Another year, another successful ALA annual! We were so excited to be in San Francisco this year, especially in light of the recent SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage! What better city to be in than the one that elected Harvey Milk to public office and issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, kickstarting a fight for LGBTQ marriage rights in California? Continue reading
All posts by leeandlowbooks
Lee & Low Books named Indie Publisher of the Year 2014
We’re just back from the ALA Annual Conference, and kicking off the long weekend with some happy news: Lee & Low Books was named Indie Publisher of the Year 2014 by Foreword Reviews! 
We are so thrilled, overjoyed, and humbled by this honor. Here’s what Foreword Reviews said about us at the Award Announcement:
Continue reading
Pride Month: Fifteen LGBTQ-Themed Books for Readers of Every Age
June is Pride Month! Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall Riots, which happened June 1969, and was a starting 
point for the Gay Rights movement. The Stonewall Inn, where the riots took place, in New York City recently gained landmark status.
To celebrate, we’ve put together a list of fifteen books that celebrate different gender identities, sexual orientations, families, and ways to be!
Come meet LEE & LOW BOOKS at ALA 2015!
ALA is just around the corner and we would love to meet you! We’ll be in the North Exhibit Hall at Booth #1020!
See below for our signing schedule as well as a few other events we’ll be participating in: Continue reading
INK AND ASHES Blog Tour Round Up
To celebrate the release of her debut novel, Ink and Ashes, earlier this month, author Valynne E. Maetani has been stopping by blogs to talk about her writing process, winning the first ever New Visions Award, and much more.
Authors of Color: Submit Your Manuscript to the New Visions Award!
Summer is already here! That means that the third annual NEW VISIONS AWARD is now open for submissions! Established by Tu Books, an imprint of LEE & LOW BOOKS that publishes middle grade and young adult books, the award is a fantastic chance for new authors of color to break into the world of publishing for young readers.
What does Juneteenth Celebrate?
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the abolition of slavery in Texas and more generally the emancipation of African American slaves throughout the Confederate South.
Marketing 101: How to Prepare for Your First Conference
This post is part of an ongoing series at The Open Book answering questions about book marketing and publicity.
With the 2015 American Library Association (ALA) conference just around the corner, many first-time authors are probably starting to get nervous, wondering what’s in store for them. Going to your first trade conference, book event, or signing can be incredibly daunting. It marks a transition from the very private and solitary process of creating a book to the very public process of interacting with readers directly and getting your book out into the world. This is by no means easy, but being in a public space with your book can be incredibly rewarding. Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you make the transition:
How to Turn a Quiet Author Event into a Big Success
In this joint guest post, librarian Jane Levitan of 
the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries and author/illustrator Lulu Delacre give their takes on a quiet event that turned into a great success. Continue reading
2015 Diverse Summer Reading Book Lists K-8
June is finally here! Winter is already a long distant memory and students are becoming more and more fixated on the summer vacation countdowns they started in January, daydreaming of exciting and unknown summer plans, camp adventures, and seemingly endless free time.
But just because school year is (almost) over, doesn’t mean reading has to come to a halt. In fact, we are well aware of the importance of having access to books and the harmful effects of the slippery slope that is the summer slide: Continue reading