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Atlantyca Launches IP Sales Arm
Italian transmedia company Atlantyca Entertainment, which is involved in publishing and IP creation, is launching a new branch, Atlantyca IP Agency, within its production and distribution division.
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Star Trek Publishing Program Moves at Warp Speed
The Star Trek publishing program, anchored by Pocket Books for fiction and other formats and IDW for comic books, has exploded in the last few years.
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Amazon Debuts Licensed Publishing Program for Fan Fiction
Amazon is launching Kindle Worlds, a new program that will license and publish fan fiction and pay royalties to both the fan and the original copyright holder.
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Licensing Hotline: May 2013
Scholastic has acquired the publishing rights to Tickety Toc, VIZ Kids' upcoming Ben 10 graphic novels; a merchandising initiative for the comic-with-attitude, Angry Little Girls; ABDO's superhero-themed educational program; and more.
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Simon & Schuster Moves to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Simon & Schuster will publish a series of books tied to Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, under a master publishing license with the Fred Rogers Company and Out of the Blue Enterprises.
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YouTube's Annoying Orange Is Headed to Bookshelves
HarperCollins Children's Books has secured the rights to The Collective's Annoying Orange property for a series of joke and storybooks, beginning with Annoying Orange: How to Be Annoying this fall.
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Little Critter Expands E-Book Presence
On March 21, Mercer Mayer, creator of the Little Critters series, launched two new apps with Silver Dolphin Books.
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Licensing Hotline: February 2013
Bendon is going high-end through a new licensing deal with model, designer, and entrepreneur Kathy Ireland and her company.
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Getting Personal
Publishers controlling merchandise rights to their brands and characters are starting to experiment with print-on-demand licensed products through partners such as CafePress, Zazzle, MashOn, and Ty's Toy Box.
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Licensing Hotline: January 2013
Chronicle Books is licensing children's book and sidelines rights for author-illustrator Micah Player's girls' T-shirt and accessories brand, Lately Lily, which launched in 2012.
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Focus on Mobile Gaming Apps
As consumers spend more time on digital devices, publishers are mining the e-world for licenses that might translate into book formats.
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Licensing Hotline: December 2012
Running Press has secured the rights for Pajanimals, a musical TV series from Jim Henson Productions. The show features four furry puppets who learn life skills through imaginary journeys.
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Promotional Power
Fourteen of the 50 movies with the all-time largest U.S. box office totals are based on high-profile books from four series.
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Disney Lucasfilm Purchase Leaves Comics Licenses in Doubt
While Tuesday's blockbuster $4.05 billion sale of LucasFilm to Disney may have answered some questions for the film franchise—yes, there will be Episodes VII through IX—it left the Star Wars publishing licenses in doubt, in particular Dark Horse's comics program.
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Licensing Hotline: October 2012
Frankenweenie: An Electrifying Book marks the first time Disney Publishing has done a "making of" title in digital form, as well as the first time it has used Apple’s iBook Author to create a digital movie tie-in.
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WWE Shows Strength in Publishing
WWE (formerly World Wrestling Entertainment) offers programming that reaches 600 million homes worldwide, including a U.S. television audience of 12 million per week, according to WWE. Along with 7,500 hours of TV per year, pay-per-view events, digital content, and consumer products from 130 licensees, WWE oversees a publishing program encompassing biographies, children’s books, comic books, fitness guides, fiction, photo journals, and historical anthologies.
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Books as Brands
Licensing is a growing focus for many publishers as they look to generate awareness and spur book sales for in-house developed and acquired properties, and bring in incremental revenue.
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Merrymakers Turns Agent with Pete the Cat Licensing Program
Since it was founded in 1994, Merrymakers has been known as a licensee. Now it is moving to the other side of the negotiating table for the first time. The company will represent pop artist and children’s book illustrator James Dean for a global licensing program based on Pete the Cat.
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Licensing Hotline: August 2012
After two years, books tied to the PBS Kids series Dinosaur Train, produced and licensed by Jim Henson Productions, continue to sell well, with Penguin and Random House both recently renewing their deals. Publications International and Reader's Digest are also on board.