Ani Rosa Almario
Product Development Officer, Adarna House, Quezon City, Philippines
Above left to right: At the 2003 SCBWI Mid-Winter Conference in New York - Ani Almario
with fellow members Beaulah Taguiwalo, Carla Pacis, and Igor Aleksich, RA for Serbia.This interview was conducted by Beaulah Pedregosa Taguiwalo in June 2002,
patterned after the SCBWI interviews done by Sandra Guy and shared by Erzsi Deak
Can you tell us about your background? I'm the Product Development Officer of Adarna
House, the first Filipino children's book publishing firm. I actually have a degree in
Economics and tried out business consultancy at the local Arthur Andersen office for around
nine months. But it didn't take long before I realized I wanted to be around books. So I
entered the family firm and for three years now, I've been supervising book development.
What is the most inspiring chidren's book you've ever read? I think the most inspiring
children's book I've ever read is The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde and illustrated by Lizbeth
Zwerger (who's my favorite illustrator, by the way). In such simple language, Wilde was able
to tell such a touching story. Zwerger's illustrations are sparse and done in muted colors, and
yet are just as thought-provoking. How this story resonated to me as a child, and now as an
adult, made me realize the power of children's literature.
What are some of the recent titles you are particularly proud of having worked on?
Why? I'm proud of Sundalong Patpat (The Thin Soldier), written by Virgilio Almario and
illustrated by Ferdinand Doctolero. I'm proud of it because the illustration style used is
unconventional and because the story is really a melancholic poem. I'm also proud of an
upcoming book called Celia Studious and Conrad Cat written by Regina Fernandez and
illustrated by Abi Goy. It's like a return to the books we've published around 10-15 years ago -
whimsical books that don't overstress pedagogy and morals. It's a book that's fun to read over
and over again because of the rhythm of the text and the fantastic visuals.
How would you describe the publishing program at Adarna House? How is Adarna
different from other publishers? We mainly publish storybooks for children ages 3-12.
I think our books are unique because we stress the promotion of Filipino history, culture
and values. The Filipino child's experience has to be felt in every book. We also have a
line for daycare workers, parents and educators. Last year, we started publishing young
adult fiction (ages 13-18).
Can you talk a little about the distribution of Adarna books in the Philippines and
other markets? Adarna books are distributed through sales agents throughout the
country, through major bookstores and at school-based book fairs that we initiate. As for
the overseas market, we haven't actually explored foreign distributors but some Filipino-
American bookstores order our books through the internet.
If Adarna's trade picture book department were a character from children's
literature or a character from a myth, who would it be? It would be Ian Falconer's
Olivia. Like tireless and funny Olivia, our product development team is always on its
toes, looking for new approaches to our work, thinking up new books and having so
much fun doing these things!
What features grab your attention in a manuscript? The first thing I look for in a
manuscript is of course, literary merit. Secondly, I look for something new, whether
it's a new theme, a new take on an oft-repeated theme or a new device in storytelling.
If a story's really well-written and interesting, I then assess if it fits the whole Adarna
House thrust of promoting all things Filipino.
What type of stories are you looking for? Can you describe the kind of stories
you'd like to see? This year we'd like to see more manuscripts on science and
health, maybe excellent non-fiction material since we've always published fiction.
How many titles are you personally responsible for publishing each year?
We publish an average of 10-15 titles a year.
Do you accept unsolicited manuscripts? What do you do with manuscripts that you
don't intend to use right away? Yes, we do accept unsolicited manuscripts. If we find
something that we like but don't think the timing is correct, we inform the author and ask
him/her to decide if he/she still wants to get published with us despite the waiting time.
From your experience, what do you see as the role of the "ideal" picture book
editor? I think the role of the picture book editor - at the very heart of all the
technical stuff of screening manuscripts, editing, finding the right illustrator and
supervising production - is really bridging the gap between the author and the child
reader. The picture book editor's ideal output is a story that effectively conveys
the author's message and effectively speaks to the reader.
What do you perceive as the role of books you publish in the lives of contemporary
children? Do you feel that role is having to adapt or change in the face of increased
visual stimulation from television? I think the role of books is really to help children
enjoy being children. Books should tell stories that challenge their imagination, depict
their experiences, answer their questions - all in the language that they speak. I think
that TV (and the computer), like books, provides worlds for children to explore. Books
shouldn't compete with other media but should work "together" with these media in
educating and entertaining children. The presence of TV and computers should challenge
publishers to come up with more stimulating reading material.
Are you aware of any trends in children's publishing at the moment? How do you
feel about them? I think the trend is going into young adult fiction. This genre was
actually alive and kicking in the 90's but last year, I would say there was a renewed interest
among publishers in the genre. I'm actually glad about this because I've always believed
there's a dearth of good young adult Filipino fiction. Filipino teens usually read foreign
novels because they have no choice.
What say does the sales and marketing department have in the look or type of
books you produce? In Adarna House, there are regular collaborative meetings
between sales, marketing and product development. In these meetings, the final
production line-up for the year is discussed in full. This makes it possible for us to come
up with products that more or less, everybody has agreed on. This means that all our books
are sized up equally according to literary merit, marketability, and selling potential.
What do you see as some of the common mistakes authors and/or illustrators
could avoid making when submitting? Based on experience, I think the most
common error made by authors when they are submitting is not to study our company
image and thrust. We occasionaly receive stories that carry themes very alien to
Filipino children.
Adarna House, the biggest children's book publisher in the Philippines. What
does this mean? "Big" refers to having the widest sales reach. Compared to our
competitors, our books reach more parts of the country and are sold in more bookstores.
We usually sell arond 10,000 to 12,000 storybooks per month. But I also like to think of
"big" referring to our family of authors and illustrators. Through the years we've published
over 70 authors and illustrators.
What is your policy regarding waivers? Is there a standard Adarna House waiver
for writers and illustrators? Can writers and illustrators refuse to sign such a
waiver? What would you say are their options? There is a standard waiver that
The National Library [of the Philippines] has advised us to use, stating that the copyright
to the published books is equally shared by the publisher and the author / illustrator. I have
never encountered an author or illustrator who has declined signing the waiver.Below: Portraits of Ani Almario.
Ani Almario is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, currently
pursuing her graduate studies at Stanford University on a Fulbright grant. She was formerly
the Secretary-General of the Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) and the
Product Development Officer of Adarna House, the biggest and oldest children's book publishing
company in the Philippines. Adarna House is located at Room 201, JGS Building, 30 Sct.
Tuason St., Quezon City, Philippines, Tel. (632) 372-3548 or 49, Fax (632) 372-4204. To know
more about Adarna House go to www.adarna.com.ph To contact Ani email [email protected]
See the webpages of other SCBWI members in Asia www.geocities.com/scbwiphilasia/contents.htm
More about the 2003 SCWI NY conference www.geocities.com/scbwiphilasia/2003ny01.html
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