors are significantly involved in this field. One large distributor,
CAREER TIP
If you are determined to make it as a creator of children's books, the Children's Book Council offers four valuable pamphlets to guide your search:
- Children's Book Council Members List. Includes the names of publishing house members, addresses, key personnel, description of types of books published, and size of list ($1 plus 64c postage).
- Illustrator's Guide to Members of the Children's Book Council. Names and addresses of personnel in member publishing houses who are responsible for reviewing portfolios; includes guidelines for submitting work ($3 plus 64$ postage).
- Writing Children's Books. Pamphlet for writers about children's book publishing ($2 plus 32 c postage).
- Illustrating Children's Books. Pamphlet for illustrators about children's book publishing ($2 plus 32* postage).
Women in Children's Book Publishing
A recent members list of the Children's Book Council shows thirty- seven publishers that publish fifty or more books a year. Of this group, thirty-two are run by women, with such titles as editorial director, publisher, and editor-in-chief. Although salaries at the entry level in this field are low, women at the top rung in children's book publishing earn from $50,000 to well over $100,000 a year.
Women are employed at every level of children's book publishing: as acquisition editors, editors, art directors and designers, sales and marketing people, production managers, assistant editors, and editorial assistants.
