Jacob Javits Center, New York, USA, May 29 2015 – Q&A BY Author James Patterson, Pete David, Emily Shaw and Marguerite Bennett focusing on comic books and the young readers at the Book Expo America (BEA).
On the Photo: Author James Patterson
Credit: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
James Patterson is launching a children’s book imprint at Little, Brown & Company called jimmy patterson that will be unwaveringly focused on one goal: turning kids into lifelong readers. The announcement was made today by Michael Pietsch, Chief Executive Officer of Hachette Book Group, and Reagan Arthur, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Little, Brown and Company.
The defining mission of jimmy patterson will reflect Patterson’s most heartfelt goals: to inspire kids to become willing, self-propelled readers; to help teachers, booksellers, and librarians get the tools, opportunities, and skills they need to accomplish this important duty; and to identify the right books for each child by celebrating a compelling diversity of human voices and experiences.
On the Photo: Author James Patterson
Credit: Luiz Rampelotto/EuropaNewswire
The imprint’s purpose is not just to publish compulsively readable books by James Patterson and other writers, but also to provide resources, strategies, and programs that serve the country’s librarians, booksellers, teachers, and parents. Patterson’s profits from the imprint will go to scholarships for teachers; helping bookstores; supporting school libraries; increasing the reach of his pro-reading website, ReadKiddoRead; and distributing books to kids who can’t afford them.
James Patterson says:
As a reader, as a writer, and as a believer in the power of books, I would love to see our president stand up at his next press conference and proudly announce that during the last year or so of his term he was going to devote himself to getting kids reading.
Because if we accomplish that—just that—we will dramatically increase the number of kids who finish high school in this country and thus have a better chance of going on to college or getting better jobs. We will create a more informed populace. With better citizens. Better voters. Better workers. Better spouses. Better parents. Better human beings.
If I could wave a wand I would love to hear that Amazon is devoting itself to becoming the savior of reading across this country. And that McDonald’s is promoting reading in all of its restaurants. And that Walmart and Target are dedicating the book sections of their stores to the noble task of getting kids reading better.
In the meantime—here I am. Introducing a new and startlingly different imprint for kids’ books at Little, Brown. It’s called jimmy patterson. Our mission is simple: that every kid who finishes a jimmy book will say, “Please give me another book.” What could be better than that? Mom, Dad, Grandma, local school board, U.S. Department of Education: “Please give me another book.”
What makes jimmy patterson different is simple: My profits will go to scholarships for teachers, helping bookstores survive, helping school libraries in their time of great need, increasing the reach of ReadKiddoRead.com, and distributing books to kids who can’t afford them.
It’s simple. It’s a start. I call on others to please help where you can.
Once again, our mission: That every kid who finishes a jimmy book will say, “Please give me another book.”
Source: EuropaNewswire and Hachette Book Group PR. Department