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Usborne grows in France

25.03.08 Barbara Casassus

Usborne Publishing titles are suddenly taking France by storm, 20 years after they entered the market. "We are really coming in from the cold, " Peter Usborne told the Bookseller during a visit to the Paris Book Fair, where the group was exhibiting for the first time. Its business in France "is suddenly exploding".

Editions Usborne sales started to increase significantly about four years ago and jumped by 23% between 2006 and 2007. "No one is growing as fast as we are in France, except for Gallimard," he said. "We are leader for interactive titles and second in all others (that we publish). Cultural product retail chains and supermarkets particularly love our books."

Usborne Publishing was participating in the fair as one of five guests of Interforum, a subsidiary of France's second largest publisher that distributes books for some 400 houses.

Editions Usborne is now gearing up for the launch next October of the Wind-up Tractor, which will be translated as Le Tracteur Rouge.

Already, 45,000 copies have been ordered by French toy shops alone and another 15,000 have been ordered by bookshops.

Barbara Casassus France Usborne Global

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