HarperCollins is selling off teen writing website Inkpop, which it created in 2009, to Figment for an undisclosed sum. The move, the WSJ reports, reflects HarperCollins’ conclusion that “the benefits of marketing its titles to a significantly larger combined audience outweigh the advantages of controlling its own teen writing website.” In three years of operation Inkpop built up a base of approximately 95,000 users, while Figment has more than 115,000 teens using its site, with “non-existent overlap” between the two groups, according to Figment co-founder Jacob Lewis. Figment will assume control of inkpop’s operations, activity, and website as of March […]
Children's
Amazon Enters Children’s Book Market By Acquiring Marshall Cavendish’s Trade List
Amazon announced Tuesday afternoon that it has a deal to acquire Marshall Cavendish Children’s Book’s US trade publishing list, comprising more than 450 children’s books. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Amazon will publish the acquired titles “under an imprint of Amazon’s New York publishing unit” under Larry Kirshbaum, who is now described as publisher of Amazon Publishing, East Coast Group, vaulting the company into the children’s book market. Signaling larger intentions, the company says in the announcement “the acquisition creates the foundation for Amazon Publishing to further expand into picture books, chapter books and YA novels.” The deal allows Marshall Cavendish […]
As Tablets Ignite Market, Children’s Publishers Share Tips at PLC
Disney Publishing Worldwide president Russell Hampton helped set the tone at the beginning of our second Frankfurt Publishers Launch Conference, Tuesday’s event focused entirely on digital change in children’s publishing. “We’re big believers in print and believe it has a lot of runway left.” But with digital opportunities, “we think for the first time we have a way to grow the publishing piece and…a way to do a lot of new things that we haven’t been able to do before.” Hampton said “the tablet has been a groundbreaking tool for those of use in children’s publishing” and he added, “believe it or not, the smartphone” is also “changing […]
Ruckus Forms Imprint with Scholastic
Children’s app and interactive storybook developer Ruckus Media Group is creating a transmedia imprint in collaboration with children’s giant Scholastic, called Scholastic Ruckus. From a service standpoint it looks a bit like a distribution agreement–Ruckus remains fully independent, and Scholastic will handle print, ebook and enhnanced ebook publishing and distribution for intellectual property controlled by Ruckus (and Ruckus will continue to produce and sell children’s apps). But the relationship also allows for more comprehensive joint development and exploitation across all of Scholastic’s sales and marketing channels, with input from Scholastic’s creative and executive teams. Part of “what makes it an […]
In Sensible Surprise, Congress Frees Kids’ Books from Lead Law
In the midst of the debt-ceiling debacle, Congress surprised publishers and retailers by taking unexpected action and actually getting something right. The House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) by 421-2 that excludes regular printed children’s books and learning materials from the lead-content testing requirements that are due to take effect August 14. The Senate quickly approved the same measure by voice vote before adjourning, sending the bill on to President Obama for signing into law. The amendment has been three years in the making, and its quick passage was a happy surprise […]
Energy Company Pulls “Friendly Fracosaurus” Coloring Book
Now for our “because it’s Friday” story…. Talisman Energy USA has removed from circulation and its web site a two-year-old coloring book for kids that was distributed in Pennsylvania where the company is drilling for natural gas. The project attracted attention after a story in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette last month. It was mocked recently by Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey in the Congressional Record and then by television host Stephen Colbert. Spokeswoman Natalie Cox says, “I can’t stress this enough: It’s just a coloring book…. It was something you gave away at a county fair.” Called Talisman Terry’s Energy Adventure, the […]