Kids Comics Unite Community Development and Marketing Internships!

I am looking for Kids Comics Unite’s first “crew members” who will help me turn Kids Comics Unite into a website chock-full of resources, and continue growing and improving our fabulous community. You'll play a critical role in charting the future of KCU, and help create new programs that support all our members and leverage the knowledge and insight of our super users.

What You’ll Do:

  • Help shape the future of KCU
  • Help plan and launch the KCU website
  • Celebrate, organize, and boost the resources and stories that come from our community
  • Edit videos for posting internally and on the KCU YouTube channel
  • Write a monthly KCU newsletter
  • Oversee the future KCU blog
  • Organize internal processes to support the development of consistent, high quality content and programs
  • Track and report on our performance and make recommendations for improvement

What You Should Have:

  • Passion for helping artists and writers build their careers, and for helping the kids graphic novel market grow
  • Strong interest in the business and marketing side of publishing and online community building
  • A friendly personality, team spirit, and desire to help others
  • The ability to commit time and focus every week to this position

Skills I’m Looking For:

You don’t need all these, but at least some of them.

  • Excellent listening and analytical skills and ability to spot “patterns in the noise”
  • Strong organization skills
  • Some experience in blogging, email or social media marketing, and/or community moderating
  • Video editing expertise
  • Great writing and editing skills
  • Bookkeeping, finance, or administrative experience

What You’ll Get:

These are part-time paid internship positions. They include:

  • Monthly private mentoring session with Janna
  • Monthly stipend (tbd, depending on experience, scope of work, and time involved)
  • Free membership in all KCU programs
  • Behind the scenes experience in building a thriving online community, advising comics creators, and marketing a creative business
  • Completely flexible schedule

Fill out this form to apply:

https://forms.gle/shErx1scT91Lksvi7

The application period is open until Wednesday, April 28, 2021. If you want to apply, you must submit your application by EOD on April 28th.


The Future of Children's Book and Graphic Novel Publishing in the Covid-19 Era

Kristen McLean Interview: The Future of Children's Book and Graphic Novel Publishing in the Covid-19 Era

Last week I interviewed Kristen McLean, publishing industry analyst and VP of business development for market research firm NPD Group.

The Future of Children's Book and Graphic Novel Publishing in the Coronavirus Era-kristen-mclean-interview for Kids Comics Meetup April 2020

She answered a lot of burning questions about what's happening in the children's book and graphic novel market right now, like:

  • What's happened to book sales overall since the coronavirus crisis began?
  • What's the biggest "white space" in the book market at this time?
  • How have comics and graphic novel sales been affected in 2020?
  • How might the comics distribution system in the US change in the near future?
  • What categories of books are selling best during this crisis? What's been negatively affected?
  • Which trends might be accelerated by this crisis?
  • How is the crisis causing innovation to happen, and which innovations might change the publishing landscape once the acute crisis abates?

It was a fascinating discussion. Click to view the full interview on YouTube.


Big, Big, VERY BIG News

2020 is going to be a BIG YEAR for three reasons:

Reason #1:

“2020” sounds awesome. It’s alliterative and stands for perfect vision. 

Reason #2:

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2020 is the year of the metal rat, which is supposed to be a particularly strong, prosperous, and lucky year. It’s an especially good year for new beginnings. (And I’m a rat, so it’s my double lucky year!)

Reason #3:

Today, I'm relaunching Janna Co. as a literary and illustration agency specializing in graphic novels and visual storytelling for kids!

It’s a totally new business and a huge new chapter in my career.

Please browse around my new website here and take a peek at the fabulous artists and authors I’m representing. You can also find me on Instagram (gasp!). Please connect with me there so I’m not all alone!

2020 will be a wild ride filled with lots of new adventures, new clients, new friends, new challenges… and my favorite things in the world, new books! I’m excited to be sharing this journey with you, and will keep you posted as it unfolds.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Special shout out to Abby Denson and Matt Loux for being the people who set the wheels in motion for this to happen.

P.P.S. If you want a copy of the official press release, you can download it here:

Janna Co. Agency Launch press release (1)