Publisher Spotlight—Raven Tree Press: Reaching Out to A Growing Bilingual Population

by Noël Baca Castex -- Críticas, 8/15/2008

Founded by Laura Diedrick in 2000, Raven Tree was purchased in 2002 by Delta Publishing, a house that specializes in ESL and other non-fiction titles. This relatively new imprint focuses on Spanish-language and bilingual picture books that appeal to a wide audience. Publisher Dawn Jeffers has been with Raven Tree from its beginning; she began as sales and marketing director and was made publisher in 2002. Críticas spoke to Jeffers about the goal behind the imprint and its colorful and significant story books.

What is the mission of Raven Tree Press? When was it decided to publish bilingual and Spanish-language titles?

The first books we published were creative non-fiction titles. It was not until Fall 2001 that we switched direction and entered the wonderful world of picture books. Soon, we noticed the burgeoning Hispanic population and, even though there were wonderful culturally-based bilingual stories available, we felt it was necessary to provide stories that are relatable regardless of race, gender, etc. We wanted to bridge the gap and offer great stories and artwork, with books that could appeal to both English speakers learning Spanish and vice versa. It has been very important to us to offer books that children will want to read and that offer language learning in two languages.

How was this change in direction received?

We are often criticized as a U.S. publisher for publishing bilingual books. “If you are in America, you speak English.” Government and private grant-funding is sometimes not available for purchases of materials that contain foreign languages. People who are multilingual understand how shortsighted this is—if we did only ethnic focused or culturally based stories in Spanish, we felt we would be cultivating this narrow mindedness. Universal storylines in several languages give more people access to the wonders of literature and literacy.  

How many editors are there working on bilingual and Spanish-language titles?

We have two English editors and two for Spanish; they are all freelancers.

How do you decide what’s culturally relevant to Hispanics or Spanish speakers? 

We select the stories based on reader appeal and writing style. There is an even split between submissions we get from agents, and authors and illustrators who submit to us, or who come through the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators (SCBPI) and the Children's Book Council. We select our illustrators based on their ability to convey the emotions of the story and move the story forward filling in where the text does not. We will accept culturally relevant stories happily if they are well written and appealing.

When acquiring a new title for your imprint, do you decide upfront if you’ll publish a bilingual or Spanish-language edition?

Our books are always chosen for the ability to produce a bilingual version. Word count and word selection is most important. We do get feedback from teachers, librarians, booksellers, and sales reps in the pre-publication timelines.

What are some of the biggest challenges you encounter in the process of publishing bilingual and Spanish-language titles?

We have changed the way we present bilingual books over the years. Since we cater to a variety of learners, we needed to provide a variety of learning formats. The traditional full text format gives the reader the full story in English separated by an icon, while the Spanish is presented in a contrasting color.

We also offer embedded text format, which offers the story mostly in English, but Spanish words are sprinkled and then repeated throughout the book for readers to learn key words by the time the story ends. The Concept bilingual format tells the story mostly in English, but the Spanish words that are sprinkled are those that match the concept of the story.

Finally, we also offer wordless picture books—you can make a wordless book bilingual simply by telling the story in another language. We offer a vocabulary page at the end of every bilingual book to jumpstart learning in either language.

How many books do you publish per year? How many are bilingual or in Spanish?

We publish 10 books per year and all begin as bilingual books. We decide later if they will also be co-published as English only or Spanish only titles.

How are your bilingual and Spanish-language books doing overall?

We have recently added paperback versions of our books, as there was a price sensitivity for booksellers and the general public. The availability of dual-language editions, one in English and one in Spanish, has provided a wider opportunity for school districts that teach with two books rather than one.

We are a strong seller in the library and school markets but we have struggled with sales in bookstores. Most bookstores don't have a bilingual section so many of our titles get lost on Spanish-language bookshelves.

Which is your best-selling bilingual or Spanish-language book?

Paco y la planta de chile gigante/Paco and the Giant Chile Plant has been off to a great start. It was released Spring 2008 and we are already in a second printing. We will also be releasing English only and Spanish only editions this fall.

How do you promote your bilingual and Spanish-language books? Do you have a separate sales or marketing team promoting those titles?

We do have a monthly newsletter that anyone can sign up for from our website. Our sales representatives from Continental Sales Inc. promote and sell into bookstores. Our library and school wholesale catalogs and online sites offer a great opportunity for promotion. The awards we have won for many of our books have also given us additional promotional opportunities.

What do you think of the Spanish-language children’s book market? How has it changed since Raven Tree Press started? What changes would you like to see?

I would love to see English-speaking households embrace bilingual books and the idea of learning another language. For Spanish-speaking households, the idea of families committing to a home library of books for their children is exciting. We have had to add English only and Spanish only versions to accommodate the marketplace.

At Críticas, we’ve fallen in love with El mejor mariachi del mundo (The Best Mariachi in the World). Do you know the story behind this book?

Author JD Smith'sinterest in the book’s subject stems in part from growing up in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb with a large Hispanic population. He studied Spanish in high school and as an undergraduate and graduate student, complementing his formal instruction traveling throughout Latin America and Spain. Honeymooning in Mexico in 2005, he and his wife had the opportunity to listen to strolling mariachis in the main plaza of Oaxaca and the idea for this book was born. Unlike Gustavo and his family, Smith does not sing or play a musical instrument, though he may still learn to play the piano for his own enjoyment.

What about the illustrator?

Danielle (Dani) Jones is new to the world of children’s illustrations. El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo is her second book. Before she began illustrating children’s books she did a few spots for a children’s magazine and some educational work. She really likes art that tells a story and that’s why she likes children’s books so much.

Other Books Published by Raven Tree

El rábano que escapó.  (Runaway Radish) Levy, Janice. Raven Tree. 2008.  ISBN 978-1932748-83-3.	Marco Flamenco. (Marco Flamingo) Jarkins, Sheila. Raven Tree. 2008.  ISBN 978-09794462-6-9.
El mejor mariachi del mundo.  (The Best Mariachi in the  World) Smith, J. D. Raven Tree. 2008.  ISBN 978-1-887744-97-3.	Paco y la planta de chile. (Paco And The Giant  Chile Plant) Polette, Keith. Raven Tree. 2008.  ISBN 978-0977090-62-4.