The March release of a comic book featuring Dallas Mavericks players as superheroes is just the latest offering from the National Basketball Association's growing list of titles. Coordinated by the NBA's entertainment and players marketing division, the league has licensing agreements with six publishers and is looking to add more partners and titles, said the NBA's Charlie Rosenzweig.
The NBA works with publishers to reach different audiences with books in various formats, Rosenzweig explained. The Mavericks comic book, published by Ultimate Sports Entertainment, is the first of four comic books planned for this year that will feature specific teams and is the NBA's newest publishing venture. Another new deal is with Alpha Books, publisher of the Complete Idiot's line, which has resulted in the publication of The Complete Idiot's Guide to the NBA.
The NBA's longest-standing deals are with Scholastic, Doubleday and the Sporting News. Four to six low-priced books are published annually with Scholastic, all aimed at the children's market. "They're a great partner," Rosenzweig said, noting that Scholastic is also a major contributor to the NBA's Read to Achieve literacy program, a project run by a separate NBA unit. Doubleday has published two so far: the $50 The Official NBA Encyclopedia and At the Buzzer, a book/CD package. Talks are underway to do a third book with Doubleday. The Sporting News oversees the league's championship titles—Dynasty: NBA 2002 Champion Los Angeles Lakers is the most recent—as well as the league's annual guides and registers. Sporting News aims to get the championship book out within 10 days after the final game and the title is then cross-promoted with the release of the DVD.
Cross-promotion with other NBA products is an important strategy for the league. Other products developed within the entertainment and players marketing division are DVDs, music CDs and magazines. While each publisher sells its titles to its traditional accounts, the NBA's global merchandising group markets the titles to nontraditional outlets. Books are also available at the NBA's online store. And with the NBA drawing interest, and players, from around the world, the league is working to improve its global distribution capabilities. The international reach of Dorling Kindersley was one factor in the NBA inking a deal with that company to produce a number of photography books. The NBA has given DK access to its extensive photography collection. The first title, Basketball's Best Shots, came out last fall, and the next titles, due this fall, under the agreement are Eyewitness Basketball and NBA's Greatest.
Autumn, when the NBA season begins, is one of three prime times for promoting the league's books. The weeks surrounding the All-Star game are another window of opportunity, as is the spring, when the playoffs are underway. "We intend to grow this business and are looking at different opportunities," Rosenzweig said.
