Sarah Nasif is our Random House rep. She recently returned from a trip to the Big Apple, and was willing to share some of what she saw.
Last month I took a trip to the Random House offices in New York and thought it would be fun to share some photos from the trip with my fellow Lemuria shoppers. I don’t get to visit our headquarters very often and am always fascinated when I do, so I want to give you a little behind the scenes peak into where great books are published.
(Photos taken by my co-worker Erin and originally run with captions on my work blog Random Acts of Reading.)
Our office building is right in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, just a half block down from where “The Late Show” films and very close to Times Square. It’s a busy, bustling neighborhood. Because we were in town for such a short visit, we saw a lot of this small area and not much else!
This never ceases to amaze: first editions of every book we’ve published line the walls in the Random House lobby. For book-lovers, it’s pretty much heaven.
Pippi Longstocking! And original Beginner books by Dr. Seuss!
Here we are: (from left to right) Sarah (me), Bobbie, who is our group’s assistant and frequently writes here on the blog, and my colleagues Nic and Erin. There’s also a photo bomb by another RHC assistant, Alex.
Here’s Alex in her cube. Everyone’s cubicals are stuffed full of children’s books and art.
The building itself is lovely, and when you walk onto each floor, you’re greeted with book displays like this.
This is in the picture book room. It’s a great nook where art from not-yet-published picture books is on display for staff to view. It’s so fun seeing the unfinished spreads.
This is the view from one of the floors!
While I was in NYC I got to sit in on our Spring 2014 List Launch Meeting. This is where all of our editors present the books they are working on for future publication. Usually I am on the phone listening in to the meeting so it was great to hear from the editors in person. I want to share a few of the books that I’m really excited about, but fair warning that it will be a year before you can find these on the shelves in OZ; luckily all of these authors have great books already in print!
I was excited to see so many awesome picture books on our Spring ‘14 list but one highlight for me was a new book by Il Sung Na, one of my favorite author/illustrators for little ones (click here to read my last post about this author). His latest picture book for babies, aptly named A Book of Babies, does not disappoint. The artwork is incredibly adorable and will be another great gift book for new babies.
Carl Hiaasen is always a hit among his kid and adult readers, and he has a new book for middle graders that is titled after and features his infamous reoccurring character, Skink. Look for this in March of 2014.
One of my favorite books of 2012 was Seraphina, an award winning novel by former bookseller Rachel Hartman, and a great new addition to the fantasy/sci fi genre, so I was thrilled to hear about the second book in the series, schedule for publication in April of 2014. This is for teens and adults who love stories about strong female characters, dragons and rich fantasy worlds.
If you’re interested in any of these and would like a chance to read an ARC (advanced readers copy), talk to Emily in OZ about their galley program!
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