You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Egmont USA is to launch its first children's list at Book Expo America this week as a showcase for 15 titles that will be published this autumn. The list is largely home-grown but includes such UK titles as Sir Charlie Stinky Socks and the Really Big Adventure by Kristina Stephenson and Mike Wilks' Mirrorscape, as well as co-acquisitions between the UK and US.
Egmont's move into the US follows that of Walker Books, Bloomsbury, and most recently, Macmillan. Egmont UK managing director Rob McMenemy said the decision to launch in the US "came out of an awareness that authors we publish such as Jenny Nimmo and Frank Beddor were going on to become huge stars in the US, but we didn't have the US publishing rights".
The UK and US teams will work closely with a view to acquiring globally. He added: "We have a virtual team spanning the US and UK which works very closely together, both reading manuscripts and acting as scouts for each other." Pam Bachorz's Candor was the first joint acquisition for Egmont UK, USA and joint venture company, Hardie Grant Egmont in Australia.
The launch list includes two picture books, six core fiction and seven YA novels, chosen from more than 350 manuscripts.
Egmont USA executive vice-president Doug Pocock said: "Our focus is on creating quality fiction from middle grade through to YA. We've noticed a real increase in strong fiction for teens but we remain committed to building a balanced list and are seeking exciting projects in each category."
The company will publish 30 to 40 original titles each year.
The US office has a core team of eight staff including publisher Elizabeth Law and executive editor Regina Griffin, with support from freelance staff. Random House will handle sales and distribution.
It will take several years for the US venture to contribute to the bottom line, said McMenemy.
He added: "We have entered the market for the long-term and we are only just in the development phase for the list and the business.
"An investment of this scale will always take some time to pay back and we do not expect profit for a few years yet."