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Puffin hatches new classics

10.01.08 John Ryan

Puffin is set for a major relaunch of its classics list in March, in a bid to restore the series’ relevance for contemporary readers.

The new look has been two years in the making, and will be supported with a marketing budget of more than £50,000. "The relaunch is overdue," said m.d. Francesca Dow. "We did some market research at the beginning, and out of that came the feeling that the covers had to be contemporary, but still classical." She added that the inspiration for the revamp was the success sister company Penguin has had with its own classics relaunches over the last couple of years.

Puffin has taken 12 classic titles, including Black Beauty, Treasure Island and The Secret Garden (see box, right), and commissioned new introductions from contemporary children’s authors such as Darren Shan, Louise Rennison and Brian Jacques. The new-look Puffin Classics will be in a cut-down B-format, giving them a square, chunky appearance, with new jackets designed by illustrators including Lauren Child and Chris Riddell.

The titles are all out on 8th March, priced at £5.99, and Puffin will support the relaunch with a marketing spend of more than £50,000, said marketing director Kirsten Grant. A major element of the marketing campaign will be the PuffinCyclopedia, a free 124-page guide to the Puffin Classics. As well as information about the authors and extracts from each book, it will contain trivia and a series of mind maps connecting classics with modern titles.

The PuffinCyclopedia will be distributed through retailers at the beginning of March, with each receiving a personalised package. Dump bins will be made available for independent booksellers, and a direct marketing tie-up with Ocado is also being considered.

Most of the titles in the series were first published by Puffin in the 1950s, rebranded as Puffin Classics in the 1980s and re-jacketed in the 1990s.

Childrens John Ryan classics Puffin

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