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EBMA NAMES JASON REYNOLDS WINNER OF THE 2024 JEREMIAH LUDINGTON MEMORIAL AWARD
October 15, 2024 – The Educational Book and Media Association (EBMA) is pleased to announce that Jason Reynolds is the recipient of the 2024 Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award. The award, named after EBMA’s founder, is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the educational book world. Past recipients include Jeff Kinney, Jerry Craft, Joseph Bruchac, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, and Kate DiCamillo.
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous award-winning books, including When I Was the Greatest, The Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys, Long Way Down, Look Both Ways, Stamped, and his debut picture book, There Was a Party for Langston. To date, he has published 22 books, with the most recent, Twenty-four Seconds from Now… available October 8, 2024. Jason was recently named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow. He was also named the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress and was the 2023 recipient of the American Library Association’s Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. Jason is currently on faculty at Lesley University for the Writing for Young People MFA Program, and lives in Washington, DC.
“The EBMA community is honored to present this year’s Ludington Award to Jason Reynolds,” said Ben Conn, EBMA President. “Jason’s books cover a range of topics including neighborhood codes, the dangers of labeling, gun violence, grief, racism, censorship, but also love, family, teamwork, friendship, hope – and just as important, humor. His words engage readers and start conversations. We all look forward to many more years of new stories from Jason.”
Jason Reynolds will accept the Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award at EBMA’s annual meeting in Las Vegas in January 2025. As part of the award, EBMA will present a $2,000 check to DC Scores, founded by a D.C. public school teacher, which empowers young people to create change through sports, the arts, and service: https://www.dcscores.org/get-involved/.
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EBMA is an association of 117 wholesalers and publishers who are reputable and authoritative suppliers of educational paperbacks, hardcovers, pre-bound books, e-books, and other digital and print materials to the school and library market. The mission of EBMA is to foster a unique community that brings together a wide range of wholesalers and publishers to address the ever-changing book and media buying needs of the educational marketplace.
For more information about EBMA and the Ludington Award, visit www.edupaperback.org.
EBMA member, Renaissance, the developer of the online reading platform myON, is pleased to announce its inclusion on Fast Company’s sixth annual list of 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators. This prestigious list recognizes organizations and businesses that demonstrate an inspiring commitment to encourage and develop innovation at all levels to best meet their customers’ needs.
https://www.renaissance.com/2024/09/11/renaissance-ranks-24-on-fast-company-list-of-100-best-workplaces-for-innovators/?utm_medium=web
EBMA member, Barefoot Books, an award-winning, independent, women-owned and run, children’s book publisher based in Concord, MA, has provided notice that it is seeking a Key Accounts & Education Sales Manager. Please read the full announcement and application information here.
The Unite Against Book Bans (UABB) database was launched this month with 160 book résumés. Click here to read the full press release. The database will be updated on an ongoing basis and can be accessed here.
EBMA has recently participated in two articles about restrictions on books by certain states. If you haven't read these articles you should to understand the position of EBMA and the industry. CNN Article Washington Post Article
April 24, 2023 (LAKE BLUFF, Ill.) – Today, Bernie’s Book Bank announced it has appointed Kristen Daniels as Executive Director, a new role to the organization who creates pathways to success through free, quality books for children. CEO Darrin Utynek and Founder Brian Floriani will focus their attention on national expansion as Daniels will oversee the Chicago operations and funding the mission locally.
Click here to read full announcement from Bernie's Book Bank.
Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. Announces Peachtree Teen, a New Young Adult Imprint Launching Summer 2022
ATLANTA (Apr. 29, 2021) – Peachtree Publisher’s Margaret Quinlin announced today that the award-winning children’s book publisher will launch Peachtree Teen, a young adult imprint, in May 2022.
Helmed by editors Ashley Hearn and Jonah Heller, Peachtree Teen will focus on fresh, empathetic storytelling that empowers teens and inspires conversation.
“Our world changes constantly, and books are often the one place where teens can go to understand their places in it,” said Hearn and Heller in a joint statement. “Our hope is that Peachtree Teen books are that trusted place.”
Peachtree Teen’s inaugural list features three debut young adult novelists and will be part of Peachtree’s first-ever summer list. It includes:
“Peachtree has published a first-rate, but small collection of young adult fiction over the years,” said Quinlin. “Now, we are thrilled to make a larger commitment to this dynamic category under the exciting leadership of Ashley Hearn and Jonah Heller, two exceptionally talented editors with a vibrant vision of what young adult publishing should be.”
Ashley Hearn, formerly of Page Street Publishing, has previously edited Woven in Moonlight (on Time’s list of “Best Fantasy Novels of All Time”) and worked with #1 New York Times bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi (Children of Blood and Bone), New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace (All the Stars and Teeth), and Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching).
Jonah Heller has worked with award-winning picture book, middle grade, and young adult authors, including YA authors Rebecca Elliott (Pretty Funny for a Girl) and Jenna Guillaume (What I Like About Me, You Were Made for Me).
Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. produces award-winning children’s books, ranging from board books and picture books to middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. We create books that educate, entertain, encourage, and endure.
News Corp To Acquire Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media Segment
Deal Will Significantly Expand HarperCollins Backlist, Adding 7000+ Titles, Including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Curious George, The Polar Express, Animal Farm and The Little Prince
Will Grow HarperCollins’s Presence in the Children and Young Adult Genres, Audiobooks & Production
NEW YORK (March 29, 2021) – News Corp announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the Books & Media segment of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH Books & Media). The business will be operated by HarperCollins Publishers, a News Corp subsidiary.
HMH Books & Media is home to one of the most extensive and successful backlists in the publishing industry, with a history of strong profitability. Backlists have proven to be a sustainable and growing source of revenues, high margins and cash flow for publishers, particularly evergreen properties with broad, enduring and global appeal. In calendar year 2020, over 60% of HMH Books & Media revenues were generated by its formidable backlist.
Among the most popular of the more than 7000 titles in the HMH Books & Media backlist are: The Lord of the Rings trilogy and other titles by J.R.R. Tolkien; 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell; and All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, among many others. HarperCollins currently has rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s works in the British Commonwealth.
HMH Books & Media also has a first-rate frontlist in the lifestyle and children's segments with recent best-sellers like Antoni in the Kitchen, Instant Pot Miracle, Wow in the World: The How and the Wow of the Human Body, Little Blue Truck's Valentine and the beloved Click series of middle grade graphic novels.
HMH Books & Media is being acquired by News Corp for $349 million in cash and the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. In calendar year 2020, HMH Books & Media had strong growth with net sales of $191.7 million, and Adjusted EBITDA of $26.6 million1, based on public filings.
HarperCollins expects to realize immediate cost savings, accumulating to more than $20 million annually within two years, including manufacturing, distribution and other cost efficiencies. HarperCollins also anticipates revenue synergies by leveraging its global scale and further expanding licensing opportunities. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021.
HMH Books & Media has a thriving Productions business which repurposes its popular brands across media platforms. HMH Productions is involved in the animated series Carmen Sandiego on Netflix, which will also be a live-action feature film, and has other television projects currently in development.
The acquisition will include the business’s extensive children’s and young adult divisions, which publish such classics as: Curious George; Martha Speaks; Five Little Monkeys; The Polar Express; the Little Blue Truck series; Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel; The Little Prince; and Stellaluna. Works by young adult authors, including Lois Lowry, author of The Giver, are also a strong part of the HMH Books & Media catalogue.
“There is a resurgence in reading and listening to books, and we believe the brilliant HMH Books & Media backlist and first-rate frontlist have an enduring and increasing value. Timeless writing is a timely source of revenue and the potential to create highly profitable audio and video works flourishes with each passing digital day,” said Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. “The HarperCollins collection will be bolstered for children and young adults, and authors around the world will have a larger platform for their creativity and ingenuity. It is crucial to expand in an era in which emerging monopolies threaten the creative marketplace, so we welcome J.R.R. Tolkien, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell and many, many other distinguished writers to HarperCollins.”
“Combining HMH Books & Media’s strong catalog with HarperCollins’s global platform will allow for increased investment in HMH Books & Media’s trade programs and we expect faster growth of the combined companies at a time of rapid growth in book consumption," said Brian Murray, President and
CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. "Joining HMH Books & Media’s media productions team and the HarperCollins Children’s global catalog will open up new animation and gaming opportunities as we look to accelerate the expansion of our IP across multiple formats.”
HMH Books & Media has a flourishing audiobooks business, launched in 2019, which is expected to add value to HarperCollins’s own large and growing audiobook revenue stream.
Other titles and series in HMH Books & Media include The Best American Series, the Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks and the best-selling How to Cook Everything series and The Whole30 franchise.
HarperCollins Publishers is the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world. In the most recent quarter, ending December 31, 2020, HarperCollins had strong revenue growth across every category, with revenues increasing $102 million, or 23%, compared to the prior year. Digital sales increased 15% compared to the prior year, driven by growth in both e-book and downloadable audiobook sales. Segment EBITDA for the quarter increased $41 million, or 65%, compared to the prior year.
Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing operations in 17 countries. With two hundred years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 16 languages, and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins has been home to authors who include Mark Twain, the Brontë sisters, Thackeray, Dickens, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Maurice Sendak, Shel Silverstein, and Margaret Wise Brown.
1 Adjusted EBITDA for HMH Books & Media excludes depreciation and amortization expenses of $22.4 million from net income of $4.2 million. For additional information see Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s public filings with the SEC.
About News Corp
News Corp (Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV) is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. The company comprises businesses across a range of media, including: digital real estate services, subscription video services in Australia, news and information services and book publishing. Headquartered in New
York, News Corp operates primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and its content and other products and services are distributed and consumed worldwide. More information is available at: http://www.newscorp.com.
About HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers is the second-largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 17 countries. With 200 years of history and more than 120 branded imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year in 16 languages and has a print and digital catalog of more than 200,000 titles. Writing across dozens of genres, HarperCollins authors include winners of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, and the Man Booker Prize. HarperCollins, headquartered in New York, is a subsidiary of News Corp and can be visited online at corporate.HarperCollins.com.
About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ: HMHC) is a learning technology company committed to delivering connected solutions that engage learners, empower educators and improve student outcomes. As a leading provider of K–12 core curriculum, supplemental and intervention solutions and professional learning services, HMH partners with educators and school districts to uncover solutions that unlock students' potential and extend teachers' capabilities. HMH serves more than 50 million students and 3 million educators in 150 countries, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit www.hmhco.com.
Contacts
News Corp Investor RelationsMichael Florin212-416-3363mflorin@newscorp.com
News Corp Corporate CommunicationsJim Kennedy212-416-4064jkennedy@newscorp.com
Erin CrumHarperCollins Corporate Communications212-207-7223Erin.Crum@harpercollins.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The words “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “believe,” “potential” and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include statements with respect to, among other things, the expected timing for the completion of, and the potential benefits from, the acquisition of HMH Books & Media. Readers are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Many factors, such as the risks and uncertainties related to the parties’ efforts to comply with and satisfy applicable regulatory approvals and closing conditions relating to the acquisition, as well as continued uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of this date and News Corp and HarperCollins undertake no obligation (and expressly disclaim any obligation) to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. Acquires Global Rights forWombat Said Come In by New York Times Best-Selling Author Carmen Agra Deedy, Illustrated by Caldecott Honor-Winning Artist Brian Lies
ATLANTA (Mar. 25, 2021) – Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. announced that it has acquired global rights to Wombat Said Come In, a new picture book written by New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Caldecott Honor-winning artist Brian Lies, who is also a New York Times best-selling author-illustrator. Publication is slated for Fall 2022. Deedy’s agent is Brenda Bowen; Erin Murphy represented Brian Lies in the deal.
Wombat Said Come In is the story of a kindhearted wombat who sacrifices personal space and comfort to shelter a series of animals escaping a wildfire. The text was inspired by the 2019 Australian bushfire tragedy, specifically the stories of animals who took shelter in wombat burrows. Deedy also drew from her personal experience as a refugee.
“I began work on the story in early 2020. The first iterations focused on the playful confusion––and frequent mayhem––that ensues when unlikely companions are forced to shelter in one place,” said Deedy. “Yet, as the story evolved, I realized my own arrival in this country as a child refugee had woven itself into the tale, as well. You never forget those who open the door to you when you are fleeing the world's troubles.”
Deedy is the New York Times best-selling author of 14 Cows for America and 11 other books for children. Brian Lies is a New York Times best-selling author-illustrator of several books for young readers, including the 2019 Caldecott Honor-winning picture book The Rough Patch (Greenwillow/HarperCollins) and the forthcoming Little Bat in Night School (June 2021, HMH Books for Young Readers).
“It’s a real delight to work with a Carmen Agra Deedy text—she’s got such a strong and engaging storytelling voice. And underneath the humor, this story features kindness and hospitality, two things which we desperately need more of right now,” said Lies.
“I am elated to be working again with Carmen Deedy on a wonderful manuscript, and pairing Carmen with Brian Lies, a magnificent artist and strong storyteller in his own right, is a match made in heaven. It makes my heart go pit-a-pat.”
EBMA Member Clavis Publishing recently announced the recognition of several of their titles.
All Along the River was selected as a USBBY’s 2021 Outstanding International Book. It is a seek-and-find book on and around the river for little adventurers ages 3 and up.
Mission to the Bottom of the Sea was selected for the 2021 Best STEM Books list, a joint project of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council. It's the first book in the non-fiction series Marvelous But True, a series about dreaming, daring, thinking, and doing for researchers ages 6 years and up.
Mara the Space Traveler was selected as a Golden Duck Notable Picture Book , by the ALA Core Committee Recognizing Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notables Lists. It is a wonderful space adventure about a small girl with big dreams and a big heart.
Educational Book & Media Association is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization.
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