Literati Joins Trustbridge: A New Chapter for Book Fairs and Young Readers!

 

Today, our friends at Literati shared some exciting news.  They have been acquired by Trustbridge!

As shared in their press release, 

Literati joins a portfolio that includes the Walker Books Group and Trustbridge Entertainment.  Walker Books Group includes children's and young adult publishers such as Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree and its known for critically and commercially acclaimed publishing such as Maisy Mouse, Where's Waldo, Guess How Much I Love You, and its work with creators like Jon Klassen, Kate DiCamillo, and many others. 

Literati is using this new partnership with Trustbridge to increase its reach into schools and to provide a wealth of quality reading material combined with new fundraising solutions.  This will provide more schools with a real alternative when it comes to selecting a book fair that meets their needs.  CEO Jessica Ewing shared, Our mission is simple: to ignite a love of learning and a love of life.

This week, I sat down with Jessica to talk more about this milestone and what’s ahead.

Congratulations, Jessica. I couldn’t be more excited about what this means for book fairs and for readers, libraries, and communities everywhere. 

What's been the most exciting part for you personally since partnering with Trustbridge Partners?

Honestly, the alignment. From our very first conversation, it was clear that Trustbridge cares about the same things we do, getting quality books into the hands of kids. I knew on the very first call I wanted to work with them on Literati. They're patient, long-term investors backed by endowments and pension funds, and they've built a family of publishers (i.e Candlewick, Holiday House, Peachtree, Walker Books) that I've admired for years. The most exciting part is knowing that we now have a partner who will give us the time and resources to build this the right way, without compromising what makes Literati special.

What excites you most about introducing more independent voices into Literati's fairs?

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. There are so many incredible independent authors and illustrators whose work deserves to be in front of kids but who have had a hard time breaking into the school book fair channel. We've always been an open platform that works with publishers of all sizes, and that's not changing, but this partnership gives us the capacity to broaden our catalog even further. The idea that a kid at a fair in rural Texas or downtown Chicago could discover a book from a small independent publisher that changes the way they see the world, that's what gets me out of bed in the morning. There are also several categories where we want to expand our fairs offering, specifically things like Spanish titles, Middle Grade, Holiday themed books, and this partnership gives us more flexibility on how to do that. 

With literacy rates declining in the U.S., how do you see Literati's fairs supporting students who are struggling most?
The data is sobering for all of us, I realize. Fewer than a third of fourth graders in this country are reading at a proficient level. Book fairs are one of the few moments in a school year where kids get to browse, choose, and own a book, and that experience matters enormously, especially for kids who don't have books at home. One major innovation area for us at Literati is using data science and expert curation to begin to personalize each fair and make sure the books at each fair are matched to the actual reading levels and interests of the students at that school. We're also focused on building better fundraising models so that more money flows back into classrooms and libraries where it's needed most. This partnership with Trustbridge will allow us to make those investments and bring those innovations to our fairs. We’ve only scratched the surface of what is possible with personalization and fundraising. 

What's something about the traditional bookfair model that always made you think, "there has to be a better way"?

I think book fairs are beautiful. The excitement, the kids walking around with their wish lists, all of it. But for too long, the model has prioritized toys and trinkets over actual quality literature. I've stood in school cafeterias and media centers and watched kids walk past award winning books to grab plastic tchotchkes that I know will be lost in a desk drawer by the end of the week. That makes me sad because I want someone to find something life-changing, the book they’ll still remember when they’re forty. We hear things sometimes like “the junk sells” and I hear that.  We’re building other digital fundraising tools specifically to address that issue because we feel schools shouldn't have to choose between raising money and raising readers.

What will be the biggest changes/additions that we see in the fairs?

The biggest thing you'll see is more inventory, starting in fall. We’re testing more categories of titles, more tools to support classrooms, and more schools getting access to Literati fairs as we expand nationwide. Trustbridge brings resources and publishing relationships that allow us to broaden our catalog and invest in the technology that makes our fairs easier to run and more personalized for each school. But I want to be clear: the core experience isn't changing. The quality-first curation, the focus on real books over merchandise, the fundraising model and partnership credits, that's all staying. We're building on what's working, not reinventing it.

As you grow, what's one thing you're really determined not to lose about what makes Literati… Literati?

Our soul. We are book people. Every person on this team cares deeply about connecting kids with stories that matter. As we grow, the thing I'm most protective of is that feeling a kid gets when they pick up a book at one of our fairs and say that is the one and it actually is the right book for them. Not because an algorithm told us to put it there, but because our team of educators and curators and data scientists all worked together to make sure that book was on that table at that school. We can get bigger without getting generic, and I'm determined to prove that.