BTW News Briefs

Print Books Are Parents’ Choice for Kids and Toddlers

Parents have a double standard when it comes to print versus e-books for their children and todders, according to last Sunday’s New York Times. Even when parents are heavily into their own e-books and electronic devices, they still insist that their young children be surrounded by print books.

Though sales of adult e-books are growing at a faster than expected rate, the Times said, “Sales of e-books for titles aimed at children under eight have barely budged. They represent less than five percent of total annual sales of children’s books, several publishers estimated, compared with more than 25 percent in some categories of adult books.”

The paper also observed that children’s books are also a bright spot for brick-and-mortar bookstores, and cited a study commissioned by HarperCollins in 2010 found that books bought for 3- to 7-year-olds were discovered at a local bookstore 38 percent of the time.

Mystery Writers to Honor Martha Grimes, M Is for Mystery, and Molly Weston

The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) have named Martha Grimes the recipient of this year’s Grand Master Award, which recognizes important contributions to the mystery genre as well as a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality.

Also this week, MWA named M Is for Mystery in San Mateo, California, and Molly Weston, the blogger behind Meritorious Mysteries, as recipients of 2012 Raven Awards for outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing.

The awards will be presented at 2012 Edgar Awards Banquet, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, April 26.