From the intersection of girl power, STEM, and the #MeToo movement comes an emerging publishing trend: biographies of strong women from the sciences and arts, both current and historical, written for children. While these types of books are not new in and of themselves, they are definitely top of mind now: Mudpuppy, a sibling company […]
Archive | Publishing
Bringing Culinary Content to Life
Much of the attention when it comes to brand-extension licensing in the food and beverage industry focuses on food, restaurant, chef-, and diet-related brands. Another active sector, albeit smaller, consists of culinary magazine titles. A number of cooking publications have expanded their names into retail food categories from frozen entrées to shelf-stable sauces. Two deals […]
Books and Bonus Content
Book and comic book publishers have long sought some sort of added value to differentiate their licensed titles from their competitors’, give retailers something exclusive, and entice consumers. These perks historically have been likely to take forms such as premiums (e.g., crayons or collectible toys) affixed to the cover; design elements (foil or sparkles, a […]
Celebrities Reach Readers Through New Magazines
Three celebrity-connected brands are taking the plunge into the world of quarterly print periodicals: Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand announced in April that it would introduce Goop magazine in partnership with Condé Nast this September. The publication brings the Goop lifestyle website to the print magazine format, with a focus on wellness. Blogger Ree Drummond paired […]
Living the Lifestyle
Over the past two years, lifestyle blogs that speak to young women have been slowly and steadily extending into branded products, sometimes through licensing or collaborations and sometimes managed in-house. Some examples: Brit + Co., overseen by Brit Morin, launched its first significant product extension last September, signing a deal with Cheeky to produce a […]
Online Properties, Offline Products
By Karen Raugust on March 20, 2017 in Character/Entertainment, Digital, Licensing, Publishing, Toys/Games
Original entertainment series distributed on streaming platforms, rather than on traditional television, have quickly gained traction as viable licensing opportunities. The first licensed products for these sorts of IP, which began to emerge in the world of licensing nearly two years ago, tend to be toys and/or books. Some examples: Jim Henson Productions’ Word Party, […]
Sponsorship, Storytelling, and Self-Expression
Two trends have emerged on the emoji-related licensing front. First, IP owners with sponsored emoji sets are starting to launch outbound licensing programs based on their unique designs. Second, emoji-based properties are extending into children’s publishing as they try to build story and characterization to supplement their inherent value as symbols of self-expression. Sponsored emojis […]
Read All About It
When you think of licensed publishing for children, what comes to mind is likely traditional formats such as storybooks, board books, coloring and activity books, and the like. These continue to be the keystones of most licensed kids’ publishing programs, especially when based on entertainment/character properties. But as property owners and publishers look for ways […]
Long Legs for Adult Coloring
The adult coloring book trend persists, showing much more longevity than many observers had predicted. Barnes & Noble, which has been adult coloring central for the last couple of years, continues to give the category a lot of space and prominent placement. One large store currently features a large wall display and three tables right […]
Brit Lit
Classic character properties with roots in British children’s literature have been expanding their licensing activities of late, mainly in their home market and largely with a focus on adult consumers. Many of the licensors are capitalizing on high-profile anniversaries and/or entertainment releases, while others are simply trading on retro appeal, especially for fans who grew […]