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Children’s Choice Book Awards Adds Three New Categories

This year’s Eighth Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards will feature three new categories created specifically to recognize emerging voices in children’s literature.

Every Child a Reader (ECAR) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) announced the additional categories on Thursday, January 29: the Children’s Choice Debut Author, Teen Choice Debut Author, and Children’s Choice Illustrator awards.  

The five finalists for each award will be determined by selection committees appointed by ECAR, to be comprised of librarians, educators, booksellers, and children’s literature experts. The winners will be determined by votes cast by children and teens.

Voting will take place online at ccbookawards.com from Tuesday, March 17, through Sunday, May 3. Winners will be announced during the 96th annual Children’s Book Week from May 4 –10. Voting for Teen Book of the Year finalists, to be conducted via Teenreads.com, runs now through Monday, February 2, and can be accessed here.

The award categories announced this week replace the former Author of the Year and Illustrator of the Year awards, whose finalists were determined by national bestseller lists.

S&S to Debut Scout Press This Fall

Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books Group is launching Scout Press, a new imprint dedicated to finding and publishing the next modern storytellers in literary fiction, the S&S announced on Tuesday.

“We will publish ambitious, conversation-starting novelists who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary fiction while also creating books that will stand the test of time,” said Gallery Books Group Publisher Jennifer Bergstrom.

The first three titles on the Scout Press list are debut novels. Bestselling memoirist and literary agent Bill Clegg’s Did You Ever Have a Family will be the new imprint’s lead title, publishing on September 15, 2015.  In a Dark, Dark Wood, a debut suspense novel from British author Ruth Ware, will be published in the fall, and Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Brooklyn author Molly Prentiss will come out in spring 2016.

Scout will support Clegg’s book release with publicity efforts that include a 10-city author tour, national print advertising, an NPR campaign, and appearances at BEA and the ABA Winter Institute.

Ten Publishers Sign With IPG and Its Subsidiaries

Independent Publishers Group (IPG) has signed distribution deals with nine new publishers, the company announced last week.

This month, IPG will begin distributing Mystic Productions Press, based in Anchorage, Alaska, and the backlist of TERC (Technical Education Research Center) in print and digital formats. IPG also now distributes Beacon Audiobooks, which publishes digital and audiobook digital downloads and CD versions of select titles.

Beginning July 1, 2015, IPG subsidiary Trafalgar Square Publishing will begin distributing Myriad Editions, Pikku Publishing, Finch Publishing, Orenda Books, and Scholastic Australia in the U.S.

Art Stock Books, IPG’s distributor of highly illustrated books, has reached an agreement with Barcelona-based By Architect Publications to begin distribution in fall 2015.

IPG Spanish Language distribution has added children’s literature publisher Editorial Kókinos, a Madrid-based company, to its list, with distribution beginning July 1.