Candlewick Announces CHIRP Scholarship Winner

Candlewick Press has named Marika McCoola of The Odyssey Bookshop [1] in South Hadley, Massachusetts, as the winner of its CHIRP (Candlewick Handselling Indie Recognition Program [2]) scholarship to ABA’s seventh annual Winter Institute [3].

“Two years ago, Candlewick created CHIRP to applaud, reward, and support the unique handselling talents of frontline indie booksellers,” said Elise Supovitz, Candlewick’s director of field sales. “CHIRP is still going strong today with approximately 300 indie stores participating. As an independent publisher (100 percent owned by its employees), Candlewick will be celebrating its 20th year in business next year, and we like to think of all of our books as ‘indie bound.’” Booksellers should be on the watch for another major indie initiative coming from Candlewick next season, she added.

McCoola, who was chosen from a pool of 64 entries, was nominated by Joan Grenier, co-owner of Odyssey Bookshop, for exemplifying what the CHIRP handselling program is all about. Grenier said, “Marika is a passionate children’s bookseller. We have many customers seeking out Marika for her recommendations for their children, grandchildren, and other children in their lives. She has helped expand our children’s event series and our Gift of Reading Club. She is constantly reading ARCs and keeps very up-to-date on the children’s book world.”

The CHIRP scholarship covers the cost of transportation to New Orleans and accommodations at the host hotel, the Astor Crowne Plaza, for the duration of the Winter Institute.

Watch for an announcement of the winners of ABA’s publisher-sponsored scholarships to Winter Institute 7 in the November 17 edition of Bookselling This Week.