[Senior production editor Martha Kranes, whose birthday it is today, agreed to guest blog about her insights into the visual side of series development.] One of the fun things about working for a publisher that produces nonfiction series is discovering the ways in which the design team, with input from editorial and marketing, expresses the […]Read more "Shaping a Series"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press A few weeks ago, Kelly DiPucchio proposed a contest on her blog. The basic concept is this—if books were sold next to items that reflected their content, where would they be sold? This idea was far too much fun for me to pass up, so I got in touch […]Read more "Price Check in Aisle 3"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press Well, what a week. We’ve expanded our vocabulary, gotten up close and personal with a mosquito, delved into some disgusting photo research, learned how to draw a grumpy virus, and kicked off a very germy drawing contest. So what now? Let’s celebrate! What could be more appropriate than a […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Day 5: Eyeball Cupcakes for Everyone"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press Did Michael Slack’s drawing lesson inspire you to draw a gross germ of your very own? Enter our contest, and you can win an original drawing from Michael Slack himself! Rules:-Open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, ages 5-14. -One entry per person. -Your drawing may be black-and-white […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Draw a Germ Contest!"

By Michael Slack Gross Body Science Series Illustrator Being a connoisseur of all things drippy, gooey, crusted, and slime covered, I was very excited when I received a call asking if I would be interested in illustrating a series of books titled Gross Body Science. Ummm . . . YES! When working on kids’ books, […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Day 4: Michael Slack and the Grumpy Viruses"

By Julie CarusoPhoto Researcher, Lerner Publishing Group Julie Caruso is a photo researcher at Lerner. She had the unenviable task of researching all five of the Gross Body Science books! Here is her take on the series: I have been researching and editing photography for almost 10 years, and honestly the Gross Body Science books […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Day 3: Disgusting Photo Research"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press Sue Marquis was the prepress operator for the book Itch & Ooze: Gross Stuff on Your Skin. She got more than she bargained for on this book! Q: When a final layout of a book (especially a Gross Body Science book) is ready, what kind of work do prepress […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Day 2: Q&A with an Itchy Prepress Operator"

By Carol HinzEditorial Director, Millbrook Press I’d like to officially kick off our Week of Grossness here on the Lerner Publishing Group Blog. This week, I’ll be sharing some behind-the-scenes info about our new Gross Body Science series and generally celebrating all things gross. Working on this series taught me the following five words, none […]Read more "Week of Grossness—Day 1: Five Cool Words I Learned from the Gross Body Science Series"

What is the best thing about editing children’s nonfiction? A lot of answers come to mind. Like lot of editors, I’m an information collector, and children’s books are filled with information. Often, while working on a project, I find out many details and stories I never knew. As a fan of folklore, I thought I […]Read more "The Best Things about Editing Children’s Books"