Marc Aronson: No Direction Home

From where I'm sitting, I see shakings, stirrings, and huge signs of change in the world of children's books. But there's no clear sense of where we're going or how we'll know when we've arrived. Here's what I mean: no sooner does Scholastic launch Rick Riordan's “The 39 Clues”—a 10-book adventure series for young readers, complete with an online game and hundreds of collectable cards—across the digital and print worlds then HarperCollins announces that it's creating a girl-oriented multiplatform extravaganza. And now Simon & Schuster is asking its authors for permission to publish both the print and downloadable versions of their books. Something's clearly afoot as print blurs into social networking blurs into marketing blurs into new kinds of reading experiences. But does the new multiplatform train have room for all of us authors? Or are its seats reserved for a select few?

I'm not complaining—at least, not entirely. I realize that publishers often feel the need to give their superstars special treatment. But are publishers planning to launch only a few big-budget multiplatform projects each year, while the vast majority of writers slog along in print? And what about this new “book + Web site + game” approach? Is it an opportunity or a necessity? And most important, will it work? Will a multiplatform approach encourage more kids to read? Will it generate greater sales?

Some authors of nonfiction books for young people aren't waiting around for answers; they're rushing ahead on their own. Poet-writer Carole Boston Weatherford, for instance, sent me a link to a wonderful trailer on YouTube for her latest book, Becoming Billie Holiday (Wordsong, 2008). And the inimitable Vicki Cobb is blazing new trails by encouraging kids to videotape themselves doing some of the science experiments in her new book, We Dare You! (Skyhorse, 2008), and post their videos on her Web site. Meanwhile, the rest of us wait around and wonder: Will downloadable books become as significant as hardcovers and paperbacks? Is there anything we should be doing differently to take the most advantage of this new multiplatform format?

It's obvious that we're entering a new media world, one in which we have access to endless streams of information, some of which relate directly to our books—if only there was some way we could link our works to the appropriate online resources. But right now, writers have no reliable way of sharing their fascinating bits and bytes with a broader audience. For example, Tanya Stone, an author with whom I've worked with in the past, recently asked my advice about her latest picture book, Sandy's Circus (Viking, 2008). The New York Times had just run an article (“From a Big Imagination, a Tiny Circus”) about artist Alexander Calder's dazzling miniature circus, the very subject of Tanya's new book. How could she let the Times' readers know about it? After all, the book is a perfect match for art-loving families with young kids. Unfortunately, I had no good answer. But I know how she feels. Last month, the same thing happened to me.

As I was reading another Times article, “Israeli City Divided by Sectarian Violence,” I quickly realized it matched one of the main themes in my new book about Israel. But the only way I could think of getting the word out was by submitting an Op-Ed piece to the newspaper. Sure Tanya and I both have Web sites and blogs, but so does everyone else. How can we break through the din of so much information—before it's too late and the cool things we wanted to share are yesterday's news?

I keep feeling that we authors are stumbling around, constantly stubbing our toes, scraping our shins, as print is seemingly surpassed by the speed of the digital world. Yet print remains the only solid and reliable way of reaching a wide readership. There's no way back and no clear way forward. That's an interesting place to be. I feel the quickened pace of change, but I wish I had a clearer sense of what to do next.