Levine Querido titles
Oklahoma. With the other children in his classroom, the narrator also shares tales of his family that reach back into ancient times—but his fellow pupils refuse to believe him. Levine calls it “beautifully writen” and proof that “great books can be very accessible and exciting and fun and funny, as well as touching”. He is delighted that both books have made the Indiebound Indie Bestsellers list in the US.
Other recent releases include: picture book This Old
DANIEL NAYERI ABOVE ISSUED EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE WITH THE LIST IN EARLY SEPTEMBER
atracting inclusive talent is through word of mouth. He continues: “It’s not that hard. Just saying that that’s what you want is a great first step to draw people to your company. Today, you have an almost bewildering variet of
talent presenting their work online. That’s on top of all the traditional routes. If you’re trying, you have way more to choose from than you could possibly begin to use.” In addition to Levine, who is president and editor-in- chief, the team consists of four full-time staff members: marketing director Antonia Gonzalez Cerna; publicit manager Alexandra Hernandez; assistant editor Meghan McCullough; and senior editor Nick Thomas. Their work is supported by freelance designers and production professionals, as well as “terrific” interns. According to Levine, the team is passionate about not only working with diverse authors and illustrators, but also a diverse group of publishing professionals. He says: “We’re always looking for people who can expand our minds and our horizons, and also to train people to help diversify the whole industry.” Levine Querido published its first books in August. One of the launch titles was Elatsoe by début author Darcie Litle Badger (published on 25th August), a young adult murder mystery in which the protagonist is visited by the ghost of her cousin. She then has to go about proving his murder, using her power to speak to ghosts; a power which has been passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Another early release is Daniel Nayeri’s book Everything Sad is Untrue (published on 1st September). The autobiographical novel sees the narrator’s family forced to flee their home in Iran in the middle of the night, and eventually ending up in
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Dog, writen by Martha Brockenbrough and illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo (published on 1st September), which centres on the bond between an old dog and a litle girl; The Blue Wings, a book in translation from Belgian author Jef Aerts (published on 8th September), about two brothers who run away when it seems they might be separated; and Apple: Skin to the Core, an autobiographical book in verse by Eric Gansworth (published on 6th October), which relates the author’s experience of growing up feeling “other” in many different ways—it also contains his photographs and artwork. Levine Querido will publish between 25 and 30 books a year, and Levine states that while the titles he is publishing have “a diversit of stles and feeling”, they are “all of uniformly exceptional qualit”. He expands: “Whatever genre the book happens to be in, it should be exceptionally well writen and gorgeously illustrated. Those are some of the qualities that I hope will come through, along with wonderful atention to design and book production.”
If all you’re going on is an algorithm, it won’t pick up your exceptional jewel of a picture book unless it’s written by a person who is already famous
The new normal In terms of how the publisher has been affected by the pandemic, staff have been working from home and conducting sales conferences via videoconferencing site Zoom. One of the advantages of it being “small and nimble” was that the business was able to pivot to use the money it had earmarked for conferences to promote its work through other channels. Another thing that Levine feels “put us in a beter position than some companies” is that, as a start-up, it raised money to get up and running and now has funding set aside for a few years, which has not been impacted by the coronavirus.
Considering the wider US publishing
industry, he is “rooting for all kinds of booksellers” to survive the pandemic. He continues: “We really need our independent booksellers, we really need Barnes & Noble, and we need everybody else, because without them you can’t introduce new talent. If all you’re going on is an algorithm, it won’t pick up your exceptional jewel of a picture book unless it’s writen by a person who is already famous.” Levine Querido is preparing to launch its spring 2021 list, and Levine is looking forward to sharing “a shockingly good list of books that we’re so excited about”. He adds: “We’re constantly taking delight in the books coming in and expanding the parts of the world we touch and the parts of our own country that we explore.”
Three to watch from Levine Querido
Ginger and Chrysanthemum Kristen Mai Giang, Shirley Chan (illus) 13th October, £12.99, 9781646140015 Ginger is excitable, while Chrysanthemum is cooler-headed. The cousins are close but planning Grandma’s birthday together is a big challenge. A testament to affection being stronger than differences.
Bye, Penguin! Seou Lee 27th October, £12.99, 9781646140213 A penguin stranded on an ever-smaller block of ice takes a trip around the world. A wordless adventure with a nod to global warming.
Bigger Than a Dream Jef Aerts, Marit Tornqvis (illus), David Colmer (trans) 3rd November, £12.99, 9781646140206 A boy hears the voice of his sister who died before he was born, and who takes him on a dreamy adventure and answers his questions about death.
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