Dear All,

Busy days!

As I write this, February is already long in tooth, and we are preparing for the Bologna Book Fair. A swell thing, but that is only one of several events we're excited about.

The first is the hiring of our newest agent, Alexandra Penfold! A longtime veteran of the editorial side of the desk, Alex brings a deep knowledge and passion for children's books to her new role as agent. But she is also an authority on cooking and restauranteurs and many things food-related. (As her forthcoming book, New York a la Carte, makes abundantly clear.)

To that end—and to reflect the rapidly changing makeup of the Upstart Crow Literary list—we are in the midst of a wholesale redesign of the site that should be live in April. We will have a section focused on books for adults and another focused on children's books. As well, we'll have a news feed, a flow of covers, a deals page, and other enhancements that will help our clients—whether editors or writers—to best use the site.

The other events were excited about are those reliable joys of working in publishing and seeing our team's labors appear on shelves and reading lists. Hurrah for Maurissa Guibord's Revel, Jeff Sampson's Ravage, Antony John's Elemental (all newly published); Yvonne Woon's Life Eternal and Sarah Ockler's Bittersweet (both new in paperback). And congrats to E.M. Kokie's Personal Effects, which was recently named to the 2013 Rainbow List—an important distinction for an important novel.

2013 is off to a grand start. Can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store.

All best always, Michael Stearns Upstart Crow Literary