FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tracey Daniels
Media Masters Publicity
tracey@mmpublicity.com
828-808-2581
THE CORNELL LAB PUBLISHING GROUP TAKES FLIGHT
(March 1, 2016) The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world-renowned scientific authority on birds, commemorated its 100-year anniversary with the founding of the Cornell Lab Publishing Group. The Cornell Lab advances scientific discoveries and inspires and engages more than 20 million people each year to connect with birds and the natural world. The Lab offers live webcams, cutting-edge bird identification apps, school programs, and participatory citizen- science programs aimed at nature enthusiasts, including more than 80 million Americans who enjoy, observe, photograph, or feed wild birds (USA Today, March 2014); the fastest new growth segment is youth.
“This new trade publishing initiative furthers the Cornell Lab’s mission of nurturing new generations in the appreciation and care of birds, setting the stage for environmental custodianship,” says John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Cornell Lab. Adds Brian Scott Sockin, author and CEO / Publisher of the Cornell Lab Publishing Group, “Birds resonate with people of all ages because they offer an instant portal to the natural world, fascinating and readily accessible. Our goal is to create emotional connections between people and nature through birds, whether that inspiration turns to lifelong birding as it often does, or simply to make them aware and more tuned to nature. Our tools are those of the trade, but also steeped in real science packaged in the most appealing ways—insightful storytelling, stunning illustration and photography, and fun, engaging activities. After all, ‘science is the new cool,’ and we’re all over this.”
The Cornell Lab Publishing Group begins rolling out releases in Spring 2016, kicking off with the second edition of Don Kroodsma’s Backyard Birdsong Guides (4/13/16). This will be followed by the first in an exclusive children’s book series by New York Times bestselling children’s author Jane Yolen, On Bird Hill (5/10/16), and an interactive tween journal filled with crazy and fun activities, Bird Brainiacs (5/10/16). Dovetailing spring releases, the publishing group marries birding to adult coloring book uptrends with the release of two upscale adult coloring books. The first, Birds of Paradise: A Coloring Expedition, is based on the world-renowned Birds-of-Paradise expedition by the original team leader, Edwin Scholes, and National Geographic photographer Tim Laman, the explorers behind one of the mostly highly-lauded sets of nature film clips on YouTube (more than 12 million views). The second, America’s Favorite Birds: 40 Beautiful Birds to Color, includes lavishly detailed drawings of birds selected by more than 250,000 votes from birders across North America.
“Through this imprint, we are greatly expanding the scope of the Cornell Lab’s existing publishing efforts to include fiction and non-fiction family and children’s book offerings. This natural extension of the Lab’s history of sharing science with the public is an exciting endeavor for me professionally and personally, as well as for our entire team,” shares Sockin. “The response from booksellers, educators, and librarians about our Spring and Fall 2016 titles has been warm and welcoming, and we look forward to continuing to create high quality books for children and families that encourage a love of birds and appreciation for nature.”
Books are distributed by Legato Publishers Group, a division of the Perseus Books Group. “The Cornell Lab Publishing Group has been a wonderful addition to our family of publishers, and we are proud to see titles that entertain and delight with gold standard science behind them,” says Jeff Tegge, President of Legato.
“Giving back is an essential element of the imprint and we are making every book sale count,” shares Sockin. In fact, a full 25% of the net proceeds from every Cornell Lab Publishing Group book purchase will support projects such as children’s educational and community programs. Examples of these programs include the BirdSleuth K-12 curriculum used in classrooms across the hemisphere; Celebrate Urban Birds, which has worked with 9,000 community-based organizations, 88% of which reach underserved audiences; and Bird Cams, which brings live, close-up views of birds to millions into classrooms and homes around the world.
About the Cornell Lab:
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Our hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of all ages in learning about birds and protecting the planet. birds.cornell.edu
For more information or to schedule an interview with CEO and Publisher Brian Scott Sockin, please contact Tracey Daniels at tracey@mmpublicity.com or 828-808-2581.
“First in a planned series (a portion of proceeds will benefit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology), this dreamy story follows a child and his dog on a stroll by the sea. Writing in characteristically well- structured verse, Yolen (the How Do Dinosaurs… series) echoes the story line of the nursery rhyme “The Green Grass Grew All Around,” starting broadly (“As I was walking on Bird Hill,/ Though it was day, the moon shone still”) then narrowing in on a tree, twig, bird, and nest. Inside, the boy sees “an egg,/ A little chick, all beak, wing, leg.” Marstall (Butternut Hollow Pond) brings a slight Seussian weirdness to the setting—the narrowest of paths swoops around chartreuse hills, while impossibly skinny trees taper into branches capped by yellow, tendril-like flowers. When the chick hatches, the inside of its shell is a world unto itself, a nighttime scene featuring a house that looks like the one the boy calls home. It’s a sweetly surreal meditation on the everyday wonders that await in the wild. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (May)”
