Wednesday, July 06, 2011

New Orleans, My first ALA


ALA in NEW ORLEANS


Usually I don't attend the ALA conference but this year I made and exception. How could I pass up seeing Margi Preus accept her Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai and on top of that it was in New Orleans which I had never been too. I obviously I could not.



Alex Beard's studios on Royal Street


Dan Santat enjoys time with the King.

Laura Mihalick works the booth


Orgaimi Yoda's Tom Angleberger opened up a back house for Wimpy Kid's Jeff Kinney


Mathew Cordell and his adorable daughter who is trying on my specs.



Horn Books Roger Sutton lends a helping hand at the ABRAMS booth


Jason Wells giving out swag for one of my favorite books of the year PETER NIMBLE and His Fantastic Eyes


Author Jonathan Auxier can't believe he is signing his first galley of Peter Nimble.



Tom Angleberger made his own Darth Paper shirt!



Erica Perl

John Hendrix


Auxier speaks over a fine meal to a room of eager Librarians

Margi Preus


Drinks at the Napoleon House in the French Quarter are a must for anybody visiting New Orleans for the first time. "Few places capture the essence of New Orleans like the Napoleon House: A 200 year old landmark that's as casual and unique as its French Quarter surroundings." Sitting there enjoying my Pimm's cup after a long day at the ABRAMS booth you could imagine drinking side by side with Indiana Jones who was just about too get in to a fight over an ancient relic which would lead to the bar being burnt to a crisp




Newbery & Caldecott awards dinner



Jonathan Auxier is still excited or his jaw is locked open.

Jonathan Auxier, William Joyce and Tamar Brazis


ABRAMS Table

Margi Preus accepts her Newbery Honor for Heart of a Samurai

Friday, June 24, 2011

Abrams Books For Young Readers Fall 2011 Preview




Authors: By Laurent de Brunhoff

Authors: By Molly Shannon, illustrated by Ard Hoyt




Authors: By Boni Ashburn, illustrated by Julia Denos





Authors: By David Mackintosh





Authors: By Lee Bennett Hopkins, Illustrated by Marcellus Hall



Authors: By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Illustrated by Ryan Wood


Authors: By Fiona Robinson


Authors: By Esmé Raji Codell, Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas


Authors: By Mordicai Gerstein


Authors: By Katie Kirk



By Linda Barrett Osborne, in association with the Library of Congress


Authors: By Graeme Base


Authors: By Julia Pimsleur Levine




Authors: By Alex Beard





Thursday, June 16, 2011

BREAKING NEWS! DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER

Hold on Tight, this Winter has Bite


USA TODAY, the #1 paper in the country with a 1.8 million circulation,

broke the news this morning that

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER

the sixth book in the game-changing series by Jeff Kinney,

will go on sale November 15, 2011, with a 6-million copy first printing—the largest to date!

They are also the first to run the cover, which will be “ice blue.”

Please see the full press release attached and below. We expect all major daily trades to follow today and tomorrow.


FIRST PRINTING OF MORE THAN 6 MILLION COPIES OF

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: CABIN FEVER,

BOOK 6 IN THE #1 BESTSELLING SERIES BY JEFF KINNEY,

FROM AMULET BOOKS

NATIONAL LAYDOWN IS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011

SUMMER “SNOWBALL” EVENTS WILL THRILL AND CHILL FANS



New York, NY, June 16, 2011—Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, revealed today in a major press announcement the title, first-printing quantity, and cover of the sixth Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. CABIN FEVER will have the largest first printing of any title in the series to date, with more than 6 million copies, making it the largest print publishing release of 2011 when it goes on sale Tuesday,

November 15. The cover color is ice blue, which complements the red, blue, green, yellow, and purple of the first five #1 bestselling books. Cabin Fever follows the sales and publicity momentum of the

March 2011 release of the #1 bestseller the Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book, a journal filled with interactive pages and space for readers to record their own stories. In Cabin Fever, the Heffley family is stuck indoors during a blizzard. But will they weather the storm?

“A very tough New England winter inspired me to snow the Heffley family in for the holidays,” said Jeff Kinney. “‘Cabin fever’ refers to the claustrophobia Greg feels, as well as the broader theme of the book. . . that you're trapped by the identity you create for yourself.”





Six summer “snowball” events will be announced in July. Featuring the oversized Wimpy Kid Snow Globe that premiered at BookExpo in New York in May, and much more, the events will thrill fans with treats and special book previews. The wide reach of the release of the title will continue in August as kits with branded materials are mailed to booksellers and librarians to help build awareness and excitement.

“This is clearly the most anticipated book of 2011, with the largest initial print run,” said Michael Jacobs, President and CEO of Abrams. Jeff Kinney’s millions of fans are eager with anticipation, and the release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever will be an elating experience for them. We’re thrilled to bring millions of kids—and their parents, caregivers, librarians, teachers, and friends—the book this fall, and believe that our laydown of Cabin Fever will help make this holiday season a great one for booksellers. Our pre-sales and marketing campaign over the next few months will help build that excitement and anticipation for our laydown of Jeff’s next number-one bestseller.”

Books in the core Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010). Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary. The series is a fixture on the USA Today bestseller list (the first book in the series has remained in the top 150 for more than 200 weeks) and the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. It has also remained consistently in the top spots on the New York Times lists since publication of the first book in the series.

More than 50 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are in print in the United States and Canada. The books have been sold in more than 36 countries in 35 languages around the world. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers onto books. Jeff Kinney was named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people in the world. The first movie based on the books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, grossed more than $75 million worldwide in box office sales, and the second movie, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, was the #1 movie at the box office in its opening weekend in theaters. The book series won Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2010 and 2011, and Jeff Kinney was nominated for a Children’s Choice Book Award in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Books in the series have won numerous awards voted on by students and teachers in schools around the globe. In March 2011, the first-ever Wimpy Kid Island, Wimpy Wonderland, debuted on www.poptropica.com.

# # #

For more information, interviews, or images, please contact:

Jason M. Wells

Executive Director, Publicity and Marketing

Abrams Books for Young Readers/Amulet Books