Working in tandem

We had a nice surprise from the folks at Tandem Library Books the other day. I first noticed our hits going through the roof–more than 500 by midday, a number that nearly rivaled our big announcement. What’s up with that, I wondered. But there wasn’t any link in the referrers; everyone was coming from emails and then remaining to browse …

An Amaz-ing discovery

On the day we announced the Cybils finalists, Jen Robinson called on everyone to buy copies of the winners from Amazon, while Sheila Ruth charted whether the books rose in popularity. Did we make a difference? Can we add "marketplace clout" to our list of accomplishments? The answer is a qualified yes. We affected the sales rankings, sometimes dramatically, for …

An interview with Joyce Sidman

The first-ever winner of a Cybil for Poetry is Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow: Poems by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes. It was selected by the committee based in part on its wonderfully rich language and imagery. The book, a series of riddle poems in pairs, incorporates a variety of poetic forms, ranging from free verse …

Buzz

The net is buzzing with news of The Cybils.  Here’s what the internet has to say: Susan at Northern Suburban Library Systems immediately makes the blogging connection, writing “Congratulations to the group of bloggers who have diligently read and voted on the 2006 best children’s books. They just announced (on a blog, of course) their top choices in nine categories.”  …

Welcome to the Cybils

Results are now in for the first-ever Cybils, which recognizes childrens’ and YA books with a mix of literary quality and kid appeal. Click here for the list of winners, or download a printer-friendly version of the entire short list to take with you to the library or bookstore. 

Some Interesting Facts about The 2006 Cybils

Just a few things I’ve noticed, the day after… When we opened nominations for the 2006 Cybils back in October, we made sure to mention that the only rules were that nominated books have a 2006 copyright date and be published in English. So, we’re glad to report that, even though The Cybils are run out of Chicago, Illinois, two …

The 2006 Cybils

We’d be remiss if we didn’t thank all those who made Cybils possible. Our organizers are a brilliant, dedicated lot who put this together quickly and professionally. The public immediately took to nominating their favorite books, thanks also to the dozens of bloggers who spread the word. More than 80 volunteers from every walk of life came forward to read …

Let’s do it!

Because Kelly and I are such amazingly efficient people, all our calls to publishers have been made, all the i’s are dotted on the press release, and we’re just sitting on our hands waiting for TypePad to publish the list. So why wait? Why indeed. I have fiddled with the settings and the results will post just before noon Central …

Countdown …

We plan to publish the winners today at 2 p.m. Chicago time, so you have just enough time to treat yourself to a fabulous lunch before rejoining us. See you again soon.

Only one more day

It’s 1:37 a.m. and once again the insomnia genie has cursed me. I get three wishes that won’t come true, and all of them involve being able to shut my eyes. So I thought I’d update you all on how Cybils is going. We still haven’t received the absolute, final, this-is-really-it decision from two categories, but I’m not going to …