New York, April 25, 2002 -- Ballantine Books today held their highly anticipated annual TAKE YOUR KIDS TO WORK DAY PUBLISHING WORKSHOP, a unique interactive program designed to open up the amazing world of publishing to the children of Ballantine employees. This year, eleven children attended the workshop; their ages ranged from 6 to 14 years.
"The workshop offers the kids a wonderful opportunity to learn how a book gets made by participating in every part of the process. I'm thrilled by this year's turnout and can't wait to read this year's books!" said program co-founder and organizer Christine Cabello. "Ballantine Books has long had a tradition of nurturing new writers, so this program fits right in."
As in previous years, all the books were written, contracted for, edited, copy-edited, typeset, proofread, designed, and produced in the course of a single day. This year the children were even able to help design their own covers. The books were also illustrated throughout with the children's own artwork.
After opening remarks by Ballantine Publisher & President Gina Centrello, the children learned about -- and signed -- a contract, and were then paid a small advance for their work. Throughout the rest of the day, the children got a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing process as they followed their books through all steps of production. Creative writing and individual editing sessions in the morning were followed later by sessions about cover and interior art. While the children were at lunch, the books were typed, copy-edited and put into a page-layout program. The publishing program continued after lunch with sessions onadvertising, promotion, and publicity. Finally, the kids were able to assemble all of the components and create their own finished book. The titles of the finished books were:
My Classmate is an Alien by Niki Constantine, a thriller about an unusual school playmate
The Hook by Lena Rosen,
a terrifying story of an urban legend brought to life
The Flying Saucer & Spooky by Jesse Kling, about a treasure hunt on a mountain interrupted by a strange visitor
Me & My Mom at Hogwarts by Nicky Beldoch, about a boy's trip with his mother to Harry Potter's wizard school.
Poems by Laquishaa Lewis, a book of traditional poetry
Lucky the Great Traveler by Michael Lange, about the adventures of an urban rabbit
It Was Just a Dream Kristen Lange, a novel about a very bad dream
The Theft by Shawn Gardner, a suspense novel about the theft of an ancient Aztec artifact
Muffin's Day, Part II by Ariel David, further adventures of a Maltese puppy named Muffin
The Great Moving of the Earth's Population in 20,018 by Daniel Dyssegaard Kallick, an epic tale of the far future, when the people of the Earth are threatened by a dying sun
The Zoo by Elizabeth Mydlowski, a thoughtful look at the life of zoo animals
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jesse Kling, age 5, is the son of Ballantine Editor-In-Chief Nancy
Miller; he enjoys playing with trains, and is an accomplished artist.
When he grows up, he wants to be a dad.
Niki Constantine, age 7, is the daughter of Ballantine President & Publisher Gina Centrello. She loves going to Jamaica, and playing soccer with her friends. When she grows up, she wants to be a first-grade teacher.
Shawn Gardner, the son of Del Rey VP & Editor-in-Chief Betsy Mitchell, is 11 years old. His favorite author is Lemony Snicket. He enjoys visiting his grandmother in Denver and spending time in the mountains. When he grows up, he wants to be a travel journalist.
Ariel David, age 10, is the step-daughter of Del Rey Assistant Editor Kathleen O'Shea David, and daughter of author Peter David. She loves all the Harry Potter books, and want to be either an art teacher or a kindergarden teacher when she grows up.
Daniel Dyssegaard Kallick , is 8 years old and the son of Ballantine Executive Editor Elisabeth Dyssegaard. His favorite book is The Golden Compass, and his favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings. He enjoys taking taxi rides to the airport because "you know you're going to soon be someplace good." When he grows up, he wants to be a British spy.
Nicky Beldoch, is the son of Ballantine Senior Editor Tracy Bernstein. He is 7 years old. When Nicky grows up, he wants to be a Major League baseball player. Things that make him happy are helping his friends and watching the Yankees win a baseball game
Elizabeth Mydlowski, age 6, is the daugter of Ballantine VP & Creative Director Gene Mydlowski. She loves the book Gerald McBoing Boing. When she grows up, she wants to be a veterinarian, because she loves to play with her dog
Jesse Kling, age 6, is the son of Ballantine VP & Editor in Chief Nancy Miller. He enjoys watching Nickelodeon, except for this week, which, he says "is Turn Off Your TV Week." When he grows up, he wants to be a police sketch artist.
Laquishaa Lewis, 9 years old, is being tutored by Ballantine Director of Subsidiary Rights Claire Tisne. She also likes the Harry Potter books very much. When she gets home from school, her favorite thing to do is her homework, especially math. Things that make her happy are seeing her tutor Claire on Tuesdays and going to the park. She isn't sure yet what she wants to do when she grows up.
Michael Lange, age 7, and Kristen Lange, age 11, are the nephew and niece of Ballantine Associate Director of Marketing Christine Cabello. Michael loves the book Foolish Rabbit's Big Mistake. When he grows up, he wants to be a police officer. Kristin's favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. She loves seeing movies and being with her brother and sister. When she grows up, she wants to be a first or second grade teacher
Lena Rosen,is the younger sister of Ballantine Associate Adriana Nova. Lena is 14 years old. Her favorite book is a verse translation of The Odyssey by Homer. She also enjoys going to the movies. When she grows up, she wants to be a photographer and work in graphic arts.
For more information, please contact Colleen Lindsay at 212-782-8282
or via e-mail at clindsay@randomhouse.com.
To receive review copies, please fax your request to 212-782-8438.