 Interview by Annie Cronin Romano I was delighted to chat with Leo Landry, the children’s book buyer since 2018 at An Unlikely Story Bookstore, located in Plainville, MA, and owned by Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney. Leo is also a published author/illustrator. How did you get your start as a children’s book buyer? I first started at The Children’s Bookshop in Brookline, MA, where I was the manager and did all of the backlist buying as well. I was there for 20 years. I also worked in college bookstores for several years. I arrived at An Unlikely Story in October 2018, initially doing receiving and returns, and soon moved into the role of children’s book buyer. Tell us a little about your process/criteria in terms of choosing what to bring into your store for picture books? Does the artwork catch your eye first? The title? The actual story/text? The broadest view of it is that you really have to consider a few things with all the books you bring in: One is what your community wants—or at least what you think they want—and another is what you like and what you think your collection should reflect. That’s really the fun part. If you went to five different independent bookstores and looked at the kids’ sections, you’ll see, of course, the big books, but you will really be able to see the personality of the buyer. For instance, I tend to like the quieter things and softer artwork. If you made that a homework assignment, you would notice each buyer’s distinct taste store to store. You could profile the book buyer! Yes, you probably could! And in addition to those two points, the other factor is that there’s always things you can’t not have; if there’s an author that is huge, you have to have those books. What I typically do when I meet with a sales rep is first look at our prior season’s order and see how things from that order sold. For instance, when looking at sales history here, I can see that general fiction picture books sell well here, but nonfiction picture books, such as picture book biographies or history-related titles, don’t sell quite as well here. All stores have sales patterns and that’s important to know, to keep an eye on those patterns and watch for changes. When I go through the catalog for any given publisher, I try to read all the picture books as much as I can, whether it’s digital or print, if offered, and I decide in that moment whether I want the book or I don’t. Then I make final decisions once discussing with the sales rep. For YA, I rely on the younger booksellers and the reps for input as well. The toughest part is there are just so many books published. I know I miss a lot of lovely books, but I must consider that books come out every Tuesday and there’s only so much shelf space. A picture book will only have a week or two as a face-out, which I know is disappointing to authors. To help there, we’ve added some end caps at the store, in addition to our new release section for PBs, where we put bookseller favorites for picture books, and those books consistently sell. Would you say for board books, leveled/early readers, chapter books and middle grade, your process is the same? Yes, it is. Obviously you can’t read every middle grade… No, though middle grade is kind of going down sales-wise, sadly, and it has been for four of five years. It’s less so for series; it is still going down, but much less so than middle grade. On the other hand, board books in our store have practically doubled in sales. Early readers and first chapter books are also on the upswing here. Middle grade series and above is on a downward slide, which I think reflects the industry as well. I feel like as those kids [driving the sales in board books through early chapter books] get older, we’ll see an increase in middle grade sales. Many authors worry that if they go with a small/indie publisher, it will be more challenging to market and distribute their work. How much of a role does the size and recognition of a publishing house (i.e., the Big Five) play in your choices, or are you just as likely to purchase from smaller presses? I’m just as likely to buy from smaller presses as long as someone lets us know about it, as long as we can access it. One small publisher that I really love is Graystone Kids. They publish a Cree-Métis illustrator named Julie Flett, who I’m a huge fan of. I’m always buying anything she has coming out. They use a distributor that prints a catalog, so I can access their list easily. As long as small presses are accessible through a larger distributor, that helps. I do believe that if a book is really good, it will find its way even if it is with a tiny publisher, though it might take a little longer. Of course, me saying “if a book is really good” is subjective. Are there topics/themes you feel are lacking in children’s books? What topics/genres/themes would you like to see more of? I can think of things I’d like to see less of… Well, that was my next question! I really want to see solid stories and less preachy, lesson-type books. A good story that’s entertaining. Every publisher every season has a lot of these “I am great, I am wonderful” vague, inspirational books, and I think there’s now too much of that. To me, a good story…you’re going to want to hear it again and again. Of course, the kids aren’t buying the picture books; the parents are, and they often want those social-emotional books. But if you think of the picture books with characters you love and want to go back to, those are memorable stories. That’s not to say you don’t need that social-emotional angle. To me, a really good example of a picture book that is a great story and also has that social-emotional angle is the book Truman (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019). Those emotional themes are baked into the story, but that’s not the only thing there. It’s a good story with the underlying message; those types of books I always welcome. When it’s just a vague attempt at making everybody feel good, those books come and go. Do you feel there are any themes lacking in middle grade and YA? Or is there an uptick in needed themes? I feel like middle grade has a lot going on right now, which makes it sad that sales are down there. It’s much more mainstream to have middle grade with LGBTQ+ characters, characters with Native American authors, BIPOC authors and characters. They’re keeping up. It’s still very low, but it’s miles more than it used to be. In YA right now, fantasy rules. A lot of YA is fantasy, but it keeps selling. Also, horror is growing. I’ve also noticed in the last year or two that historical fiction in YA and in middle grade, too, is creeping back in. Is there a genre of children’s books that kids just can’t seem to get enough of? Dinosaurs, trucks, mermaids and fairies for the young kids. It never ceases to amaze me—especially dinosaurs, that one just keeps going! What were some recent children’s books whose success surprised you? In the YA world, it’s all because of TikTok. There’s a title, Powerless (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2023), a YA fantasy novel, that took off here because of TikTok. And it doesn’t even have to be a recent book. Something that came out five years ago can have a jump because of TikTok. Also, in all areas the booksellers can make a huge difference in a book’s success. For instance, our bookseller Cassie, when she started last year, asked if I could bring in some picture book titles that were her favorites. I brought them in and she sells the heck out of them. I’m surprised because they’re books that we had when they were new and didn’t get back in after they sold through, but now she sells four or five a week. What else was a surprise…well, every now and then, there will be a picture book that will take off and I didn’t expect it, like last year’s Sleepy Sheepy (Flamingo Books, 2023). It’s very cute and sweet, and we sold a lot of them, but I didn’t anticipate that. Another one that was sort of a surprise that I’ve reordered several times was Buffalo Fluffalo (Random House Studio, 2024). I also didn’t anticipate The Three Little Tardigrades (Godwin Books, 2024) would sell as well as it has. It’s a rewritten fairytale that also has STEM connections, so people really liked that about it. That sold out immediately. What are the biggest challenges you face in being a children’s book buyer? To me, it’s the shelf space. I wish our entire store was all children’s books, to be honest. I went once to Powell’s in Portland [Washington state] and I talked with one of the buyers there, and their children’s book area is 10,000 square feet. I was just in awe of that! I can’t imagine. So yes, for me, it’s shelf space, especially because here things really sell well when face out. How does your experience as a published children’s author/illustrator influence your process in terms of buying? I try to not be as dismissive as I may have been in my younger days because I respect what goes into the making of any book, and I know how hard everyone works on it, from the author, the illustrator, the editor, the marketing people, etc., and they all believe in that book. Before I turn something down, I really try to consider, based on my experience, if there is even the smallest audience for this book that we could reach. Because I know what goes into the making of a book, I try to be as respectful as I can. I also feel my 20 years working with The Children’s Bookshop owner Terri Schmitz influenced me greatly. She’s legendary amongst the reps who’ve been around a while for being the ultimate test of what would sell. She read everything, from picture books to YA, and she was just very thorough. I learned from her over the years to always look for quality. What is your favorite part of being a children’s book buyer? Definitely going back into the picture book area and just messing about. Sorting and putting things in order. I’ll say to my coworkers when I’m about to do that, “If you need me, I’m gonna be back with my friends.” That is just so awesome, rifling through everything, making sure it’s all in order, reminding yourself, “Oh my gosh, I forgot about this book. I’ll have to recommend this next time I think of it.” Just being with the books is my favorite part. Leo Landry is the children’s book buyer at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA and a published author/illustrator. His books include: Homerun, Touchdown, Basket, Goal (Henry Holt & Co., 2019), Grin and Bear It (Charlesbridge, 2011), and Let's Sign Baby with Kelly Ault, author (Clarion Books, 2010). To see more of his work, visit his website at www.leolandry.com.
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24 Carrot Writing is pleased to host Andrew Jenrich, Director of the Taft Public Library in Mendon, MA. All four of us have benefited from Andrew's comprehensive knowledge of the publishing industry, as well as his ability to place "just the right book" into our hands (as well as the many library patrons' hands!). We hope you'll find his perspective on what he's acquiring, and what he hopes to acquire in the future, helpful in your writing process.  Guest Post by Andrew Jenrich As Director at the Taft Public Library one of the most rewarding tasks I have is developing the library’s book collection for children and young adults. That’s not to say it isn’t a daunting job, especially since so many new titles release weekly. If there is any frustration in the collection development work I do, it stems from the nagging feeling that I’ll forever be chasing the publishing game and will never quite catch up. We are a smaller library and, since the shelf space in our library is limited, I realized long ago that I would need to be particularly selective about what winds up on our shelves. So, what determines the choices I ultimately make for our library? What catches my eye and peaks my interest enough to convince me to part with the library’s dollar? Those are interesting questions. I do know the criteria I use for evaluating a board book vs. a chapter book vs. upper-level juvenile fiction for purchase are different. There is no one method I employ. And there probably shouldn’t be. Audiences for each format vary and publishers have become very savvy about what appeals to different age groups. The challenge for me is in anticipating what our patrons will want of what does get published. Some of the selection process is straightforward – series books for characters like Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, Pete the Cat, and Dog Man always circulate and they, along with series like Wimpy Kid, I Survived, and Spirit Animals take up a fair bit of space on the shelves. Add in books by renowned authors – your Rick Riordans, Mo Willemses, J.K. Rowlings, and Kate DiCamillos – and that’s a significant portion of the collection. But having those titles does not mean every interest of our library patrons has been met. There is still plenty of room for diversifying, for growing the collection beyond the core popular titles. Below is a synopsis of what I look for when selecting titles for the Children’s and Young Adult collections at our library. I’ve broken it down roughly by age group and, within each entry, I’ve tried to highlight some of the current trends I’m seeing and, where possible, pointed out the genres, subject matter, and storylines that seem too prevalent in some of these categories.  Board Books and Picture Books I’m a fairly visual person so I admit that the first thing that draws me to a board or picture book are the illustrations. They don’t need to be a certain style. In fact the good news in publishing for the very young is that there are many styles illustrators can employ that work effectively. Sure there’s a bit of mimicry here and there, but there are plenty of illustrators whose style is unique and distinct. So, yes, I’m drawn to the illustrations. That said, there’s nothing more disappointing than a picture book which delivers on the illustrations but is weak on storyline and content. The words do matter. When I was a Children’s Librarian and hosted storytimes I have to say I gravitated to titles with less text (kids can only sit still for so long). The books I liked most in those situations were the ones that “brought the silly.” Mo Willems, Jules Feiffer, Jon Agee, and Jan Thomas were always a hit. If a book could bring the silly and convey a lesson, well, all the better. Some books with more text did work during storytimes (Tomie DePaolo’s Strega Nona and Michelle Knudsen’s Library Lion worked far better than I imagined, Marla Frazee’s books were great too), but those instances were rare. What have I seen too much of in storybooks the last few years? Dragons, dinosaurs, princesses, penguins, mice, and bears. Don’t get me wrong, we still purchase titles with all of the above precisely because they circulate, but there’s entirely too much of it. And I do like anthropomorphism (Valeri Gorbachev and Peter Brown’s humanized animals are favorites of mine), but give me characters, animal or otherwise, I don’t normally see. Give me Lady Pancake, Sir French Toast, and Crayons that quit. I’ll likely take notice. Easy Readers and Early Chapter Books Some authors like Jan Thomas and Mo Willems have successfully moved into easy reader territory and we carry their titles. What’s nice is they continue to do work that isn’t text-heavy. I’ve found that text-heavy easy readers have a very limited appeal. If a child is looking for more text often they just move up to early chapter books like Nick Bruel’s Bad Kitty series or Doreen Cronin’s Chicken Squad books. Illustrations still matter in easy readers and early chapter books. In fact more and more books from both these categories seem to be taking a cue from graphic novels incorporating full page panel layouts, word and thought bubbles and other comic book devices. Scholastics’ line of early chapter books called Branches does this very well. They’re intended as a bridge between leveled readers and regular chapter books. Kung Pow Chicken, Monkey and Me, and Owl Diaries are all Branches titles that kids gravitate to here at the library. There’s plenty of text, it’s just that it’s often presented in comic book format with splashy engaging illustrations. What would I like to see more of in easy readers and early chapter books? I’d like to see more nonfiction easy readers and rebus readers where pictures occasionally take the place of common nouns throughout the story. Based on patron requests there’s a demand for both. I’d also like to see early chapter books with a bit more heft and content to them. The great thing about series like J.C Greenburg’s Andrew Lost or Osborne’s Magic Tree House is that you learn something in the process. Juvenile Fiction With Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and the Dork Diaries series you’re seeing hand-drawn diary and graphic novel techniques infiltrating juvenile (chapter book) fiction too. It’s clear publishers think kid culture is much more visual now and, based on readership of those series and others, it’s hard to argue they’re not right. We purchase all of the above and countless other series. Realistic fiction titles (school stories, family stories) seem to be on the increase due to the popularity of the Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries books. Most juvenile fiction series (and, believe me, publishers are obsessed with making everything into a series now) fall into the fantasy and adventure categories though. I loved the Harry Potter series but so many publishers started to roll out fantasy series during and after Harry hoping to “catch lightning in a bottle” that the result was a fair bit of forgettable fiction, though authors like Rick Riordan, Brandon Mull, and Pseudonymous Bosch capitalized. Bosch’s Secret series and Mull’s Fablehaven books are both very worthy and most everyone knows what a hit Percy Jackson has been with younger readers. What’s lacking in juvenile fiction? I don’t think there are enough mystery and compelling historical fiction titles written for preteens. Every so often a series like I Survived stokes the imagination of young readers, but it doesn’t happen enough. More sports novels for girls would be helpful too. Mike Lupica, Tim Green, and John Feinstein write excellent sports novels, but they feature boy protagonists in male-dominated sports.  Young Adult Fiction In my twelve years at the library no one area has grown so much as young adult fiction. The number of titles has grown and the category itself has matured. I think YA fiction suffered under the assumption that much of it was bleak and focused on hyper-dysfunctional families and relationships. There is a percentage of it that still does (and dysfunction provides drama), but I see authors taking more chances with genre now. Yes, YA literature had its vampire and werewolf phase (thanks Twilight) and it still clings desperately to its Hunger Games-inspired dystopias. Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds, and Neal Shusterman’s Arc of the Scythe series all mine this territory and do it fairly well. But I like when an author takes an even bigger chance like Ryan Graudin does in Wolf by Wolf and its sequel Blood for Blood, novels that take place in Nazi Germany and feature a girl protagonist who is also a shape-shifter intent on assassinating Hitler. It sounds like a lot to swallow, and it is, but Graudin pulls it off beautifully. If an author is going to imagine an alternate world I like it when they go all in. Thankfully more of that is happening. There is still plenty of room, of course, for realistic and topical teen fiction. I’ve been happy to see more teen mystery and suspense titles recently and it’s nice when historical fiction series like Laurie Halse Anderson Seeds of America books receive recognition and a devoted readership. I’ve also been particularly pleased that recent multicultural titles like Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone have found a wider audience. In truth there is so much good stuff out there now for children and teens to enjoy. Some of the best work being done right now across the juvenile and teen book landscape is in graphic novels. Shaun Tan, Gene Luen Yang, Raina Telgemeier, Noelle Stevenson – I could go on ad nauseum about the brilliant work they’re doing. Perhaps another time. Right now I have orders to place, so if I could kindly ask that publishers sit back and take a short break? I really need to catch up!  The Taft Public Library is located at 29 North Avenue in Mendon, MA.
 By Brook Gideon I am asked a lot of questions regarding my first book job, illustrating the chapter book Azalea, Unschooled by Liza Kleinman. How did I get the job? Did the illustrator choose me? Did we submit together? How much say did I have in the design and how much say did the author have in my illustrations? As all writers and artists know, the journey isn’t a straight shot. ©2016 Right Click Photography Landing the Gig: I was contacted by the wonderful editor of Islandport Press, Melissa Kim, by email. I had been scrolling through my inbox while on a break at work. Scanning it quickly and thinking it was an SCBWI list serve message, I almost deleted the email but at the last second I saw it was addressed to me specifically. (That was a close call.) Melissa was interested in my work for a picture book, she had seen me on the RISD website, and was wondering if I could send along some samples. (Um, yeah!) I had just moved and all my stuff was packed in boxes and stacked to eye level, filling the room that was to by my studio. Sure, I could send some, if I could find them. I let her know I had just moved and she said to take my time as nothing would be decided for a few months. Well, of course I dug through my boxes immediately and found the best copies I had. The next day, I slowly drove to the post office on a wicked snowy day and mailed them off. I drank a celebratory beer and then I waited. A decision was to be made in January. By the end of the month I had not heard anything, so I followed up with an email inquiry to be sure my samples made it to her safely. All was good, no decision had been made yet. It was the end of February before I got the word they were going a different route, thanked me for submitting and let me know that they would keep me in mind for future projects since they all liked my work. Whomp whommmp. I laid around and binge watched t.v. in a slump. So close and no prize. The kite eating tree had struck again. Another month went by and Melissa emailed me to ask if I would be interested in illustrating a chapter book called Azalea, Unschooled. So, I did what every person in the KidLit world says to do. I said yes while freaking out royally because I had no idea what I was doing. She attached the sample of my work that fit the style they liked the most, as well as other artist examples. It was to be a full-color cover with black and white illustrations every chapter or so. The fee schedule would be a flat fee, no royalties, and they expected the cover in about three months at the beginning of summer with the chapter illustrations to follow in the fall. The Contract: It was my first book contract and I didn’t have an agent, so I was slightly clueless and had a ton of questions. What is typical for payment? What things should I look for in the contract and what things do I need to be sure are there to protect me? I immediately contacted two wonderful KidLit friends about the contract and offer details so they could tell me what was what. They scraped me off the ceiling, and I learned that chapter book illustration contracts are typically flat fee (a.k.a. work for hire) unlike picture books which usually include royalties. They gave me an idea of what I should expect to be paid and as well as advice as to how to include statements about who owned the original artwork and for what purposes it could be used. Armed with my friends’ contract information, I made sure: 1) Islandport Press and I could both use the art for promotional material but… 2) I retained the rights to the original artwork 3) the original art would be returned to me. (I work traditionally in pen and watercolor, so sending my images off in the mail was scary, too!) 4) there would be authorship credit whenever my images were used 5) my name would appear on the cover (a huge point to push for) 6) we had a “kill fee” in case the project was scrapped and I’d already done most of the work! Other things to know are the expectations for initial and final sketch timelines, how many revisions you are willing to do, and payment schedule. (I was paid in halves, first when contract signed and the remainder when finals were submitted.) The contract was signed and accepted. I met Melissa and got the final version of the contract at the NESCBWI conference. Illustrating a Chapter Book: First, I read through of the manuscript to get a sense of the story. The second time through I started a list of the characters and noted any physical descriptions that were given. I sketched some initial faces (aka floating heads) to get a feel of what each would look like. I was given specs (the size of the book), how they would work and a timeline of due dates. The front cover was due first, and it is hard to do this so early in the process. By the time you are done with a book, you are so accustomed to drawing your characters that the images are fresher and less stiff. However, the cover is needed early for promotional purposes. I sent in super rough ideas of the characters and cover, and Islandport Press let me know what they liked. There was some back and forth with Melissa and the book designer, Karen Hoots, tweaking the approved image until the final was agreed upon.
Next, interior sketches were roughed out and sent for approval. Melissa had ideas for each chapter, but I could work from my imagination as well. (Side note: work the interior sketches from the middle out. Then the first and last images will be strongest since you’ve drawn the character over and over and those are the images many people remember.) While most of the feedback was from Melissa and Karen, Melissa did show the images to the author, Liza Kleinman, and she liked them all. The only suggestion I was given was to change Gabby’s appearance slightly, as Gabby was of mixed race. It was a bit of a challenge, since my interior illustrations were simple line work and black and white. I revisited my sketches of Gabby, altered a few things, and it worked. It’s amazing how subtle changes in even the simplest images make all the difference.
The back cover was done last, which proves my earlier point. The work is better when you are comfortable with the character. Melissa had stated it was her favorite and wished it could have been the cover.  Months later copies of my book were delivered to my house. It was a surreal moment. Then came the book launch, cake, friends and fun, but that’s a blog for another day…
Brook Gideon is a writer and illustrator and a member of SCBWI and The Writer’s Loft. She survived the Blizzard of ‘78, a Garanimals wardrobe, big hair of the 80s, and giant palmetto bugs crawling over her in the 90s. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and three vacuums to slay the Ghost Wookiees arising from two dogs and a herd of cats. She loves circus peanuts, cake and sharks. Visit her at www.brookgideon.com, on Twitter @brookgideon, or on Facebook @brookgideonsbiggerboat.
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