A source at Hyperion has confirmed a Wall Street Journal story saying that the publisher is looking to sell some of its backlist titles that do not fit with its new strategy focused on synergy. With this decision, books that cannot be linked to parent company Walt Disney (and its other media properties) will be sold. While it is unclear how many titles will be up for sale--and how the aforementioned criteria for inclusion will be applied--the Hyperion source said titles in the children’s book group, which includes Disney Press and Hyperion Books for Children, will not be affected by this plan.
Hyperion has been touting a synergistic approach to publishing for years now, focusing on books heavily tied to other properties at its parent company. Under this model, projects have focused heavily on cross-pollination with ABC, in particular, as Hyperion has found success with book projects spun off the network's primetime shows Castle and Revenge, as well as a book by Extreme Makeover trainer Chris Powell.
