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Publisher Ransom, which specialises in books for reluctant and dyslexic readers, has seen a 50% growth in sales so far this year, which m.d. Jenny Ertle attributes to schools’ spending.
She said:“After five years our name and brand are now established in schools and the number of titles we publish has reached a critical mass.” The publisher is also growing its list, which has risen from 38 in 2010 to 56 this year, and will more than double next year to 120.
Hodderwayland began representing the list into schools this term. The publisher is also looking to grow its trade sales and has appointed Target Sales to handle this. Ertle said: “We know that parents are looking for these kinds of books but it can be difficult for retailers to stock them, because of their slim spines. We are now publishing books with a longer extent and broader spines and are getting more interest from the trade as a result.”
Ransom will publish two new series for reluctant girl readers next year, including Vampire Dawn for teen girls and Spook Squad for those aged seven to nine years, both aimed at the trade as well as schools market. Ertle said: “Books for girls in this age range tend to be quite extensive. Our books are shorter and more accessible, including black and white illustrations and shorter chapters.” The publisher is also developing more “trade-friendly” boy series for the trade.
Random’s most popular series to date include Dark Man by Peter Lancett and Boffin Boy by David Orme, which is on the Booked Up list for the third year running.