How is it going for children's publishing?

Children's librarians depend on publishers to provide the basic materials they need for their libraries, so the health of the publishing industry in these bad times is a constant concern. Harold Underdown, who maintains the invaluable Purple Crayon website devoted to children's publishing, has posted a fascinating blog entry about the state of publishing this season. Editors are being laid off or shifted from one department to another. Publishing has always been a fast-moving industry and librarians with their stable government funded jobs have watched in amazement as editors move from one house to another year by year. Right now the climate is reasonably good for reading, sales figures for children's books were quite stable in 2008. Still, there's a general feeling of concern as one publisher after another announced cutbacks and the usually reliable school and library market for new books shrinks. We are all dependent on one another in this profession--writers, illustrators, publishers, librarians--all locked together in an effort to continue the tradition of providing good books for children. Let's not focus too narrowly on our own budgetary concerns, we need to be aware of how the others in our field are doing. Along with Publishers Weekly, the Purple Crayon is one good way to stay in touch.