See you there!

• Standard Definition: plunder, booty; money, valuables.
• Recent Definition: confidence, style, carriage; related to swagger.

There's a saying going around the internet that “swag doesn’t pay the bills.” In Children’s Marketing, that is patently not true.  Swag totally pays the bills—or, at least it helps sell books, which is what keeps the lights (and air conditioning) on in this funky-shaped building. [Note: Much of Macmillan is housed in New York City’s Flatiron Building, an angular architectural wonder that is on the National Register of Historic Places and has a perfect five-star rating on Yelp. Swag.]

Kids book swag is kind of like a party favor—if your book had a birthday bash or a wedding, it would thank you for coming and hand you a little gift on your way out that looked like one of the following:

Bookmarks: Classic swag! A bookmark doesn’t stray too far from the world of ink and paper. Almost anything can be a bookmark, including smaller books—but do this too much and you get a Matryoshka doll effect with a couple of broken bindings. Better to pick up the real deal!

Poster: When you’re not reading your book, it can still beautify your world. A children’s book poster usually consists of a spread from the book with a tagline that is funny, telling or inspiring. Since they are often displayed in libraries and bookstores, these posters may have messages which encourage you to read. Consider yourself warned.

Class Activities: Sometimes class activities are on the back of a poster; sometimes they’re on their own. You can check out book pages on the Macmillan website to see if there are bonus activities! Is this type of swag a little like the carrot sticks that one of your neighbors gives out on Halloween instead of candy? Maybe. Did that person know what was best for you? Definitely. Some of these activities were created by interns, specifically this intern, and they are FUN—and good for you.

Buttons, Tote Bags, Pencils: This genre of swag is my favorite, as it’s a killer combination of practical and expressive. Plus, sometimes tote bags contain… more swag. And books.

Alternative Swag: Here’s where things get really creative. Did you know that Shadow and Bone has its own nail polish? And that the upcoming Crewel has its own swanky purple wristband? 52 Reasons to Hate My Father had a giveaway that included heiress sunglasses like the one in the book. Step aside, Duane Reade, because Mackids has this covered. These novelty items are a ton of fun to come up with in marketing meetings—it’s an interesting challenge to design a small object that both conveys something about a whole book and is useful or cool on its own.

Now you might be asking yourself: Where can I get my hands on some swag? Easy! To get a party favor, go to a party. Check out author signings and book festivals. Buddy up with your local librarian. Consider working in publishing! The whole floor may or may not have sampled custom Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group cookies to make sure they were OK for ALA. (They were, but it’s always good to check.) Turn your swag on, and happy reading!

 -Katherine

Fierce Reads was launched in June with a spectacular tour! Four debut authors went on the road, with special author guests joining them along the way. The Fierce Reads tour took the authors across the country to meet new fans.

The four debut author and their books were:

And they were joined at various stops by Marissa Meyer, Jessica Brody, Lish McBride, Ann Aguirre, and Caragh O'Brien.

Couldn't make it to any of the events? Well you're in luck! Lots of bloggers went to the events and wrote up some recaps!

June 5: Mrs. Nelson's in La Verne, CA

June 6: Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA

June 7: Books, Inc. in San Francisco, CA    

June 8: Kepler's in Menlo Park, CA

June 9: Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA

June 12: Provo City Library in Provo, UT

June 13: Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX

June 14: Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL

June 15: Schuler's Books in Lansing, MI

June 16: Barnes and Noble in Pensacola, FL

June 17: Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY

There will be a new Fierce Read Tour in the Fall, so be sure to check out the Fierce Reads Facebook Fan Page to see which authors will be coming and where/when.

And stay fierce!

What do record players, batteries, and movie cameras have in common?

All these devices were created by the man known as The Wizard of Menlo Park: Thomas Edison.

Edison is most famous for inventing the incandescent lightbulb, but at his landmark laboratories in Menlo Park & West Orange, New Jersey, he also developed many other staples of modern technology.  Despite many failures, Edison persevered. And good for that, because it would be very difficult to go through a day without using one of his life-changing inventions. In this enlightening book, Gene Barretta enters the laboratories of one of America’s most important inventors.

 Timeless Thomas by Gene Barretta is "a glowing tribute to the inventor who continues to influence modern life", according to a starred Kirkus and a "...useful tool to introduce history and inventions to reluctant readers or students…" according to School Library Journal

After the success of our spring 2012 Fierce Reads tour (read about it here in Publisher's Weekly!), we're back this fall with six NEW Fierce Reads authors for the tour, which also features three familiar faces.

 
Featuring  Ann Aguirre, Elizabeth Fama, Lish McBride and Marissa Meyer:

• September 18: Changing Hands Bookstore in Pheonix, AZ
• September 19: Tattered Cover in Denver, CO
• September 20: Left Bank Books in St. Louis, MO (This stop also features author Jessica Brody!)
• September 21: Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinatti, OH
• September 22: Next Chapter Bookshop in Milwaukee, WI
• September 23: Malaprop's Bookstore in Asheville, NC (This stop will not feature author Marissa Meyer)

Featuring Gennifer Albin, Caragh O'Brien, Marie Rutkoski and Leigh Bardugo:

• October 16: Lake Forest Bookstore in Lake Forest, IL
• October 17: Politics & Prose at the Bethesda Library outside of Washington D.C.
• October 18: Cover to Cover Bookstore in Columbus, OH
• October 19: Square Books in Oxford, MS
• October 20: Children's Book World in Haverford, PA
• October 21: New York City (Exact location TBD!)

Learn more about the Fall 2012 Fierce Reads titles at MacTeenBooks.com, our sister blog and become a fan of Fierce Reads on Facebook for 

Go to our Fierce Reads Facebook page to RSVP to the stop closest to your hometown!

Fierce Reads

Fierce Reads is an online community and a brand that groups, well, fierce books together so that teens can interact with books they love and be a part of the discovery of new books.

On our Fierce Reads Facebook Page fans can talk about their favorite fierce titles, enter for a chance to win FREE books, see exclusively fierce content and download the  song featured in the Fierce Reads book trailer (among many, many other things).

This summer, four debut authors -- Anna Banks, Leigh Bardugo, Jennifer Bosworth and Emmy Laybourne -- who each wrote fierce, funny and sometimes terrifying stories toured the country (literally from sea to shining sea) together for the first Fierce Reads book tour. 

Learn more about our spring 2012 Fierce Reads on MacTeenBooks.com! 

We're back from ComicCon! It was our first time exhibiting at the San Diego Comic Con and we had such a warm reception for our books and our authors. Check out some photos below:

Our lovely booth!

Before ComicCon opened on preview night, we took a stroll along the water. That is the USS Midway.

Iron Man 3 bonanaza in the Marvel area.

We were handing out these Wrinkle in Time tote bags everyday stuffed with some fun swag.

A TinTin cosplayer came by the booth!

Eve and Adam galleys peeking out as we got ready for Michael Grant's signing.

Michael Grant didn't know what he should write when signing the galleys so a fan suggested "Don't mess with DNA" and it stuck!

Even Storm is a fan!

This guy scared the heck out of us as we were walking back to our hotel one night.

Struck author Jennifer Bosworth with a new and young fan.

Leigh Bardugo and Lish McBride came by the booth during Jennifer Bosworth's signing.

Jennifer Bosworth tattooing a new fan with her lightning tattoos.

Rocking out!

Crewel author Gennifer Albin dressed up for her signing!

What? Wolverine doesn't show up at your signings? Clearly he does at ours.

Marissa Meyer and her husband at our booth.

Leo Geo author/illustrator Jon Chad signing a skateboard.

Air guitar with Leo Geo!

This girl came to all of our signings. Can you spot her armful of books?

Fans lined up really early to get a chance at one of the 20 galleys we had of Marissa Meyer's Scarlet.

One of the 20 lucky fans who got a galley of Scarlet.

Fans also lined up really early for our Wrinkle in Time Graphic Novel signing with Hope Larson.

Hope Larson, who adapted and illustrated the graphic novel of A Wrinkle in Time.

Leigh Bardugo signing copies of her book Shadow and Bone.

Spotted on the floor: Snoopy!

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer author Lish McBride sharing what she got at comic con.

Lish McBride hanging out!

Spotted on the floor: Shia LaBeouf with his own graphic novel.

A beautiful cosplay from Brave.

Year of the Beasts author Cecil Castellucci signing in a sketchbook.

Year of the Beasts author Cecil Castellucci and illustrator Nate Powell having fun at their signing!

Accidental cosplay: She happened to be walking by the booth and we called out "Medusa!"

Nate Powell showing the original artowrk he did for Year of the Beasts.

And that's all folks! Hope to see you back at SDCC next year!

The Monster Who Lost His Mean, written by Tiffany Strelitz Haber and illustrated by Kirstie Edmunds

Everyone knows that the M in “monster” stands for MEAN. But what happens when a monster can’t be mean any more? Is he still a monster at all?

One young monster's attempts to live up to his name go hilariously awry as he discovers—with a little help from new friends—that it's not what you're called but who you are that counts.

Picture Books

• Frankenstein written by Rick Walton and illustrated by Nathan Hale
• The Monster Who Lost His Mean written by Tiffany Strelitz and illustrated by Kirstie Edmunds
• Timeless Thomas by Gene Barretta
• Working Mummies written by Joan Horton and illustrated by Drazen Kozjan

Chapter Books

• Haunted Histories: Creepy Castles, Dark Dungeons, and Powerful Palaces by J.H. Everett and Marilyn Scott-Waters

Young Adult Books

• Before You Go by James Preller
• Holding On to Zoe by George Ella Lyon
• Moonbird by Phillip Hoose

Interning at MacKids has given me the opportunity to check out a lot of children’s books, and a few patterns have emerged. Here are some thoughts on what’s in! - Katherine Damm

Trend: Bears

Suggested Reading: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?; Bear Has A Story To Tell (September 2012); The Bear in the Book (October 2012) 

What is it about bears that make them such lovable children’s book characters? Is it their adorably awkward gait, fuzzy exterior, or just that “bear” rhymes with a lot of words? Whatever it is, I am a fan of this theme. I want to live in a world where bears are not dangerous wild animals, but are instead cuddly creatures who like to hang out with their forest friends—friends that they definitely don’t want to eat.

Variations I’d like to see: huggable sharks, whimsical scorpions, mischievous man o’ wars.

Trend: Bedtime

Suggested Reading: Bedtime for Monsters (July 2012), Lucy Can’t Sleep (August 2012)

This totally makes sense. Bedtime is contagious, like yawns. If a child sees a well-behaved peer getting down with sleepytimes, they’re much more likely to go to bed without a fuss. But books aren’t just for bedtime. They’re for all day, every day! That’s why I propose…

Variation I’d like to see: Wake up, surprise story-time! (This is best done between the hours of 12am and 4am.)

Trend: Grandparents

Suggested Reading: Grandpa Green, Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake

There are some great picture books about children and grandparents. The kids are sweet, the grandparents are role-models, and nobody ever says anything that has become politically incorrect within the past twenty years just a little too loudly for comfort while you’re out and about.

Variation I’d like to see: A picture book about my grandmother specifically. We call her Mimi, and she is a witty southern lady who pointedly compliments my “lingerie” when I wear shirts without sleeves.

Trend: Dystopian Fiction

Suggested Reading: Struck, Monument 14, Birthmarked, After the Snow, and more…

This trend is really strong in Young Adult literature right now. High school is pretty dystopian as it is—amiright?? But it can help put acne, gossip and boy/girl problems into perspective when you see powerful role models fighting to survive in their messed-up world who also struggle with acne, gossip and boy/girl problems.

Variation I’d like to see: Utopian fiction. (Sure, dystopian fiction can teach you to look at today’s society through a critical lens, but that can be a total bummer.)

Trend: Friendship

Suggested Reading: Pretty much any book

This trend spans all age ranges, from baby books to the big, bad world of adult literature.  Friends do everything together. They support each other, bicker, go on adventures, fight demons, and sometimes realize their feelings for one another and smooch. (Those last two are much more common in YA than other genres.)

Variation I’d like to see: Acquaintanceship. (Friendship is easy. Acquaintanceship is complicated. Do you say hi and chat? Just say hi? Wave? Avoid eye contact until the last possible second and then make a weird sound? I wish these questions had been addressed a long time ago.)

Any trends you’ve noticed?

Check out Stephen's pictures and captions from this morning's tug spotting boat ride!

July 12, 2012: Macmillan Children's Publishing Group Director of Marketing Elizabeth Fithian took us on a tug-spotting boat ride.

Our fearless captain was Elizabeth's dad, Dick Kohn (middle). Also on board was video director David Franklin...

... and me, Stephen Savage -- author and illustrator of LITTLE TUG (Roaring Brook Press, Neal Porter Books).

The sun rose at 5:36am.

Hey, that looks like a page from the book!

Well... sorta.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn with Staten Island, was the model for the bridge in the book.

David shot video footage for the upcoming tug trailer.

At 8:30, the beautiful morning light was gone and Captain Kohn returned to shore!