As we bid farewell to the trying and difficult year of 2020, it is important to reflect on everything that has happened, both on a worldly scale and within the publishing community.

 

The year started with whispers of a deadly, fast-spreading virus. By April, it seemed the whole world was on total lockdown to try and slow the spread of COVID-19. With every month that passed, a new hardship came to light: calls for racial justice, the fight for a new presidency, and the general uncertainty of the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

In this piece, we recap last year’s hardships and look to 2021 with a new hope.

 

A Look at What Happened

 

Last year brought with it many unbelievable challenges.

 

At the end of 2019 and start of 2020, a mysterious virus started to spread across the world in rapid succession. By mid-February, many countries had instituted restrictive measures, such as lockdowns and shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders to try and contain the virus. The United States declared a national emergency in March.

 

With the restrictive measures in place many stores and other establishments closed their doors to the public, leading to a downturn in business and an increase in unemployment. Those who were fortunate to avoid unemployment transitioned to remote work, which brought its own challenges. However, December ushered in a wave of hope in the form of COVID-19 vaccines, one of which is reported to be 94% effective.

 

Along with the lockdowns and economic instability, there was an increased awareness of social injustice across the US and the world. Calls to end systemic racism and implement changes in police training are not a new concepts, but with people more connected than ever through the Internet and the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, these issues were broadcast around the world. In a recent roundtable interview with NPR’s David Greene, Lynsey Chutel, a South African journalist, said, “There is a George Floyd in every country.”

 

On top of these obstacles, 2020 was a presidential election year that brought several Democratic candidates. In the end of a divisive election cycle, Democrat Joe Biden defeated incumbent Republican Donald Trump to win the presidency.

 

Finally, 2020 was the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was ratified on August 18, 1920. It marked the end of a decades-long fight for women’s suffrage and publically declared, for the first time, that American women, like men, deserved all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

COVID-19’s Effects on Publishing 

 

The spread of COVID-19 also had a profound effect on the publishing world in 2020. At the end of March, when COVID-19 was declared a national emergency, book publishers made tough decisions to delay publication dates for key books. This resulted in a bit of a printing jam when the delayed books ran into the production cycles of other forthcoming titles. Needless to say, the backlog created havoc for authors and publishers alike.

 

The publishing world was forced to learn how to quickly pivot to virtual learning and reading. Publishers turned to more virtual offerings such as book tours, school visits, and book events—all offered online instead of in-person.

 

Many publishing houses also enforced remote work as the new standard. The day-to-day life of producing a book shifted in 2020—from spreading out printing proofs, artwork, and advance copies across huge conference tables to share with office colleagues to sending printing proofs and advance copies by mail to reduce touch points.

 

Dan Potash, VP and creative director at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, recently said in an Publishers Weekly article, “Working from home has magnified the incalculable value of the impromptu meeting, the in-the-elevator exchange, the outside-my-doorway-lunch-plan-turned-brainstorming-session, or spontaneous detour to a designer’s office to tell them how impressed I am with their work. It’s both the obvious and the subtle power of these moments that are missing these days.”

 

In spite of these challenges, some workflow changes have been greatly beneficial, such as the reduced cost and time efficiency of sending digital book copies for review. Increases in Zoom, Skype, and phone meetings, as well as email communication all worked together in 2020 to ensure that book production continues forward. Due to the expansion of homeschooling and remote learning, sales in juvenile and adult nonfiction books skyrocketed last year.

 

A Peek into Star Bright Books’s Year

 

Star Bright Books was equally impacted by 2020. Like many publishing houses our list was much smaller than usual, but all the more special. We published four new books last year: Twinkle, Twinkle, Diaper You! (June 30), The Little Red Crane (August 17), Shapes at Play (October 15), and The Big Day (October 30).

 

 

We also added books in Swahili, Punjabi, and Hopi, bringing us to 29 different language offerings. Hopi is the third Indigenous language on our publishing list.

 

Even with last year’s struggles and uncertainty, 2021 is a time for hope and coming prosperity. With the world working together to produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccines and the increasing demand for books, it is only a matter of time before a return to normalcy takes place.

 

All of us at Star Bright Books wish you a wonderful 2021 filled with new hope, and most importantly, new and inspiring stories.