AUTHOR AND PODCASTER SAM SEDGMAN SAYS
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE HAS RECENTLY MOVED TO BROADER, MORE
RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON NEW RELEASES
THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS
to talk about their craſt, and champion their peers.” Woodfine says that it was “clear straight away that there was a huge appetite for hearing authors and illustrators talking knowledgeably about children’s books”. At the start of this year, Woodfine and Lamont
stepped down from the show (Cox had already leſt). They handed it over to a team of four new hosts: award- winning children’s author Sam Sedgman; Scholastic senior publicit manager Hannah Love; Charlie Morris, marketing manager at Macmillan Children’s; and (full disclosure) this reporter. Woodfine says: “I loved the idea of ‘handing on the baton’ to a new group of children’s books enthusiasts, who could bring fresh energy and take it in new directions. I’m excited to see what happens next, and also to see more children’s books podcasts flourishing in the future.”
Sedgman, who previously produced and presented
the “National Theatre Podcast”, says of his new show’s revamp: “We wanted to stay true to the conversational spirit of the old show but find a way of making it fresh. Our main change has been to shiſt the focus of each episode away from which books are coming out, and towards a monthly theme. It lets us talk more broadly about interesting topics in children’s fiction and take a wider view of where books fit on the shelf.” He identifies the existing core audience of the show as publishing professionals, but adds: “We are keen to broaden the appeal to any grown-up who likes children’s books.”
Chapter books In May, marketing agency Rocket and The Bookseller launched a new industry-focused podcast, “Chapter and Verse: The Art of Selling Children’s Books”, presented by The Bookseller’s children’s editor Charlote Eyre. It broadcasts every fortnight, with each episode featuring an author talking about an aspect of their work, as well as an industry expert. James Erskine, c.e.o. of The Rocket Group, and Sophie Thirlwell, who leads The Rocket Audio offering, were excited by the opportunit to “understand the creativit and the science behind children’s books”. Eyre was keen to get on board because “there is not enough media coverage of children’s books in the UK, so a podcast for the trade seemed like a fantastic way of talking about how authors and publishers launch successful titles”. There has been much interest from publishers and authors pitching their titles for further episodes. Rocket reports that within five days of launching the podcast, the inaugural episode, featuring actor and author Ben Miller talking about fairytales, received 104 listens; aſter two weeks, this had grown to just under 170. While 75% of listeners for the first episode were based in the UK and 14% came from the US, Rocket predicts this will change depending on who the guest author is. Eyre says that while the intended audience for
“Chapter & Verse” is “anyone who is interested in children’s books”, there is a particular focus on people working in the children’s book business and children’s media at large. Erskine and Thirlwell add: “We are not looking for mainstream appeal with thousands of listens. This podcast offers a niche that is not elsewhere
TheBookseller.com
available. We aim for the podcast to have just the right amount of depth to get into the story of writing and selling children’s books from two perspectives: the author and the industry expert.”
Scoop Magazine launched its podcast late last year, fronted by Joe Haddow
This month, author-illustrator Liz Pichon is introducing a “Tremendous Tales” podcast for children aged seven and above, and families, to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of her Tom Gates books. It is presented by Pichon and produced by her husband Mark Flannery, a sound engineer and music producer. The podcast will be available on various podcast platforms and Pichon’s website, and it will be promoted on her publisher Scholastic’s social media channels, as well as her own. The idea for “Tremendous Tales” came from Pichon’s publicist, Rachel Phillipps, but the author had “already been thinking about doing one and had lots of ideas ready for what we could do”. While many children’s literature podcasts focus on the content of books and the process of making them, Pichon wanted to “jump from subject to subject in the same way my Tom Gates book events do”. As such, the 20-minute episodes
include funny stories, musical idents and themed segments that Pichon feels will be “perfect to dip in and out of”. She adds: “I would love this podcast to fire up children’s imaginations by hearing different illustrators, authors and creatives discuss where things began for them. I would love the listeners to find out something they never knew about each guest—and have a laugh with us too.”
The perfect format Considering the potential of podcasts as a platform to promote children’s books, Lamont and Woodfine both feel they are “perfect format”. Woodfine expands: “They provide a great space to explore and be playful, as well as to talk about books in-depth and relish all the details.” Eyre believes authors and illustrators are “eloquent, interesting people and podcasts enable them to connect with their readers”. She also cites recent statistics from Statista Research Department showing that there are 15 million podcast listeners in the UK, with that figure expected to rise. “Children’s publishing should absolutely be part of this revolution in media,” she says. Erskine and Thirlwell say the “spaces of shared
listening”, where children and gatekeepers (such as parents) can access content together, are “useful to anyone looking to market children’s books”. Sedgman agrees: “As a children’s author, I find it very interesting that the product we make isn’t sold directly to the consumer. Really, grown-ups are the target audience for children’s books, and podcasts are a great way to reach them. My friends ask me all the time to recommend books they can give to their children or relatives. I think a half-hour show about children’s books is exactly what they are looking for.”
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