![\"The](\"http:\/\/wordpress.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/ellenandkenny-2.png\")
<\/a>The two of us in action with a stack of F&Gs and Edelweiss on the screen!<\/p><\/div> An intrepid publishers’ rep shares her thoughts on children’s books and issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18416\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBookselling in a rural area means many things, and one of them is that I see very few reps in person. Even when I have assigned field reps it is still by phone. From the major houses only one drives all the way up to central Maine to see me: Ellen Pyle of Macmillan. If you assumed that the fact of her making that effort indicated something about her character as a rep you would be right. Ellen is an intrepid and energetic individual, a voluminous communicator, and a tireless, thoroughgoing advocate for both Macmillan and her bookstores. When she crossed the threshold into DDG yesterday I made the move to corral Ellen and lure her into employing the Pyle propensity for strong communication into taking interview form.
\nKenny:<\/span> All right Ellen, the Young Adult novel you wish had been around when you were 12?
\nEllen<\/span>: Rain, Reign<\/em>!\u00a0 It’s not difficult to read, it’s wonderful to read. Wonderful. It’s so encouraging.
\nKenny: <\/span>A culturally superior alien was looking down her nose at human creative endeavors until you showed her this picture book?
\nEllen<\/span>: The Pout-Pout Fish<\/em> for its soft encouragement of good behavior in toddlers and aliens.
\nKenny:<\/span> Your favorite fall kids’ book?
\n<\/a>Ellen<\/span>: Oh definitely Vassa in the Night<\/em>. While it’s a little dark, the writing is so imaginative and superior that you just flow along with the story. I love this book!
\nKenny:<\/span> Your thoughts on the evolving role of reps?
\nEllen<\/span>: Edelweiss has made our job a little more intense, a little more detail-oriented, but it has also allowed us to be better reps because it has forced to think a little more about what we’re saying about the books to our buyers.
\nKenny:<\/span> If you could change one thing in the book industry what would it be?
\nEllen<\/span>: Our relationship to other media. I’m constantly hearing that they’re happy that Independent bookstores are surviving when in fact they are thriving.
\nKenny:<\/span> Biggest mistake children’s buyers make?
\nEllen<\/span>: Allowing personal prejudices to color their purchases.
\nKenny:<\/span> Hmmn. The constant struggle, eh? How about the smartest thing children’s buyers do?
\nEllen<\/span>: Read galleys.
\nKenny:<\/span> Phew! Thanks, Ellen!
\nEllen<\/span>: Thank you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"