KIDS OR PARENTS, WHO'S YOUR MARKET?

Is it more important for the kids to like your books, or for the parents? The parents do the buying, but the kids do the lobbying. My parents always bought the breakfast cereal I told them to. I don't remember requesting books, but the school would send brochures home suggesting books that the parents might buy for us from Scholastic Book Clubs. Jeff Herman

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skye Rivers on April 4, 2012 at 12:52am

Charles... funny you said what you did about the Chicken or the Egg as I was going to use that as an example in my first reply to this thread... it's true. When I was buying books for my kids when they were younger, we made it an adventure and went through books together; also, when they were in private school's, they had a wonderful selection of books that called out to them of which I would then purchase as well.

I also had a book store, with children as a focus, sort of like, You've Got Mail! I would hold story time once a week, share a story and to my surprise, both the children and their parents stayed. Not because they had to, because they wanted to. What I read, was in my store, and they would buy it. So I do believe there is really no answer to this question, but it is an interesting one at that.

Permalink Reply by Skye Rivers on April 4, 2012 at 12:53am

BTW is anyone here familiar with Shel Godin?

Permalink Reply by Tom Flood on April 4, 2012 at 1:22am

I figure you mean Seth Godin?

Permalink Reply by Skye Rivers on April 4, 2012 at 1:37am

Yes... sorry, I have been typing too much... of course Seth Godin.. ;)

Permalink Reply by Tom Flood on April 4, 2012 at 1:48am

Haven't read any of his books. Just a few i'views where the interviewer appeared to want to imbue him with the gift of prophecy and he didn't want it. A lot of talk about his biz start-ups - and shut-downs. Have you read any? If so, what's your opinion.

Permalink Reply by jeff herman on April 4, 2012 at 11:25am

Great comments. It seems that the bottom-line is to be a kid when conceiving and writing. And if I remember correctly, some kids dislike most other kids and most adults, and that alienation can spawn fascinating tales. Jeff

Permalink Reply by Merrily Kutner on April 6, 2012 at 4:58pm

Although I've debated this one in my mind...I think the bottom line is really the editors who are buying the manuscripts. Of course, with ebooks...it's probably the kids.

Permalink Reply by Tellulah Darling on April 16, 2012 at 3:30pm

On a somewhat related note - should books intended for an older YA audience have some kind of parental advisory on it with a description of the type of content that would make it appropriate for an older audience?

Thoughts?

Permalink Reply by jeff herman on April 18, 2012 at 11:15am

That's the way to get kids to want to read it, telling that they can't. Jeff

Permalink Reply by Tom Flood on April 16, 2012 at 5:34pm

Haha. Yes, I agree, Tellulah. NFA. Not suitable for adults. Teen stuff can be shocking to our delicate sensibilities.