A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board
In our second last meeting with this group of teens we discussed the shortlist for the Readings YA Prize. The teens talked about their favourite books from the shortlist and which title they think will win. We can’t reveal this information yet, but their opinions were very interesting.
We also had a visit from Tina Gumnior, a publicist for nearly twenty years at Penguin Books. Tina works specifically with the children’s and young adult titles and talked about the difficulties in getting media coverage for authors; particularly debut authors. She talked about the role of a publicist, including liaising with media agencies such as radio, TV and print; sending out review copies to publications; and pitching authors to the many literary festivals around the country. Publicists also do a lot of work after hours: attending launches, accompanying authors to their bigger media events and travelling with them to festivals. It seems glamorous, but it’s also a great deal of hard work!
The teens are sad but excited for our final meeting in June; after which you can stay tuned for news about our new Teen Advisory Board, beginning in July.
