Hachette Book Group Sponsors Asian American Journalists Association’s 2026 National Convention with Raising Readers Activation Featuring Workman Kids Author & Illustrator Vicky Fang
HBG sponsored seven aspiring student storytellers in Minneapolis
NEW YORK (June 29, 2026) — Hachette Book Group (HBG) proudly returned as a sponsor of the Asian American Journalists Association’s (AAJA) 2026 National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 24-June 28, 2026, where top Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) journalists charged ahead with the conference theme of “Deep Roots, New Routes.”
AAJA is a membership nonprofit whose mission is to increase AAPI perspectives and representation in newsrooms, media, and storytelling as well as ensure fair and accurate coverage of communities of color.
“We are so pleased to welcome Hachette back to our convention and share in the mission of uplifting AAPI voices in media and literature,” said Naomi Tacuyan Underwood, the executive director of AAJA. “We commend Hachette’s dedication to making sure our society continues to encourage voracious readers to tap into the stories of our communities.”
Workman Kids author and illustrator Vicky Fang of Lots and Lots of Ocelots joined Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Publicity Director Cheryl Lew to participate on the panel Raising Readers: Cultivating an Audience from Youth to Adulthood on Friday, June 26, moderated by Peabody-award winning journalist and co-founder of the Very Asian Foundation Michelle Li.Hachette also sponsored seven aspiring student storytellers from across the country to attend the multi-day event, gathering more than 1,200 media professionals.
The seven students are: Wendy Zhou, University of Virginia; Ningyuan Ma, University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Anshu Patel, University of Minnesota; Marissa Ding, University of Southern California; Gwynnevere Vang, University of St. Thomas; Siqi Wang, Northwestern University; and Feixu Chen, Northwestern University. Through Hachette’s support, the students engaged with the nation’s top AAPI journalists and gained valuable insight and connections via a wide range of panels, networking opportunities, and the conference’s job fair.
“We are very proud to return as a sponsor for AAJA’s 2026 convention, with emphasis on our global Raising Readers Campaign,” said Gabrielle Gambrell, Chief Communications Officer at Hachette Book Group. “The work of AAJA is extraordinary, and together we are committed to helping children discover the joy of reading. Reading for pleasure improves mental well-being, empathy, mental health, happiness, and overall success in children.”
Throughout the panel, Fang, Lew, and Li discussed Raising Readers, Hachette’s global social impact campaign stressing the importance of children reading for fun and entertainment so they can be lifelong, successful, critical thinkers. Raising Readers is an urgent initiative to raise public awareness of declining rates of children’s reading for fun, even though reading has been proven to be the most definitive indicator of a child’s future success. As a children’s book publicist, Lew shared her insights into the publishing process and how she generates buzz for award-winning and bestselling books. Fang, a former Google kids’ product designer-turned-author, explained how her analytical and creative prowess combine for popular children’s books that teach kids to problem solve and love reading.
“I think it can be helpful to think about reading not as an end goal, but as a way for kids to dive deeper into their interests—to better understand the world and themselves,” said Fang. “If a kid has not fallen in love with reading, I believe they just haven’t found the right book yet.”
About Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (LBYR) began publishing books for children in 1926, and we now offer a distinguished and diverse list of 250 frontlist titles annually. In addition to the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’ core list of bestselling and award-winning picture books, chapter books, middle grade titles, and young adult books, we publish across four imprints: Christy Ottaviano Books, a boutique imprint that focuses on developing authors and artists; JIMMY Patterson Books, founded by the world’s bestselling author, James Patterson; LB Ink, home of LBYR’s graphic novels and graphic nonfiction; and LB Kids for novelty and board books. We also now publish romance for adult readers under the Requited imprint. 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, recognizing a century of storytelling and its enduring impact on generations of young readers.
About Workman Kids:
Workman Kids publishes books that bring the world of possibilities to young readers through innovative, educational, and inspiring books that entertain, enrich, and inform! Featuring beloved and bestselling brands such as Brain Quest®, Paint by Sticker® Kids, and Indestructibles®, Workman Kids is committed to growing a new generation of inquisitive minds and lifelong readers.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit, Workman Publishing, and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to several publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Prize, James Beard Award, and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Snapchat, and YouTube.
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Press Contact: Gabrielle.Gambrell@hbgusa.com