I’ve been meaning to post these for quite some time, and apologize for that. I also apologize for being sort of absent. Part of the writing process for me seems to be occasional periods of down time and total hermitude.
Anyway, I heard on the SCBWI discussion board that there is a new, free weekly e-mail newsletter from Publishers Weekly on the topic of children’s and YA books called Children’s Bookshelf. It’s not necessary to be a PW subscriber. The SCBWI post said “The newsletter carries industry news, features, author interviews, stories on books people are talking about, links to articles in the media about children’s books, bestseller lists, and many other features. It’s written for publishers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, authors, agents, and anyone interested in news about current children’s books.” The free subscription, as well as back issues, can be found here.
There is also a new website called Reading Zone, which “is dedicated to helping young people, parents & adults and teachers to find out about children’s books. Each area on the site provides information about new and classic titles with expert advice to help you find the best children’s books available.” It was apparently the work of The Bookseller’s Children’s Editor Caroline Horn and is backed by Arts Council England. It’s a very nice-looking site. Thanks to the SCBWI e-newsletter for this item.
Hey – thanks for the info on PW – I think I’d heard rumors of that, but have been too scattered to run them down.