Laura Godwin: Editors' Panel

Laura is VP and Publisher of Henry Holt, where she has been for the past twenty-five years! She also edits many award-winning books, Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato (winner of the 2012 SCBWI Winter Conference Portfolio show!!); all of the wonderful Brenda Z. Guiberson's fantastic nonfiction; The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jackie Kelly; and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

In addition to editing, maybe you've hear of The Doll People series?

Industry good news: We're in a very interesting time, the changes that effect the adult group, also effect us, but children's imprints are in a relatively healthy position and that's something to celebrate.

Industry bad news: It is harder to breakout new talent, and we have to be diligent on a daily basis to stamp out book piracy. But unlike the music business which has experienced heavy losses, publishing still has brick and mortar retail channels which helps keep everything afloat.

A popular or good-selling picture book today is different than 5 or 10 years ago, says Lin, can you tell us what they're looking like today?
Laura: It's an ever-changing concept, like beauty, what we thought was beautiful years ago is different today.

Longer rhyming texts that tell stories are what my colleagues in England are looking for, and that's the influence of Julia Donaldson's The Gruffalo

Common Core is drawing attention to all of the things we've already been doing, nonfiction picture books, in general, aren't as short as today's fiction picture books.