The Bird Interview: Don Weisberg
Don Weisberg has been in the publishing business his entire adult life. He began in 1973 working in a bookstore, followed by numerous jobs in sales, marketing and publishing at Bantam Books, then Bantam Doubleday Dell, Random House and now Penguin. He was Chief Operating Officer of Random House for seven years before becoming President of the Penguin Young Readers Group in May 2008.
Here Don responds to a number of questions about Penguin Young Readers Group's performance as well as the importance of online marketing and ways to attract more readers in today's economic climate.
How would you describe your first year at the helm of Penguin Young Readers Group?
It's been an exciting and rewarding first year. After 35 years in the industry, I've enjoyed learning a completely new aspect of the business and seeing first hand the differences between children's and adult books. Penguin Young Readers Group has one of the richest lists in the industry and I am gratified to have inherited such amazing books and such a terrific team.
There is a real electricity at 345 Hudson Street. What are some of the things that are driving this energy?
Thank you. There are a couple of things contributing to the energy here. One is that every member of our team knows and believes that what we do is important and that our books can make a difference in the lives of children. The people who work in the young readers division are a combination of optimism and idealism. Combine that with the incredible authors and books that we publish, and the energy is palpable. On top of that, we realize that we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of our potential.
You have such a talented team of publishers, editors, marketing/publicity and sales executives. How do you keep everyone motivated?
Good question. I'll let you know when I figure it out. In all seriousness, motivation is never the job of one person. As long as our team feels independent and empowered to take risks, we will reap great rewards.
How would you describe some of your teams' most effective publishing strategies?
The simplest explanation is that we implement long-term strategies that focus on our authors' overall careers and how we can best help them reach their full potential. We define the pillars of the house, and put our energy on projects that will have the most long-term impact on our results, and we don't let up.
What are the most exciting aspects of Penguin Young Readers Group at the mid-year point and beyond?
To finish the first half of the year with Sarah Dessen's Along for the Ride debuting on the New York Times Children's Chapter Book bestseller list at #1, the Wall Street Journal bestseller list at #3 and the USA Today bestseller list at #11 is testimony to all of our efforts, from the long-term publishing strategy to a creative marketing and publicity campaign to an incredible look and feel of the book to an aggressive distribution stance in the marketplace. We approached the campaign knowing that Sarah Dessen had written a #1 bestseller, and we made it happen. This is just one example of our new publishing philosophy, which we now bring to all of our major campaigns.
How would you describe the current state of children's and young adult publishing in the U.S. during what is still a challenging economic climate?
Children's and YA publishing are probably two of the few areas that are not suffering to the same degree as other areas of the business. However, regardless of format or genre, our customers are facing one of the most difficult sales climates in recent history. In some cases, survival is at stake and no area goes untouched. We are picking our shots and focusing on our tried and true backlist. Penguin's backlist is a great advantage during these times, but it is a struggle nonetheless.
Even though there are reports that kids are more interested in sending and reading text messages than reading books, the teen/young adult market appears to be particularly vibrant now. Why do you think that is?
Hold on, I'm in the middle of a text message. All kidding aside, I don't have the slightest idea. Okay, I'll give it a shot. The YA books with which we have had the most success deal with important issues such as teen suicide, anorexia, divorce and loss. One potential theory is that teens seek out our books because they deal with significant issues that twitter and texts can't intelligently address. Secondly, texting and twittering can't replace the pure entertainment that a Twilight or our own Vampire Academy can deliver.
Some of your Group's online marketing campaigns have been particularly successful, such as ones for Thirteen Reasons Why and Sarah Dessen's new book, Along for the Ride. Can you tell me a little about those?
The central idea behind both the Thirteen Reasons Why and Sarah Dessen online campaigns is reader interaction. Instead of force-feeding teens information about our books, we allow our readers to communicate with and influence one another via reader comment tools and social networking sites. For example, when we launched the Thirteen Reasons Why reader comment tool on the book's website, fans instantly started posting comments. These comments spurred others. There are now over 4000 comments on the site. Combine that with two incredible reading experiences and you have a cocktail for success.
Your group has also had success with bestselling adult authors crossing over and writing bestsellers for the young readers market, such as Mike Lupica and Nick Hornby. What do you think accounts for this publishing trend and your Group's success with it?
Two of the biggest bestselling YA authors over the last ten years are JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. A recent study showed that over 50% of Meyer's readers are adult. This is no different than the movie industry, where films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones draw both young and old viewers. At Penguin Young Readers Group, we are always striving to find books that readers will enjoy, regardless of age. Mike Lupica and Nick Hornby are great examples of authors who reach readers of all ages. We've also had incredible success with our Young Readers edition of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, which has been on the New York Times best seller list for 32 weeks now, several of those at #1.
Shifting gears, what inspired you to begin your career in book publishing?
The video and music stores wouldn't hire me. The book store did! When I look at a book, I feel like I'm looking at the greatest invention ever made. When I need uplifting, I turn to my library.
From your perspective, what's special about Penguin Young Readers Group and the company's approach to publishing?
Everyone here genuinely believes in what we publish and that our books have the ability to change lives. That passion and belief are reflected in the high quality of our books.
What have been the most rewarding aspects of your career?
I have been one of the luckiest people in the world to have enjoyed a successful career in book publishing. Working in this industry, you meet many of the world's most talented people who are at the forefront of the world's most important ideas and movements. And someone pays you to do it! I would of course be remiss if I didn't also mention one of the other great rewards of working in publishing: free books!
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in book publishing?
Two things: there are endless possibilities and nothing is sacred. With all of the changes happening in the industry, from new reading formats to shifting marketing and sales outlets, it is more important than ever to approach the industry with fresh eyes and a fresh approach.
When you look ahead to the future of Penguin Young Readers Group, what excites you the most?
What excites me is this company's ability to build an incredible list of books and authors, and to make each title a major success. Penguin Young Readers Group has one of the most creative and hard working teams in the industry, and at the same time, we like to have fun. We've just begun to tap into our true potential. From here, the possibilities are endless.
The Bird Interview: Stephanie Barton and Francesca Dow
Stephanie Barton, Penguin UK Children's, Managing Director
Stephanie Barton came into publishing from a background of working with primary-aged children in the Museums sector, and enjoyed a brief stint as a house-mother in a boys' school. She started at Ladybird and has worked across the Penguin group, doing a stint in DK and then in the newly created Penguin division, Brands and Licensing, which comprised Frederick Warne, Ladybird and BBC Children's Books, where she was Publishing Director, taking over as Managing Director in 2008.
Francesca Dow, Puffin, Managing Director
Francesca Dow is Managing Director of Puffin Books and publishes many of today's most successful authors and illustrators including Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake, Eric Carle, Eoin Colfer and Charlie Higson. Her first job in children's publishing was at Orchard Books, where she became Publishing Director before moving to Puffin in 2002, launching Lauren Child's career with her Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola books. At Puffin she has built on the rich backlist of classic children's books with a powerful stable of today's bestselling authors such as Charlie Higson, Cathy Cassidy, Rick Riordan and Jeff Kinney. In her new enhanced role she remains Puffin's Managing Director and takes on new responsibilities for Ladybird's non-licensing list and Frederick Warne.
Here Stephanie and Francesca introduce us to the brand new UK children's division and tell us what plans they have in store to make Penguin's Children's division a force to be reckoned with in today's ever-changing market.
Tell us about the new division. What's new?
Stephanie — This brand new division puts children's publishing at the heart of Penguin and presents real opportunities. For the first time we will be bringing together all four of our brilliant children's imprints — Puffin, Ladybird, Frederick Warne and BBC Children's books — as one unified division. The intention is very simple. It's all about clout, both inside and outside Penguin. In terms of grabbing attention and resource within Penguin this will help all of us do even greater things. The sum of the whole really is greater than the parts.
The new division will reflect the very real diversity that exists in the children's market, whether that be author-led publishing, home learning, novelty, licensing, brands, digital, media and merchandise. And there are fantastic opportunities for our content in the digital market-place.
Our strategy is this: wherever children are — online, at school, in bookstores or at festivals, alone or with friends, at work or at play — there Penguin Children's will be.
How do you feel the reorganisation will impact your position in the current market?
Francesca — It will give us tremendous power in the marketplace. We will be the biggest children's publisher to offer such a complete portfolio across top brands, licensing and TV characters and the best children's authors. Penguin Children's books IS a one-stop shop – for our customers as well as consumers. Retailers know that children's books offer genuine growth – in hard times, especially, parents will spend on their children's education, so there is everything to play for.
Stephanie — We're excited to have a new Children's Sales Director, Dan Shepherd. Working closely with Dan and his team of children's sales specialists we will manage our publishing portfolio in a co-ordinated, strategic way by market and channel, and we really will be able to leverage all our skills and knowledge against our competitors.
How are children's books performing in the current economic climate?
Stephanie — Overall, the children's book market in the UK is having a terrific time and is up 8% in value on last year, but much of this is due to the phenomena of Stephenie Meyer. However, if we strip out Little, Brown's inflationary sales, the underlying trend is one of decline, down 2.3% in value on last year. Our main competitors — Random, Egmont, Harper Collins are all down year on year, and showing double-digit decline.
We are holding up better and, although our total market share has fallen from 14% to 13% year on year despite Puffin is showing exceptional growth with sales up 14.5% for year. Ladybird is having a great year, too, more than 22% up on sales, year on year, and enjoying a small increase in its market share. We dominate the Pre-School and Early Learning category with a combined market share of more than 23%.
The supermarkets have been particularly challenging this year with the loss of a key wholesaler, Entertainment UK, who was the main distributor into supermarkets, and Woolworths' 800 stores closed on the high street.
Francesca — In these times of economic hardship, consumers, and therefore retailers, revert to trusted brands, which has given us — across Ladybird, Warne and Puffin — the perfect opportunity to grow our sales on classic properties. For example, in Puffin this spring saw the 40th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and — with some new publishing across formats and price points and imaginative marketing and huge publicity — we were able to celebrate not just a Very Happy Birthday but a sales increase of more than 70%.
How do buying habits compare to, say, 10 years ago
Stephanie — Clearly there has been a shift from high street to supermarkets and, more noticeably, to online. Consumers are far more savvy shoppers than they were ten years ago and not as loyal. They are looking for value and increasingly parents and children will use the web to price compare.
Parents also want to make informed choices about what they purchase, although they are now resistant to being 'marketed to' and are led more by (authentic) community voices . It is not insignificant that customer reviews for example are one of Amazon's most powerful sales tools. Retailers need to compete with the level of service, flexibility and speed online can offer.
Books like Harry Potter and The Book Thief have been huge hits. Have we got any plans for crossover publications?
Francesca — In Puffin we certainly do. Crossover books are not easy to find but seeking them out has been a key strategy for Puffin for some months. Crossover books are not easy to find but seeking them out has been a key strategy for Puffin for some months. We've just acquired jointly with Michael Joseph a major new crossover series called I Am Number Four by James Frey. Film rights have gone to DreamWorks. The book is a terrific read that delivers on every level with thrills and even a tear-jerker ending. We'll publish in adult and young adult editions in Spring 2011. We also have The Truth about Leo coming in April 2010 by David Yelland – a powerful story which will have enormous appeal also to adults.
Children today are digital natives. What are we doing to integrate our publishing with new technologies?
Stephanie — In January of this year we published the first ever Doctor Who cross-platform publishing series, which won huge approval from the BBC Doctor Who script writing team — each book offered access to www.darksmithlegacy.com, where readers use knowledge gained from the Doctor's adventure to battle the monsters for themselves...they earn Eternity Points to release further exclusive content online — its been a fantastic success and one we will repeat with other brands.
We have also developed an interactive Decide Your Destiny series for Star Wars: Clone Wars, hosted by the official Star Wars website so have a look at Obi-Wan Kenobi's advice on www.starwars.com/dyd and type 3F52X!
Ladybird's is to trial shortly a mobile phone initiative in Nigeria, using the Key Words reading scheme content and we are now working on a Ladybird interactive project to further develop three interactive role-playing games using Ladybird early learning and learn to read content.
Francesca — For Puffin, digital marketing is key to accessing our older readers, who are spending so much time online. So for Charlie Higson's Young Bond novel By Royal Command we commissioned a highly sophisticated online game, based on the book.
With Higson's new title The Enemy we will air an incredible short film starring Mr Higson (star of the BBC Fast Show series) disguised in zombie-style make-up from the team behind Shaun of the Dead. We will hit boys in their bedrooms with this show-stopping film as it airs simultaneously on TV music channels as well as online the evening before publication.
We are always looking for new ways to develop our business and to see what skills we have that can be developed into online services. Jeremy Ettinghausen, digital publisher, has created We Make Stories (wemakestories.com) is an incredibly exciting new website to encourage children to create their own stories in a variety of formats, including pop-ups and graphic novels. Schools and individuals can join the website for a one-off subscription fee (just £5.99 for individuals — join now!) And we hope that subscription-driven revenue will help to fund further content.
What inspired you to get into book publishing?
Stephanie — Children, yes really! Before coming into publishing I was in education, travelling round schools, meeting and talking to teachers and children, bringing history alive through role-play and re-enactment. As part of the job I also wrote and partnered with an illustrator and designer to produce books and activity sheets and sold them for real money! And I loved that too, which led me to apply to Ladybird to be an editor, where I worked mainly across non-fiction, storybooks, early learning and licensed titles.
Francesca — I have always loved books and reading and knew from my teens that I wanted to be involved in publishing 'when I grew up'. And why Children's books? Maybe it's because the best children's books are fantastic stories — with the child as hero and adults well out of the way — and those stories have stayed with me? I love illustration and design and design is absolutely key to the success of children's books. Children themselves are very instinctive, very immediate in their responses: if they like the cover, they'll pick up the book. But if they're not grabbed, you've lost your readers. I like this challenge. And now having children myself of course makes the whole challenge of publishing infinitely more fascinating.
What one book are you most proud of?
Stephanie — I should say now that I am not old enough to have published the brilliant and original Key Words Reading Scheme from Ladybird (1964) but I have been its guardian for many years and I am immensely proud of it. Despite its critics, with over 90 million copies sold and still going strong, in every part of the globe it has been a truly remarkable and life-changing series for many children who have become lifelong readers through it.
Children are active learners and learn through play and it was observing my daughter when she was very young that led Ladybird to publish the first Ladybird Baby and Toddler interactive books. The first high-contrast black and white cloth books, which were part of the launch range broke new ground in the UK. Planned, co-ordinated and packaged by age and stage, the range was a first in the market place and enabled Ladybird to find a niche beyond its traditional formats which fitted so perfectly its credentials as an early learning specialist.
Francesca — I'm very proud to have launched Lauren Child's career with her first Clarice Bean and Charlie and Lola books. And at Puffin I'm proud of so many books — but the reality is that although you like all your books, you like your successful books best! Building some of our new authors has been incredibly exciting — such as Rick Riordan with his Percy Jackson series, Cathy Cassidy and Charlie Higson and now Jeff Kinney with his Wimpy Kid books. And I'm proud to publish Meg Rosoff who has such a distinctive talent and surprises her readers with every new book.
Which books have been particular favourites of yours and your children?
Stephanie — My children loved Rosie's Walk — 32 words and not a single one wasted. They loved how the pictures told the real story and the anticipation of Rosie outwitting the fox, time and time again. Also the Ahlberg's Each Peach Pear Plum and anything by Shirley Hughes (or Shirley Shoes as she was called in our house) and Eric Carle, especially Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Busy Spider, with its brilliant bumpy spider's web. Now they are older, one has just finished the Morris Gleitzman story Then, which was thoughtful and wonderful, and the other embarked upon The Enemy, the fabulously frightening new book coming from Puffin in the Autumn, which he would not and could not put down.
I was mad about Enid Blyton Famous Five and Malory Towers and collected them all. I loved encyclopedias and the Ladybird History and What to find in... series. I still have my battered copy Banister Fletcher's The History of Architecture from which I would copy and make drawings of arches and flying buttresses!
Francesca — When my boys were very young, we loved Allan Ahlberg's picture book classics such as Peepo ( Burglar Bill remains a family favourite); Rod Campbell's Dear Zoo; the fabulous Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd; The Elephant and the Bad Baby illustrated by Raymond Briggs and Eric Hill's Spot of course.
Then Charlotte's Web, all of splendiferously funny Roald Dahl, the Moomins, and the Milly Molly Mandy. Classics such as Goodnight Mr Tom and Stig of the Dump and The Hundred and One Dalmations. Now they are laughing their way through Wimpy Kid, love Artemis Fowl, and Robert Muchamore's books. And Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. They devour Charlie Higson and list Percy Jackson as one of their absolute favourites. On holiday we read the classics aloud and this year's big successes have been Treasure Island, and PG Wodehouse.
When I was young, I obviously lived in a complete fantasy world because I adored Ballet Shoes, A Little Princess, Jane Eyre and I Capture the Castle.
What books are you most excited about in the second half?
Stephanie — Our big Christmas title from Frederick Warne is the stunning Peter Rabbit: A Winter's Tale. With a print run of 85,000 across the UK, US and Australia and five foreign language editions signed up so far, this wonderful book sets a new standard for Beatrix Potter gift books, is perfect for Christmas and is already being well received by the trade.
In January this year we launched The Darksmith Legacy, the first ever Dr Who cross-platform publishing series with ten titles releasing over the year. Darksmith comes to an end in the autumn and will finish in spectacular style with an exclusive 'Collected Party' in December.
Little Penguin and the Big Storm – a gentle storybook, beautifully illustrated and with a sound on every page is our first foray into the higher-end gift novelty format from Ladybird at Christmas.
Francesca — From Puffin the biggest fiction launch of the autumn is Charlie Higson's new blockbuster series The Enemy — move over vampires, the zombies are coming ...
The new Wimpy Kid book — Dog Days — which comes in hardback for the first time should be very big for us.
And I have to put in a mention of Puffin's 70th birthday, which we celebrate next spring. We're busy planning the biggest 70th birthday celebration ever, including NATIONAL PUFFIN DAY on 8 May, where consumers, booksellers, librarians and teachers nationwide can let their imagination run wild and celebrate all things Puffin. With a wonderful range of publishing, a major year-long Puffin exhibition on the past, present and future of Puffin opening at Newcastle's Seven Stories, The Centre for Children's Books, a Puffin Film Festival of famous film adaptations of classic Puffin titles plus an animation competition at London's BFI Southbank and launch of a brand new range of Puffin-branded merchandise it's going to be a very exciting Puffin year.
What is your focus for 2010 and beyond?
Stephanie — We have an exciting time ahead of us and already we are seeing synergies and opportunities across the publishing. We're asking many questions about how to future-proof ourselves against the changing industry landscape, and it is energising to take a fresh look at what we do.
We're in a time of immense change: some customers are repositioning themselves as the give book space to toys and other forms of children's entertainment and others reinvent themselves as online businesses.
Our competitors are re-evaluating what they do and several are announcing new partnerships and commercial models as they think beyond the book and how to service and develop their author relationships and more widely across the children's entertainment sector.
Children's books are part of the world of children's entertainment, not separate to it. We have no boundaries either to the origins or the format of delivery of our content. Ideas, authors and generators of content can come from anywhere and we will embrace not only print but also more diverse forms of connecting with children, be that through books, gaming, online or TV.
Francesca — Our focus for Puffin is in growing key brands — making the big authors bigger. And the US is an opportunity — with the US market so influential when it comes to teen readers.
I believe that growth is, in theory, simple: it comes from having the right books and publishing them brilliantly. The books need to be imaginatively packaged and marketed and sold with huge confidence - but ultimately if the books are really strong, you will grow your sales.