Pocket Books will launch a new imprint, Pocket Pulse, aimed at the teenage market this fall. Nancy Pines, v-p and publisher of books for young readers, will oversee the imprint, which will publish fiction and nonfiction titles.
Pocket Pulse will consist of six different series, including three new lines. The first will be Fearless, a teen action series by Francine Pascal. Other new series are Charmed, a tie-in with the television show, and Angel, a spin-off from Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Buffy tie-in titles, as well as those to Dawson's Creek and Body of Evidence, will also become part of Pocket Pulse. The books of Christopher Pike will also appear under the new imprint.
Pocket's parent company, Simon &Schuster, cited increased sales at Pocket and higher sales in the children's division for improved results for the first quarter ended March 31, 1999. In the period, S&S reported a 13% sales increase to $122.7 million. Operating income was up to $1.3 million from $100,000 in last year's first quarter, while EBITDA rose 30% to $5.7 million.
