Showing posts with label spring 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring 2014. Show all posts

Mar 25, 2014

Living Outside of the Target Audience

“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” ― C.S. Lewis


Time and time again people debate whether or not someone fits the target audience of a specific book. With the industry in such a competitive state currently and unfocused marketing being the death knell of most sales, it's important to know who your ideal reader is. Unfortunately, that creates a dialogue that keeps out a lot of people who would still very much benefit from the book.

So, let's start a dialogue. A fresh... no, a Garden Fresh dialogue. Let me tell you about the magic of Garden to Table, and why "a kid's guide" is so much more.

Mar 11, 2014

Post-Winter Reading Lists, or Why Summer Can't Arrive Soon Enough

Typical Scarletta Employee Behavior
Winter has battered us all this year. Intense storms, bad road conditions, record lows... but I digress. This post is an ode to Summer, and the delicious books that we gobble up on our summer reading lists. This post is about why summer should already be here! Denzel has talked about book diets, the PW blog talked about vacation reading, and now as a publisher, it's time for us to start talking about summer reading.

Summer reading is important on so many levels. The majority of libraries create FANTASTIC reading programs designed to engage kids of all ages (we highly recommend you enroll your kids in one). Publishers come out with great lists for varying tastes (seriously, every publisher has summer recommendations). More people choose to read for fun - to engage themselves in books while on summer vacation (honestly, who doesn't enjoy a good book while getting a tan?).

So before you cover yourselves in books, here are our recommendations - a few books from the Scarletta catalog to add to the lists of our voracious readers...

Mar 4, 2014

Springing Forward Into Celebration

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' 



Spring is the best season, and I will have none of your rabble rousing about "opinions" vs. "fact". It's simply the truth. Spring is full of flowers, warming weather, the freedom from boots, and my birthday. Spring is truly the best season.

But you're not here to hear me talk about those boring things, you want to know about books. Well fear not, because spring is also a great season for books. Full of great awards like our very own SEUSS Awards, birthdays celebrated by the likes of Ezra Jack Keats, Lois Lowry, and Shakespeare. Most importantly, spring is full of celebrations of the written word and the infrastructure in place to share it. Let me briefly acquaint you with some of the best, or my favorite, springtime celebrations of books and those who love them.

Dec 17, 2013

Picture Perfect: Announcing the 2014 Spring Season!

We just couldn't wait until the new year to talk about our spring 2014 title list! Okay, maybe that's just me, but I am ridiculously excited about the great children's lineup we have for all you readers, and I'm betting everyone else in the Scarletta office feels the same way.

The year of 2013 saw some amazing children's and adult books rolled out from our imprints, and the birth of our new brand image at Scarletta. It was a fantastic start to what is sure to be an incredible publishing journey, especially with the titles we'll be buzzing about in 2014! So without further ado...

Start by digging in (pun intended, folks!) on March 20, 2014, with Garden to Table: The Kid's Guide to Planting, Growing, and Preparing Food by Katherine Hengel. Kids will fill their plates with fresh, self-sustained produce that comes straight from the garden. Step-by-step planting, care, and harvesting tips, along with step-by-step photos for over 30 delicious recipes made with basil, carrots, green beans, leaf lettuce, potatoes, and tomatoes. Incorporating unique flavors and easy-to-grow veggies, these simple recipes will have you asking for seconds!

You met Monster in fall 2013, and if you're a normal or abnormal person, immediately fell in love with him. He's giant, blue, hairy, and cavorts around with the energy of a four year old thanks to talented illustrator Wendy Grieb. Well, Paul Czajak's adorable Monster & Me™ series continues on April 8, 2014, with Monster Needs His Sleep. In Czajak and Grieb's second collaboration, it's time for bed, and Monster needs to go to sleep. But he just keeps finding more things to stay awake for! It isn't until Monster admits he is afraid of the dark that he finds a glowing solution to his nightmare problem.

A picture book series not quite your style? Looking for something older? Fan of adventure and fantasy series? Then have we got something for you! That may have been too cheesy of a build up, but seriously, middle-grade readers will love our new Tristan Hunt and the Sea Guardians series by Ellen Prager. The Shark Whisperer, book one, is an action-packed story of adventure, fantasy, and humor that reveals the wonders of the ocean. After falling into a pool of sharks, things for awkward Tristan Hunt begin to look up. Tristan is invited to an ocean-themed summer camp in the Florida Keys where he discovers that he and his fellow campers have very rare talents when it comes to the ocean. After the camp receives a distress call from ocean animals, the Sea Guardians get pulled into a daring rescue in the Bahamas. With the help of sharks, dolphins, a quick-escape artist octopus, and some seabird bombers, the campers must use their talents in an attempt to outwit an evil shark-finning, reef-blasting billionaire.

We'll keep on the animal theme and finish out the spring 2014 season with another adorable picture book, If An Armadillo Went to a Restaurant by Ellen Fischer, and illustrated by Laura Wood. Would an armadillo order spaghetti with meatballs if she went to a restaurant? No way! She would like a plate of ants and worms. Little ones will slurp, munch, and crunch their way through this delightful book about animal diets and habitats. In the end, you might find yourself asking just what you might like to order.


Think these books are awesome? Guess what...they're all available for pre-order from your favorite book vendor! Might we also suggest these books as great for your 2014 book lists? If you love them, tell us about it with a customer review (and tell your bookseller too so they can keep recommending our quality books to other readers!).