IN DEPTH
Children’s books podcasts A growing market
Children’s books podcasts turn up the volume to address lack of media coverage
In recent months the number of podcasts about children’s books, and the children’s publishing industry, has ramped up, with many citing dwindling reviews and print media coverage as the impetus to experiment in audio
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Caroline Carpenter @carolinec1988
We have listeners from six years old to 78-year-old grandparents... One of the most exciting things is that our audience is all over the globe
Clementine Macmillan-Scott, Scoop Magazine
n the past six months, there has been a boom in podcasts promoting children’s literature, with fresh shows coming from Scoop Magazine, marketing agency Rocket and author-illustrator Liz Pichon, as well as a new team taking over established radio show and podcast “Down the Rabbit Hole”. Scoop Magazine, which is aimed at children aged seven and older who love reading, launched podcast “The Scoop” at the end of 2020. It is presented by radio producer, artist manager and writer Joe Haddow, who on the show talks to children’s authors and illustrators about their books and inspirations. He approached Scoop about starting a podcast aſter writing for the magazine, and its director and co-founder Clementine Macmillan-Scot “jumped” at the opportunit. She explains: “Podcasts are so close to what we do in the magazine. Both are about connecting with an audience in a way that is at once intimate and also sparks thought and conversation. We also wanted to collaborate more with authors and illustrators, and this was the perfect way without having to add pages to the magazine.” “The Scoop” is intended to be “a listening experience for the family”. Macmillan-Scot says: “We have listeners from six years old to 78-year-old grandparents. One of the most exciting things is that our audience is now all over the globe.” The show aims to “give an insight into how and why wonderful books are created” and it also asks children to send in questions, which Macmillan-Scot describes as “a wonderful way for them to connect to authors and illustrators, especially when so many real-life events have been cancelled”.
Macmillan-Scot decides the schedule and content for “The Scoop” with Haddow. She says: “We do one show every three weeks and that seems to be the right frequency for our audience. We try and make sure there is a balance for different ages. We are still testing things out, but the audience numbers tell us we are doing something right.” Monthly radio show and podcast “Down the Rabbit Hole” was launched in 2014 by author Katherine Woodfine, editor Melissa Cox and agent Louise Lamont. According to Lamont, it was created because “we were really beginning to feel the loss of children’s coverage in national newspapers and we wanted to create a place to discuss books, and to give authors and illustrators space
18 15th June 2021
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