[Jenny Posts: 80 Status: Offline WWW]

I just watched a presentation with an editor from Macmillan and they said the pb market is starting to become saturated with sel books.

Thoughts?

[Hopeful Posts: 220 Status: Offline I love kid books!]

What are "sel" books?

[Jenny Posts: 80 Status: Offline WWW]

What are "sel" books?

Sorry.  I meant social emotional learning.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,871 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

I think most PBs have an SEL component, but no one pointed it out before. How many books deal with making a friend or overcoming a fear? How many have someone standing up to help someone else or showing resilience or learning to adjust a message to the needs of an audience? How many are about learning to share or love yourself for who you are? All of these are SEL topics. They include the earliest PBs, the classics, and books of today. 

[Jenny Posts: 80 Status: Offline WWW]

That's  a very good point Debbie. I didn't think of it that way.

[dkshumaker Posts: 1,510 Status: Offline WWW]

I think everything goes through cycles. A few years back it seemed publishers wanted more unknown histories/bios about women. Now there is a glut in PB Bios. I think the pandemic highlighted a need for social emotional learning books, and now there might be too many.

But as always, a book with great voice and written in a new angle can always sell, regardless of a "glut".

[Shannywriter Posts: 507 Status: Offline Believe in yourself and never give up WWW]

I am a kindergarten teacher and next school year we are required to teach SEL specifically for 30 min/week. I don't know if that's just a state thing or what. That definitely guides me when picking books, and affects choices in my writing. Like Debbie said, most PBs have elements of it in there.

[Jenny Posts: 80 Status: Offline WWW]

I am a kindergarten teacher and next school year we are required to teach SEL specifically for 30 min/week. I don't know if that's just a state thing or what. That definitely guides me when picking books, and affects choices in my writing. Like Debbie said, most PBs have elements of it in there.

That's very interesting. Thank you for sharing that.

[Debbie Vilardi Posts: 6,871 Status: Offline Language is so cool! WWW]

Actually, I believe many states have or are putting out SEL curricula. This is likely something you can research online.