Two of my many hosts in New Zealand are Toni and Sarah, and we organised a hangi when I was their guest, which requires thorough preparation. Many hours before the food arrives on the table, you have to dig a hole in the ground and pile up a big stack of firewood. The hole in the ground serves as an oven and the fire heats the stones, which later produce the desired temperature in the earth oven. The wood is layered in such a way that it won’t tip under the weight of the stones. The fire is allowed to burn until the stones are glowing red – that’s when you know you’ve reached the desired level of heat.

While our fire burned for several hours, we dampened cotton cloths, drank beer, chatted with each other and piled the kai in metal baskets. Toni patiently explained every step of the hangi to me, and I busily took notes and snapped photos, because – who knows? Perhaps there will also be an opportunity to organise a hangi in Frankfurt! First we placed cabbage leaves in the basket. They protect the meat and vegetables from the scorching heat that pierces through the basket from below. Next came the meat – pork, lamb and chicken – and the vegetables – in our case, corn, kumara, potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Finally, we covered everything with cabbage leaves and aluminium foil.

When the fire had nearly died down, we hauled the glowing stones from the fire with shovels, knocked off the ashes and threw the stones into the hole in the ground. I can tell you that this is a pretty arduous task. The embers give off a tremendous amount of heat and the stones feel pretty darn heavy on the shovel!

We then carefully placed the basket with kai into the earth oven and spread the wet cotton cloths over the basket. They protect the food from the dirt, which we then distributed over the uncovered hole. This effectively closes the oven door.

As we comfortably sat around our hangi over the next few hours and enjoyed one of the last warm days of New Zealand’s Indian summer, our hangi started to heat up and the cooking process began. You have to imagine the inside of the hangi as a steam sauna. Unsuitable for humans, of course, and much too hot, but an ideal environment for slowly cooking meat and vegetables. The heat drives the water from the wet cloths and steam circulates inside the hangi, nestles up to the dirt walls, condenses back into water in the moist cloths, makes its way to the kumara and stuffed chicken, dripping onto the hot stones and evaporating with a hiss.

During this process, you really only have to be careful that no steam escapes, which would lead to heat loss. But to do this you need nothing more than a good eye. Toni always spotted the steam right away. I, on the other hand, didn’t notice it at all, as hard as I tried. It was only when he moved a bit of soil to the side with a shovel that I could see the steam pouring from our hangi. After awhile, a distinct smell emerged that was unfamiliar to me and that I could perhaps best describe as “evaporated soil”. Toni explained to me that this was evidence that there was enough heat in the hangi.

The guests gradually arrived and joined us. The day had turned to evening and we were hungry. We opened our hangi together and lifted the steaming food onto the table. The kai was seasoned with the taste of earth and smoke and completely unsalted. This is likely a reason why kai from the hangi is not for everyone and why some consider it a fad. I feasted on it, in any event. The meat was tender and delicious, the vegetables bold, earthy and smoky. I ate much more than I needed to feel full.

It was a great day, in the best of company and very close to the elements.

Meet this year’s Editor’s Trip Participants:

Sara Dotts Barley / Editor, HarperCollins Children’s Books

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

I’d love to learn more about the unique challenges and opportunities of publishing books for children and teens in German, both original works and books in translation from the US and elsewhere. What are the trends–Is paranormal as over there as it seems to be here? Is contemporary on the rise? Do the trends tend to reflect those in the states? Who’s excited about what? How do German editors perceive and let the US/UK/Australian markets influence their own publishing programs? In regards to how kids and teens are reading, in the US, these changes have been incredibly fast and transformative. What’s happening in Europe, and how is that changing the way German editors are editing and publishing books? I’d also be very interested to learn about digital initiatives being taken (apps, e-books, social media, to name just a few disparate possibilities!). What can we learn from each other and about each other’s successes?

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

I typically acquire middle grade and YA fiction, for young readers aged about 8 to 18.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

I’m a young editor looking to expand the breadth of books I see on submission and acquire. This definitely includes works in translation, and I have a special interest in authors writing in German. Having studied German in high school and college, finishing with a minor in German literature at Davidson College, and spending my junior year abroad in Vienna, Austria, I’ve got a deep connection to these stories and would like to acquire and edit them for Harper. I’d love to make connections with German editors, publishers, and rights directors, as well as meet fellow children’s books editors also interested in acquiring and editing books in translation. In addition to just learning a ton and meeting the editors and publishers to watch, I’d also just be thrilled to have the opportunity to do all this IN Germany!

Emily Clement / Assistant Editor, Arthur A. Levine Books Scholastic

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

I’d like to discuss editorial focus in general with editors from Germany. It’s very hard to determine an imprint’s or a publisher’s personality from what one sees in a catalog. Oftentimes a conversation with an editor or publisher from an imprint will give a much better sense of that imprint’s personality and taste. For example, a few years ago I traveled to Flanders through a tour with the Flemish Literature Fund, and one of my most useful meetings was with the editorial director at De Eenhoorn, a company that was unfamiliar to me at the time. But I very quickly saw that her view of publishing, her taste, and her appreciation for original voices was a wonderful match to my imprint’s identity. I would never have understood that simply from viewing De Eenhoorn’s rights guide. And while I haven’t found the right title from De Eenhoorn yet, I’ll always think of their books as ones to watch out for. Knowing the people behind the books can be so important in understanding the books themselves, and in knowing what books might be best for me or for my imprint.

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

At Arthur A. Levine Books, we’re interested in acquiring literary works of fiction and non-fiction for children, from picture books through young adult novels. We’re looking for authors and illustrators with original voices, gorgeous writing, well-drawn characters, and stories that couldn’t be told by anyone else in the world.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

I think one of the greatest benefits of a trip like this is the chance to visit with publishers in their home environment. Meeting someone in their own office, having a face to face conversation, and getting to understand an editor’s or an imprint’s taste can have such a strong impact on how you view their books (or their recommendations) in the future. I’m already frequently in touch with German publishers, but a personal meeting is so much more helpful than simply paging through a rights guide or writing a quick e-mail to a rights director. I also think this trip would be a wonderful opportunity to increase my familiarity with smaller German publishers – either independent presses or publishers with a smaller list for children. Outside of going to a major book fair, like Bologna or Frankfurt, this isn’t an easy thing to accomplish.

And finally, more generally, I’m looking forward to getting a feel for book culture in Germany. Getting a clearer sense of how a particular culture receives and responds to literature can be enlightening when it comes to understanding the books that are successful there. When I’m considering a translation project for publication, it needs to be a book that will fit the general criteria for publication with our imprint (beautiful writing, a strong emotional arc, etc.), but ideally I’d also like it to provide a window into a foreign culture for American readers. Getting to know that culture a bit better can only be helpful!

David Gale / Vice President, Editorial Dir., Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

I’d like to compare trends in the US and German marketplace, discuss how ebook publishing impacts our publishing programs and what that means for the future, explore the decline of picture book sales we are experiencing, and examine innovative but workable ways to reach readers in this high-tech age. I had been the Associate Book Review Editor of School Library Journal for many years, so I am interested in trade vs institutional sales, as well.

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

Although I acquire and edit at every age level, I feel that my strength is in teen novels; in fact, I served on the planning committee for the American Library Association’s Michael L. Printz Award. I generally prefer contemporary realistic fiction, but again, my acquisitions span many genres.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

While I have been working in this industry a long time (in textbook publishing, book reviewing, and children’s trade editorial), and I have masters’ degrees in the teaching of reading and in children’s literature, I simply don’t know enough about international publishing. I’d like to connect to other editors to try to gain more of a world view of children’s literature and publishing in this fast-changing age. I want to gain better access to German publishers to generate an additional pool of submissions from which I can acquire US rights, and to help get the books I publish into the hands of German publishers.

Sarah Ketchersid / Executive Editor, Candlewick Press

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

There are several things that I would love to discuss with German editors. Perhaps the first would be how to identify books that have the potential to sell in a variety of territories and then how to generate enthusiasm for those projects both in-house and with potential partners overseas. Not every book is going to work in every territory, of course, so it would be great to try to figure out which ones have the best chance as early as we can so we can involve our partners early in the process. I’d also love to hear from my counterparts how they go about finding and nurturing new talent, and how they help their authors get connected with their readers via social media.

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

I acquire books across the children’s book spectrum, from board books to picture books, young illustrated chapter books to middle grade and young adult fiction. Perhaps half of my list is picture books, with the rest of my acquisitions spread out among chapter books and middle grade and YA fiction.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

I think this trip would be a fabulous opportunity to see and learn first-hand how the children’s book industry is faring in a large, relatively well-educated market like Germany. It will be a unique chance to speak with my editorial counterparts on the kinds of challenges they are facing as well as the exciting new opportunities that are opening up with digital publishing. As technology brings all of us closer together and starts to erase some of the boundaries between territories, I think publishers in many countries will benefit from working more closely together. In this sense, the value of face-to-face conversations and meetings can’t be overstated, I believe.

Julie Matysik/ Editor and Managing Editor of Sky Pony Press, Skyhorse Publishing Inc.

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

I’d like to discuss how editors in Germany acquire their projects and pair up authors and illustrators at their houses. I’d be curious to learn what trends they are seeing in picture book, mid-grade, and YA publishing and learn more about what they are doing in terms of eBooks for kids.

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

Now, I mainly acquire children’s picture books and some select mid-grade novels and nonfiction. I have acquired a YA novel for our spring 2012 list but have not been actively seeking YA books lately. I look for picture books with engaging artwork and a good moral message or an emphasis on promoting good values for kids, as well as those with the theme of special needs.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

I want to get a new perspective on children’s publishing and learn how editors in German acquire their titles. I hope to develop contacts at various children’s publishing companies in which I can possibly license titles for the Sky Pony list in the future. I also feel that having a cultural exchange within a particular field or industry can lead to new ideas and ways to approaching publishing. I’d like to be able to bring back new ideas that are working for German children’s publisher to my editorial team so we can become more successful in producing and marketing our children’s list.

Brian McMullen /  Editor & Creative Director, McSweeney’s Publishing

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

We would like to discuss options that make translations financially viable. American publishers tend to shy from foreign literature because the cost of translations tend to be higher than English acquisitions and in today’s market, publishers must cut costs whenever possible to stay afloat. At McSweeney’s we just want to publish good literature and at the moment, we’re particularly excited about foreign literature. It’s time to open a dialogue so that we may navigate our possibilities together.

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

McSweeney’s began with an emphasis on fiction by new and emerging writers. We still value this notion, but we have expanded our repertoire of acquisitions. We now publish non-fiction, humor, graphic novels, and children’s books. We are currently in the process of expanding into foreign literature; which is our primary reason for applying for the children’s books editors’ trip. McSweeney’s is growing, rapidly, and in a time when most publishing houses are not seeing such growth. Our children’s books are adopting a similar trajectory as our other imprints and projects in that they are generating a great deal of excitement among booksellers. We believe that this is being achieved because we’re publishing truly innovative material. We place an emphasis on both design and text and we believe that this marriage creates an appealing book that is both marketable and is in possession of the lasting power that will keep the book on the shelves for years to come.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

Less than three percent of new literature in the United States originates outside of our country. We feel as if there is a wealth of creative material that would appeal to the American market and it would behoove both German and American publishers to tap into this opportunity. Translating foreign literature can be daunting. We’d like to form partnerships with German publishers of a similar aesthetic, or those that are able to determine where our interests lie and guide us in that direction. Our paramount concern is the publication of interesting literature. We would like to elucidate the German publishing market and broaden our horizons and, as a corollary, broaden the horizons of our readers.

Sharyn November / Senior Editor, Viking Children’s Books & Editorial Director, Firebird

What topics would you like to discuss with editors from Germany?

The difference between the YA and middle grade audiences. How involved are school and public librarians in reader selection? Is there adult crossover with more than just the “hot” YA? What is the fantasy and science fiction publishing situation in both adult and YA? YA/adult crossover, the place of science fiction and fantasy in the current publishing scene, and new voices that we haven’t heard where we are! (This is just the tip of the iceberg, obviously.)

In general, what kinds of books do you typically acquire?

All over the map, really, with the exception of picture books. Almost entirely YA and middle-grade — ages 10 up, 12 up, 14 up — fantasy and science fiction, contemporary, historical, humorous. Anything with a unique voice and a strong literary sensibility.

What would you like to gain from this trip?

I’ve met with various publishers from all over the world, but haven’t traveled as widely as I would like. I’d like to meet our children’s/YA (and science fiction/fantasy) counterparts in Germany. I’m a member of USBBY, and have always been interested in publishing preferences and successes — why things work differently in different countries, and how books can expand awareness of how others live (and illuminate the past). To hear what my counterparts are doing in Germany, to get a sense of the teen market, to build bridges! I want to have my eyes opened!

But that wouldn’t have been much fun. Not for him, not for me anyway. And I suppose you wouldn’t have much fun with it either. So we didn’t do that, we chatted, threw questions and remarks at one another as in the best of ping-pong games asked things and laughed a lot. However, before I present you the portrait of this (lovely) encounter, here are some facts:

Kyle Mewburn, born 1963 in Brisbane, Australia, travelled in Europe and the Middle East before he settled down in New Zealand in 1990. He told me that he had always wanted to write. It was his need and strong desire to use words. But it took a career as a journalist and time spent in advertising, plus seven years of writing various kinds of fiction (without any success) before he finally came across the genre that has since made him happy and, above all, very successful: children’s books. Picture books that is, because, as he told me, he is kind of lazy. (But before you start judging, sit down and try it yourself: write words for a picture book that adults love to read out to their little ones even loooong after they have gone to sleep…. So… there you go! Be quiet!)

Since 1997 he’s been a full-time writer, and in recent years he has received numerous awards for his children’s books. For example, in 2010 he won the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Award for his wonderful book “Old Hu Hu” with its more than amazing and lovely illustrations by Rachel Driscoll. In an article about  the ceremony, it says, that Kyle Mewburn was “almost speechless”. Not having been there, but having met Mr. Mewburn, I dare say the emphasis lies on “almost”. But apart from the fact he’s not exactly taciturn (@Kyle: here finally the correct translation for the word I was looking for when I told you we were both rather less than “wortkarg”), I can imagine he was overjoyed that a book of his had yet again won such appreciation and recognition.

I met Mr. Mewburn at the Leipzig Book Fair in March, where he was one of ten New Zealand authors who accepted the invitation of the Frankfurt Book Fair’s Guest of Honour programme 2012. You will have read here about the press conference, the happenings at our stand, how great the atmosphere was, how tasty the New Zealand wine (but not enough! not enough!). And you will have gotten a taste of what we are looking forward to in October. Yes, New Zealand is a truly exciting and inspiring Guest of Honour. I personally hope that Germany and especially my home town of Frankfurt, shows  itself to be as open-hearted and open-minded – AND fun  – as the place I experienced during my little glimpse of the New Zealanders in Leipzig.  But I’m drifting off course.

So, after these twists and baroque off-we-gos, back to “Old Hu-Hu” and its creator.

He had wanted to write about death for some time; his cat had died and he had been thinking about his grandfather. But what moved him in the end was a sound. He told me that sounds get him going, that he is not at all a visual man. he jumps at sounds, rolls them around in his head, loves playing with rhythm in language, mixes rhymes with “normal” text, likes to hear language and the music it can create. So one thing’s for sure: if it hadn’t been for the ”huhu” in a particular beetle, there would have been no Huhu-book. Yes, you heard right. If the bug in “Old Hu-Hu” had been a plain beetle, Mr. Mewburn surely would not have written about it. But he couldn’t resist the huhu (But who could? Could youhu?). The huhu is New Zealand’s largest endemic beetle. The Maori call its larval stage huhu. When it matures it sheds his skin, grows wings and legs. After it dies it leaves behind an empty shell: the perfect image of death. And beautifully enough it is edible (aaaaah, I luv me food!) and Wikipedia claims it tastes like buttery chicken. Now, isn’t that nice?

So. The huhu. But Kylw Mewburn’s interest in sounds started much earlier. Yes, he’s been always into them. (Come to think of it…. Maybe, just maybe, he subconsciously found his genre and his approach to writing by having to deal with this particular last name:  M E W B U R N. First part reminds one of a CAT, second part rings of PASSION. Because passion it is which makes him write. So far, I have not come across a cat in his books (@Kyle: !!Off you go! People love cats, I do, for sure!) But at least there has been – among many other lovely creatures – a beautiful and moon-struck cow.)

And, above all, the man loves to make himself laugh. A good combination, I find: SOUNDS & LAUGHTER. “The Hoppleplop”, Kyle Mewburn’s first book, was published in 2004, and it started wonderfully with this tradition. Its name alone is pure pleasure: Hoppleplop (say it aloud…, yes, and do it once again a little louder, yeees, HOPPLEPLOP … theeere you go!)  gives you a good idea of what he enjoys: apart from the sounding of sounds, the tingling that certain letter-combinations might give you, up and down your spine or round and round your mouth and head.

How great that the man amuses not only children with his particular style, but also the adults reading to these kids. Apart from the ringing and tinkling of words, Kyle Mewburn focuses on the unexpected, the unusual in the supposedly normal. With him, a tiny, seemingly harmless idea might form into something quite spectacular. Suddenly you find various dimensions where you might have suggested only a single one. For what happens if a hill and a hole are friends and even think about swapping places? It’s playing, juggling with different angles for looking at things, and what we think we can make of them. Kyle Mewburn loves to surprise, and he’s not interested at all in the serious business of being pedagogical. Nay, there is no finger raised, no preaching. Rather, it’s a step over the boundaries, a slight naughtiness here and there – language that winks at you.

I like that. And I liked him. He really is a nice guy. Modest, enthusiastic, very friendly, relaxed, open-minded and funnyfunny. Yet, down to earth and realistic. He says as a writer you need to know what’s out there, what the other writers in your genre are doing. No, no, not to copy, but rather to get the feeling of what is missing. And as a writer you need to write. And write. And keep on writing. (Note from Ms. Blogger: read, read. And read some more) Approach life with open eyes, be observant and a good listener. Stories are there. Sounds are there. And there are many more ideas. Kyle Mewburn has written a bunch of great picture books so far. But one thing’s for sure: sounds lead on to other sounds. Yes, and as much as you, as a parent, might feel  lucky to have discovered this Mr. Mewburn, don’t relax too soon, don’t feel safe. Because your lovely, little, darling-child, with his rosy cheeks gawking adoringly up at you, hanging on your lips and giggling at the Hoppleplops, Melus and Moon Cows,no doubt  counting himself as the eleventh sheep, will grow up and discover sounds of his own. Not only funy sounds, I can tell you.

(What in the world is this woman talking about? I hear you, I do. Let me explain: )

It was only to be expected. Kyle Mewburn couldn’ t stop himself. And I cannot blame him. After the sounds of words, of letters and of language, you come back to the sounds of …well, life. Plainly spoken: snot, burp and fart. Yes, there is no polite way of saying it (well, there is, but curiously enough, it is not appropriate now): in his “Dinosaur Rescues”-series, Kyle Mewburn approacheschildren who are (a little) older. But he remains true to himself: playful, prick-eared, slightly naughty, funny and entertaining.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I like Kyle Mewburn’s approach: an idea, a certain sound, a ringing in one’s head and being brave (or maybe simply cheeky) enough to make something unusual of it.

Yes, I liked it. And when I talked to Damien Wilkins the day after, he said something quite like Kyle. Damien Wilkins is a very successful writer of fiction (for adults) and he says that you need to be sincere about what you do and about what you write. Damien is interested in stepping from the public side to the unofficial side of things. He also lifts covers and unfolds things. He says: “There is no narrative to your life. It forms itself along the way. A novel is a container to put in what it is you need to tell.”

Two different writers with a completely different target group. And yet, their interests are close.

Kyle Mewburn has surely found his container. Unfortunately only one of his books has been published in German so far: “Kein Platz im Haus für eine Maus” so far (original title: “No Room for a Mouse”) . There’s obviously one publishing house with good taste, but it needs to find copycats. Yes, yes, I am talking to you!

Since I couldn’t provide Mr. Mewburn with an “edible” huhu beetle, and also finding that a bit impious, I gave him a different kind of savoury something at the end of this so-called interview: a bulette. Why that? Surely, to smooth over the strange way this interview had gone. And what is a bulette anyway? A bulette is a meatball eaten cold. Originally a French word (boulette de viande), the people of Berlin took it over in their own special way, “straightening out” the elegant pronunciation. In Hesse (Frankfurt is a Hessian town) they’re called frikadelle. But that always reminds me of fish, and, nay, the idea of carrying around some old fish around doesn’t exactly get my mouth watering. And…oops, I’m drifting again. Yes, the bulette. Kyle looked a little hungry. His German wife Marion has probably introduced him to buletten before, and I like feeding people. Even writers. No, especially writers. For they do such nice things. Play with words and sounds, write them down and help us all to “hoppleplop” into all kinds of different worlds and realities.

It would do us all loads of good if we did much more hoppleplopping, I am sure. Leave the burping and farting to dinosaurs and their little fans.

Are you hoppling along?

Expert for "Kids & Technology": Warren Buckleitner

Warren Buckleitner studies the relationship between children and commercial interactive media products. He is the Editor of Children’s Technology Review and teaches at Rutgers and New York University. He is a former teacher (preschool, 2nd, 4th and 6th grades) and teacher trainer. His work with software began in 1984 at the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. He advises Consumer Reports WebWatch and writes for the New York Times, Scholastic Parent & Child, Parents and KidScreen. Since 2001, he has hosted the Dust or Magic Institute – an annual critique of commercial children’s interactive media products. In 2003, he started the Mediatech Foundation, a community technology center. He holds a BS in Elementary Education (cum laude) from Central Michigan University, an MS in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College and a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University. He is the father of two daughters and lives in New Jersey, USA.

You have been a teacher for many years. Why did you decide to found the Children’s Technology Review?

Back in the ’80s, I could see that my students were learning from games like Oregon Trail. I wanted to know, what is it, exactly, that’s so magical about this new technology? That was 1983, at the dawn of the microcomputer. I was at a research foundation with a lab school; the ideal place to study every new educational software product for children, at the time, number about 80. So we published the list, which was the start of the CTR database. Today our team has reviewed over 12,000 games, ebooks, sites and apps as we continue in our search for the magic.

All business areas of the publishing industry will be transformed through digitization. What changes will the digital age bring for children’s books? Could you give some examples?

Let’s first address the elephant in the room. Printed children’s books won’t go away, because there’s an entirely different psychology involved in the experience. So you can’t accurately compare print and multi-touch media. I like to think of a book as a script, with ideas that can live in many forms. It might remain a book, but it could turn into a movie, app or a theme park, in the case of a book like Harry Potter. The driving force is always a good story, or as my friend Chris Meade likes to remind me “the narrative.” A new generation of master digital storytellers have arrived who can see the potential of a multi-touch screen for delighting a child. These are people who know how to use interactivity like a seasoning, in just the right amount, so it doesn’t get in the way of the story.

 Do you think that kids will be able to adapt more easily to ebooks and apps than adults? Why?

It’s easy for us creaky old adults to forget that to a young child, figuring out the nuances of a hot and cold water faucet in the bath is equally as new and fresh and swiping a multi-touch screen. Unlike adults, children don’t read instructions. They just make it work, by touching, manipulating and active exploration.

What is your favorite app right now? Why?

That answer changes daily, but here are a few examples from my demo list. During the BolognaRagazzi Digital Award (of which I’m the director) we spotted La Forêt Mes Premières Découvertes from Gallimard Jeunesse.  It combines subtle motion and touch techniques to bring a children’s reference book to life. I love nearly everything TouchPress has done, and quality of the graphics and video in ABC Food von Peapod Labs is also worth noting. Everyone should know about Cinderella from Nosy Crow and have a tea party with a child with Toca Tea Party . Don’t forget the sheer irreverence of Numberlys, the social features built into Smule’s Magic Piano von Smule, and the creative punch of zinc Roe’s Doodlecast. The list could go on.

What are your expectations for the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Hot Spot Kids & eReading?

It’s delightful to see that can happen when brilliant talent rubs up against powerful and unexplored technology. We saw it this year at Bologna, and I’m sure you’ll see it at Frankfurt.

Contact Warren Buckleitner:
http://childrenstech.com
http://www.dustormagic.com

Twitter: @buckleit @childtech @dustormagic

“Spanish is not only a massively spoken language. It is also an important publishing language – at least in every part of the 25 spanish speaking countries.”

However she sees a big problem in most titles not directly interchanging between the countries. For example it is most difficult to get a title in Buenos Aires that was originally published in Lima or Mexico. The reason for this is that Spain is a hub for collecting titles from spanish speaking countries and then redistributing only some very successful titles to other counties. Other reasons for the markets still being not at their full potential are high distribution costs and the sometimes “difficult regulations”. Digital is hopefully changing that.

“Right now there are about 60.000 titles available in spanish as epub all over the world. That is nothing, right? We still have a very long way to go, but it is a start. And there is a lot of publishing excellence in all these countries. And now all these local publishers can become global publishers!, adds Arancibia, who is working as editorial director, international digital content at B & N.

[See full Interview with Patricia: http://youtu.be/qaO5wegPfeI]

Michael A. Puscar, CEO of Yuxi Pacific Group, is also awaiting a boost of the markets due to digital markets: “From what I see, the publishing market is poised for great things. While there remains some subtle resistance to digital publishing, most publishers now recognize that, rather than competing with sale of their physical titles, eBooks represent a new market and will allow them to reach new Spanish-speaking audiences internationally.  These are exciting times.”

But there are also quite a few problems with the the political environment, for instance in Argentina. New regulations regarding the  import of books (like other goods) meant since the end of 2011 that you would have to export the equivalent of your imported goods or pay the gap. A mere impossible thing e.g. for exhibitors at the book fair. Also import and custom duties can be outrageously high. In general the political climate of Argentina is seen by a lot of the international industry representatives as a huge obstacle:

“The political situation in Argentina remains a barrier.  Several publishers told me that printing physical books in Argentina is expensive.  When they tried to print outside the country, for example in Brazil, they met problems bringing those books into the country.  For that reason, they were looking into eBooks as well”, says Puscar. “On the negative side, while speaking to many publishers and local businesses I saw how profound an impact the stifling policies of Cristina Fernández’s administration were having on entrepreneurship and business.  We were considering opening another satellite office in Buenos Aires itself, but the government appears distinctly anti-business and anti-foreign investment and we will thus refrain from doing so for the near future.”

Despite these hurdles in local markets, most attendees and speakers at the conference confirmed their belief in the fast and profund growth of the latin american book and ebook markets.

Click here to view the embedded video.

My trip has taken me from Picton to Bluff and back again. I have travelled nearly 5,000 kilometres thus far and I’ve met a lot of people, some of whom I’ve written about, but many others – petrol station attendants, hoteliers, hitchhikers, waitresses, factory owners, farmers, winemakers and their families – have gone unmentioned. But all of them have won me over to their way of life. Nothing is so urgent that it should warrant skipping a leisurely meal or a good chat. There are fewer mobile phones ringing, there’s hardly any honking in traffic and, if I’m not mistaken, even the dogs bark less. This relaxed attitude is without a doubt due to a sense of isolation and the South Island’s ludicrous location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

It may not look like it - but it really is edible

The Internet has certainly incorporated New Zealanders into the global village, but big politics means something different here. The concerns of the European middle class and the plight of the world’s starving populations are far away. But this distance from world affairs isn’t simply a result of the geographical remoteness of the South Island. It is also rooted in the population’s connectedness to the country that nourishes it.

Almost every adult goes hunting or fishing. The coasts, lakes, rivers and forests are rich in species and provide plenty of sustenance. Red snappers, lobster, koura, paua, ducks, deer and many other animals romp about here. Many people have gardens, which they use to secure part of their diet. Along my journey, I’ve often bought food displayed in small wooden huts in driveway entrances along the street: eggs, honey, berries, and apples. You take what you need and leave the money in small cash box.

Twentieth century intellectuals identified and described the progressive alienation of the bourgeois subject from his external and interior nature that characterised the Western way of life, but it hasn’t come to that point here.

Jimmy in his greenhouse

This takes shape in the exquisite kitchens of Jimmy McIntyre and James Stapley. Both chefs are lucky enough to work in dreamlike lodges and to operate from their own gardens. If Jimmy weren’t such a genuinely friendly man, I and every other chef would be green with envy over his garden in Otahuna. Jimmy not only grows all kinds of fruits and vegetables there, but also picks mushrooms and produces his own ham. Chilli peppers and melons thrive in his greenhouses and the stillness of the old park also offers the ideal setting for tracking down a taste of fennel, basil or tomatoes.

As I write this, I’m overcome with an intense feeling of sadness at the thought that I won’t be setting foot on New Zealand’s South Island anytime soon, or perhaps ever again. But I will treasure my memories of the people and their good nature and bring the hospitality that I had the opportunity to experience here back to Frankfurt with me. When New Zealand is the Guest of Honour in October in Frankfurt, I’m certain that all visitors to the Book Fair will get a taste of this way of life. And I promise that the Culinary Festival in Frankfurt will also do its part!

FAQ: All Media/ Multimedia: PDF Download

Holger Volland is VP Media Industries at the Frankfurt Book Fair and head of the Frankfurt Academy

Three publishers, three opinions on multimedia content. Do they find that the publishing business is becoming more international? Who are some of their new business partners? How is the rights business changing? How do they (really) earn their money? Which books would they like to read, listen to and watch in multimedia form? We’ll answer these questions and more in our “Three is a crowd” section, featuring three international industry experts – Gus Balbontin of Lonely Planet, Nils-Holger Henning from the games manufacturer Bigpoint and Deborah Forte of Scholastic Media.

In “Trending Topics”, we’ll take a look at the world of social media publishing, because if multimedia content is increasingly becoming one thing, it’s interactive. It’s creating a world of user generated content that startups like Sourcefabric are putting to good use. For the Czech-German company, the resourceful support of professional journalism is a greater priority than profit. And not to mention, this global company has created publishing tools that make Sourcefabric one of the biggest players in open source software.

Our “Serendipity” section is all about outsider perspectives and chance encounters. Start-ups currently leading the digital revolution will be the highlight of the Tech Tour, which is being organised for June 2012 by the Frankfurt Book Fair’s New York office. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis is convinced that “no industry is riper for the picking” by venture capitalists than the publishing industry. Especially in these global times, he finds that location is everything: “If you’re a technology start-up, you need to be in Silicon Valley”.

The Frankfurt Academy was launched last year in Frankfurt with more than 3,000 participants from over 50 countries. The Mind Network is expanding this year and the Academy is becoming even more international, with the result that you can also meet all of the interview partners featured in our FAQ issue at our forthcoming global Frankfurt Academy conferences: In Beijing at the StoryDrive China Conference as well as at the professional trip “Exclusive Games“,  in New York at the Children’s Publishing Conference; in New York and San Francisco on the Tech Tour; or in Buenos Aires at TOC Latin America.

Enjoy your read of our third issue of the Frankfurt Academy Quarterly, which you can also download as a PDF here – and join the discussion here on our Frankfurt Academy Blog!

Holger Volland

faq@book-fair.com

FAQ Mutlimedia/ All Media: Download PDF

Interview with Gus Balbontin, Director of Transformation, Lonely Planet

By Siobhan O ‘Leary

Gus Balbontin, Director of Transformation, Lonely Planet

Gus is a strategy and innovation expert. He specialises in leading complex cross-business transformation initiatives that require significant operational restructuring with minimum disruption to the business. He has a knack for incubating and integrating new products, market opportunities, platforms and technologies into existing businesses. Gus is playing a lead role in Lonely Planet’s transformation from print publisher to multiformat publisher.

FAQ: How important is it to think and work internationally when publishing multimedia and multiformat products, not just in terms of licensing, but also in terms of co-production, collaborations, etc.?

Gus Balbontin: These days it’s easier to think and work internationally. Publishing an e-book in various territories, for example, is as simple as uploading it and ticking a few boxes, while in the past you needed people in each territory with relationships that sometimes took years to build. Your question was how important it is. Well, this depends on what type of publisher you are, where are your customers, etc. It isn’t important for everyone. Lonely Planet has its customers spread all over the world. They need solutions to problems they face before taking off, while they are on the road and when they come back, so for us to be global, collaborative and so on, is critical.

FAQ: In your opinion, what has changed the most about the process of publishing travel guides in recent years?

We have enjoyed a few decades of publishing improvements driven mainly by efficiency and effectiveness (better layout tools, better writing tools, better transport, better stock management, etc.). We are now entering a world of change driven by customers accessing and using content in different ways. This latest shift is much more fundamental and comes from advancements in telecommunications, the internet, devices such as phones and tablets, and so on.

FAQ: How has the publisher-author relationship changed, if at all?

The information a traveller needs to solve his or her problems remains relatively unchanged. How a publisher gets this information – who they get it from and how they get it – is certainly changing. For example, do you contract an author to write a book, or to write about a place that may end up on a website, an app and an e-book? Do you get all the information from an author or use some UGC [user generated content]? As a publisher, do you stand between authors and travellers (the readers), or do you become a platform to enable a direct relationship?

FAQ: You are responsible for managing innovation and change at Lonely Planet. Can you name some of the biggest hurdles you face in the transition to multimedia

and multiformat products? Do some of the challenges relate to the cost of producing such products and the price customers expect to pay for them?

The biggest challenge is mindset and culture. The rest is no different than any of the puzzles businesses solve regularly, i.e. cost, margins, profits, etc. Is it true that in the publishing industry we’re all a little out of sync with the market (i.e. the cost of making something vs. the price people are prepared to pay)? Yes, but again, these are puzzles businesses are relatively good at solving. On the other hand, changing mindsets and the culture of a place is much harder.

FAQ: How are multimedia travel guides changing the way we travel?

They aren’t yet, really. Some of the more social guides like Wenzani will be able to get you to places that you may have missed before. But the way people travel is more impacted by wars, economic changes, etc., than by the actual travel guide itself.

FAQ: How do you envision the future of multimedia publishing, particularly in the travel category?

There will be a huge shift once the cost of roaming on phones and tablets decreases and more travellers start consuming their travel content live, on phones, tablets, laptops and books! Travellers will be able to combine great, rich content from a variety of providers to solve their problems seamlessly.

FAQ: Do you look to other models in publishing or other creative industries for inspiration? Where do you learn about the latest trends in publishing and beyond?

Yes, all the time. My RSS feed is built with tech updates, media related news, financial news, and more. I look at the gaming industry, music, TV and even car manufacturing for clues and inspiration.

FAQ: Do your primary competitors come from the traditional publishing industry or other industries?

Primary competitors still come from the traditional publishing industry… still… but not for much longer.

FAQ: What distinguishes Lonely Planet from foreign publishers in the travel field, like MairDumont, or from others in your domestic travel guide scene?

The main difference between us and the rest is that we are independent (we take no commissions for adding information to our guides), and we know because we go (we still send authors every two years to survey the world). MairDumont are our foreign partners in Germany. They translate and publish our guides for the German market.

FAQ: If you had to compare Lonely Planet’s (or the overall industry’s) level of multimedia publishing development to a human growth stage, would you say we’re in the baby phase, or the terrible twos; are we toddlers, teenagers, or adults?

Baby phase… definitely.

Meet Gus Balbontin

You can meet Gus as a speaker at Tools of Change (TOC) Latin America 2012, at the Feria del Libro de Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20 April 2012, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Or contact Gus on twitter @gusbalbontin or LinkedIn.

Join in the conversation on the Frankfurt Academy Blog.

TOC Latin America 2012

The Frankfurt Book Fair and O’Reilly Media, Inc. have teamed up with the Feria Internacional del Libro de Buenos Aires to bring the most important conference on publishing innovation to Latin America. On 20 April, TOC Latin America will focus on standards, global digital publishing trends, case studies of innovative publishers in Latin America, consumer habits, and much more. It will introduce you to the local and international entrepreneurs who are sowing the seeds of digital development in the heart of Cono Sur. You can register here.

FAQ Multimedia/ All Media: Download PDF

By Dennis Abrams

Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media

Deborah Forte is President of Scholastic Media, and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. She is highly regarded as an expert in children’s media, and is an award-winning creator and producer of children’s movies, television programming, websites and interactive games, amongst others the “Golden Compass” and the “Goosebumps” series, planned for big-screen adaption in 2012. Deborah Forte is responsible for managing Scholastic’s media businesses and serves as the group’s lead creative and business executive. She formed Scholastic Entertainment in 1997 with the goal of creating high quality children’s media that could reinforce literacy. She created the only full-scale production company in the children’s publishing industry that successfully develops, produces and markets children’s movies, television programming, and interactive programming.

“Children’s publishing innovates more quickly because it has to”, says Deborah Forte, President of Scholastic Media and Executive Vice President of Scholastic Inc. It is in children’s publishing, she believes, that the future of digital publishing can first be seen. “Because children are reading for enjoyment and for learning, it’s all in the delivery of the content,” she explains. “It’s in their DNA to look at a screen to find out something and to expect to see the things they love and to be able to communicate with each other and it’s much more their language to be screen-centric.” But it’s not only their use of digital technology that puts children at the forefront of the digital revolution; it’s the way they purchase the material, as well as their ability to learn new applications as quickly as they’re developed. “That audience is buying and using content on screen fairly robustly”, she adds. “And with the introduction of the iPad, even very young children are able to use new apps in a way that speaks to the need for children’s book publishers to innovate.”

To wit: following 18 months of development – and its initial revelation at last year’s Frankfurt Book Fair – Scholastic has begun beta tests for Storia, its proprietary digital platform for selling and distributing its own trade titles as well as e-editions of other children’s houses. The beta version became available on 8 March for teachers and families who buy through the Scholastic Book Clubs and other Scholastic sales channels. It features 1,300 titles, the vast majority published by Scholastic, and makes such classic picture series as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Ready, Freddy!” available in digital format for the first time. Forte says she expects Storia to have more than 2,000 books available when it launches for the general public in the fall.

Scholastic is promoting Storia to both teachers and parents, and has designed the app to appeal to two different age groups: Books are grouped in a 3 to 7-year-old range and 8 to 14, with customers able to download the free app at scholastic.com (and on iTunes later this month) and choose titles to place on their own personalized “book shelf.” Five free books, including two multimedia selections, are included with the download. Prices for books range from $1.95 to $20. The design of the books will be retained and make it simple for readers to turn the digital pages. As an added tool, parents will be able to track which books their kids are reading, how long they read them, and which new words have been learned.

It’s a major step forward for the company, which has been criticized for being slow to go digital. E-books currently account for 5 per cent of sales for Scholastic children’s books, a fraction of the percentage many publishers report for adult books. Forte argues that the initial investment costs of a Kindle or Nook e-book reading device, even as the price for some models drops below $100, is a reason why few kids currently own them, adding that the typical e-reader is not designed for young people. “To date, the adoption of e-books for children has been slower than for adults, but we know that over time, more children and families will want to have access to quality children’s e-books,” Forte says. “By creating Storia, an e-reading system for children that works across multiple platforms, Scholastic can offer thousands of e-books for kids of all ages on whatever device they already own and continue to encourage kids to learn and love to read.”

Of course, the need to innovate means more than just launching new technologies. It refers to the whole way of viewing digital publishing. “We have a unique perspective – of course everyone thinks that – but from my perspective there’s all this attention being paid to what publishers refer to as ‘disruptive publisher’ – book apps, games, etc. – and selling them as a form of electronic book. It’s interesting to me because of where I’ve lived for the last couple of decades. My job has been to translate books into media, and keeping others’ vision intact, but working to recreate it as a satisfying and stimulating media experience.” The key, Forte says, is, indeed, a matter of translation. Instead of simply porting a physical book and making it digital (not unlike the process of turning a hardcover into a paperback), what is essential is reinventing what the experience can be using digital.

“Business models are going to change, as is the way that content is packaged, but I can’t tell you how. What’s not going to change is the necessity for real good stories.”

From Forte’s perspective, children’s publishing in all forms is transforming before our eyes, making this one of the most exciting times in publishing ever: “Publishers are so fortunate to have so many opportunities to redeliver content. It’s a time of great and fabulous challenges – challenges in strategy and business.”

Meet the Scholastic Team

Scholastic is hosting Publishing Perspectives’ Children’s Publishing Conference on 31 May in New York City, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Scholastic Headquarters, 557 Broadway, New York, NY. The title of the conference is: “What makes a children’s book great?” Scholastic’s CEO Richard Robinson will be amongst the speakers.

Join in the conversation on the Frankfurt Academy Blog.

Children’s Publishing Conference

What makes a children’s book great? How and what will children be reading in 2020? Children’s and young adult publishing remains one of the industry’s most profitable growth areas. But what lies ahead for this unique segment? Organised by Publishing Perspectives and sponsored by Scholastic Inc., the half-day conference “What Makes a Children’s Book Great?” on May 31, 2012, will offer informed insight into the present and future of this fast-evolving area of publishing. The event will bring together leaders in the field of children’s publishing in the run-up to BookExpo America to discuss some of the most compelling and timely issues for print and digital publishing.

http://publishingperspectives.com/childrens-books-conference-2012/