Book Sense Announces New Children's White Box Series, Adds 4th Yearly Kids' Picks List

Beginning in 2007, Book Sense will augment its current monthly Red and White Box programs with a series of quarterly mailings of materials specifically geared toward children's booksellers. In addition, the Book Sense Children's Picks will expand from three to four lists annually, with the creation of a new spring list.

"We have heard both from children's publishers and from booksellers specializing in children's books or with active children's sections in general bookstores who have asked that we offer services targeted more closely to their marketing and sales needs," said Mark Nichols, director of Book Sense Marketing. "We're very pleased and excited that Book Sense can now respond to those requests with both a specific mailing program and an expanded, seasonal Children's Picks List schedule."

The new features, which will more closely align the Book Sense marketing program with children's publishers' marketing efforts, include:

• A quarterly children's-specific White Box mailing added to the current monthly program beginning in February, with subsequent children's mailings scheduled for May, August, and November. (Children's publishers are invited to reserve space in these special quarterly mailings and are also encouraged to continue to participate in the remaining regular monthly mailings.)
  
  
• A fourth Book Sense Children's Picks List added to the current annual schedule, resulting in a quarterly program with lists published in February, May, August, and November.

Booksellers are reminded that in order to receive the regular monthly mailings and the new quarterly Children's White Box, they must participate in the Book Sense marketing program in at least two of the following five ways:

• Maintain a permanent Book Sense store display featuring the current Picks fliers and titles from other Picks lists that are appropriate to their market
  
  
• Report store sales at least three weeks out of each month to the Book Sense Bestseller List (Questions about reporting options should be addressed to Associate Book Sense Marketing Director Meg Smith at meg@booksense.com.)
  
  
• Nominate at least one book each quarter to the Book Sense Picks lists. (Nominations may be sent to the attention of Book Sense Picks Editor-in-Chief Dan Cullen via e-mail to picks@booksense.com or via an easy-to-use nomination form.
  
  
• Participate in the Book Sense Gift Card Program.
  
  
• Participate in BookSense.com.

Questions about the changes and additions to the Book Sense programming should be addressed to Nichols at mark@booksense.com.