The Bookseller.com

20th July 2008

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Egmont aims for top spot in US

14.11.07 Tom Tivnan

Egmont Books will launch in the US next year, with plans to become one of the top 10 US children's publishers within five years. The New York-based office will open in January, headed by Egmont UK group sales director Douglas Pocock who becomes vice president of Egmont
USA, reporting to Rob McMenemy, Egmont UK senior vice president and m.d. The company will employ eight people in its start-up year and is aiming to have 13-14 members of staff by 2009 when it releases its first list.

Egmont, which publishes popular licensed characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Thomas the Tank Engine along with Lemony Snickett, William Nicholson, Michael Morpurgo and Anne Fine in the UK, will focus on a "home-grown" US list.

Pocock admitted that Egmont's aim to crack the top ten was "ambitious". He said: "But we have spent two years planning this and one of the things we found was that to be successful in America you need US originated books. "We won't be putting out UK titles in the US just for the sake of publishing something."

McMenemy added that apart from the obvious benefits of publishing in the world's biggest English language market, Egmont's presence in the US will aid it in acquisitions. He added: "Rights are becoming increasingly global and because we weren't published in the US, we found ourselves closed out of some deals. Ultimately, we want to increase Egmont's footprint globally and
in the US."

US tom tivnan children's Egmont