I don't mean to sound ornery, but doesn't it seem like a lot of very successful adult fiction writers are lately honing in on our market? First it was James Patterson with his series for kids that, despite bad reviews, is on the NYT Bestseller List. And now John Grisham will be writing a middle-grade series as well.  Gentlemen, it's already a crowded market out there. Please save some shelf space for the rest of us.

What do you think about author celebrites writing for a new age group? Carl Hiassen certainly did a good job when he moved to the children's book market, and others have deservedly won awards for doing so, like Sherman Alexie. But I wonder: Is this just another case of publishers going with the proven name, regardless of quality, just because they know it will sell books?