More Publishing News: Chronicle...

From today's Publisher's Lunch:

"At Chronicle's children's division, Julie Romeis has been hired as editor, managing a list of titles including middle grade and young adult fiction. She was an editor at Bloomsbury, and is relocating to San Francisco to start next month. Peter Bohan will join the unit as children's marketing manager. He was marketing and promotions manager at Workman."

Here's the CWIM listing for Chronicle (since I'm in a listing posting mood today):


CHRONICLE BOOKS
680 Second St. San Francisco CA 94107. (415)537-4400. Fax: (415)537-4415. Web site: www.chroniclekids.com. Book publisher. Acquisitions: Victoria Rock, associate publisher, children's books. Publishes 50-60 (both fiction and nonfiction) books/year; 5-10% middle readers/year; young adult nonfiction titles/year. 10-25% of books by first-time authors; 20-40% of books from agented writers.
Fiction Picture books, young readers, middle readers: "We are open to a very wide range of topics." Young adults: "We are interested in young adult projects, and do not have specific limitations on subject matter." Recently published Emily's Balloon, by Komako Sakai (ages 2-6, picture book); Ivy and Bean, by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (ages 6-10, chapter book).
Nonfiction Picture books, young readers, middle readers, young adults: "We are open to a very wide range of topics." Recently published An Egg Is Quiet, by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long (ages 4-10, picture book); Tour America, by Diane Siebert, illustrated by Stephen Johnson (ages 7-12, picture book).
How to Contact/Writers Fiction/nonfiction: Submit complete ms (picture books); submit outline/synopsis and 3 sample chapters (for older readers). Responds to queries in 1 month; will not respond to submissions unless interested. Publishes a book 1-3 years after acceptance. Will consider simultaneous submissions, as long as they are marked "multiple submissions." Will not consider submissions by fax, e-mail or disk. Do not include SASE; do not send original materials. No submissions will be returned; to confirm receipt, include a SASP.
Illustration Works with 40-50 illustrators/year. Wants "unusual art, graphically strong, something that will stand out on the shelves. Fine art, not mass market." Reviews ms/illustration packages from artists. "Indicate if project must be considered jointly, or if editor may consider text and art separately." Illustrations only: Submit samples of artist's work (not necessarily from book, but in the envisioned style). Slides, tearsheets and color photocopies OK. (No original art.) Dummies helpful. Resume helpful. Samples suited to our needs are filed for future reference. Samples not suited to our needs will be recycled. Queries and project proposals responded to in same time frame as author query/proposals."
Photography Purchases photos from freelancers. Works on assignment only.
Terms Generally pays authors in royalties based on retail price, "though we do occasionally work on a flat fee basis." Advance varies. Illustrators paid royalty based on retail price or flat fee. Sends proofs to authors and illustrators. Book catalog for 9 x 12 SAE and 8 first-class stamps; ms guidelines for #10 SASE.
Tips "Chronicle Books publishes an eclectic mixture of traditional and innovative children's books. We are interested in taking on projects that have a unique bent to them-be it subject matter, writing style, or illustrative technique. As a small list, we are looking for books that will lend us a distinctive flavor. Primarily we are interested in fiction and nonfiction picture books for children ages infant-8 years, and nonfiction books for children ages 8-12 years. We are also interested in developing a middle grade/YA fiction program, and are looking for literary fiction that deals with relevant issues. Our sales reps are witnessing a resistance to alphabet books. And the market has become increasingly competitive. The '80s boom in children's publishing has passed, and the market is demanding high-quality books that work on many different levels."

New Chapter in the Chronicle/Blurb Story...

You may have seen it reported recently that Chronicle Books was forming a partnership with print-on-demand publisher Blurb.com in which Chronicle would refer writers to the service and in turn receive a fee from Blurb.

Now Publishers Lunch quotes Sarah Williams at Chronicle saying that information cited in Newsweek was not correct: "Chronicle Books will not receive a referral fee for recommending Blurb.com to aspiring authors or artists," she said.

She goes on to say: "Chronicle will provide a landing page from our website to which our editors may refer authors or artists whose works they feel are a good match for Blurb.com. For their
part, Blurb.com will offer us discoveries they might make in terms of online trends, notably how consumers are finding books online. There are many self-publishing options in the marketplace, though far fewer for illustrated book authors and artists. As an independent illustrated book publisher in San Francisco, Chronicle Books felt an affinity for the locally-based
Blurb.com and the quality of the product it is offering the public."

We can't help but wonder here at the Writer's Digest Books office whether Newsweek got it wrong or if Chronicle changed the terms of their partnership after the fact due to reactions of the writing/publishing world. It makes me uneasy to think that a reputable publisher like Chronicle would enter into such a deal, referring rejected writers to a self-publishing outlet for a fee. Even without the fee it still feels a icky.