Children’s books are ‘fuelling growth’ (Farrington, 2014) and the market is more exciting than ever. In the US, new figures from the Association of American Publishers show e-book revenues have grown by 7.5%, paperback revenues are up by 5.3% and audiobooks have also become a boom area, seeing a growth of 26.2%. (Farrington, 2014). Children can now play along with their favourite characters in an app environment and are delighted as a result. However it is not just all fun and games for only the children; publishers’ can market these attractions internationally, consequently meaning ‘high quality visual material can be reproduced cost effectively, and in any quantity.’ (Hall, 2013).
One international publisher that has the right idea is ‘Egmont’ who have a reputation for innovation, quality and success. They are a commercial foundation that generates revenue amounting to EUR 1.6 billion and each year they donate over EUR 10 million to help improve the lives of children and young people. (Egmont.co.uk) It is evident Egmont have pronounced their place in the children’s digital market, but I ask myself how have they achieved their success?
From browsing their website, I can see that they are experimenting with fresh ways of telling stories and the books they offer about Minecraft, Angry Birds and Moshi Monsters are highly attractive for children today. Stephanie Gauld (Digital Publisher at Egmont) expresses how there is a cultural divide between print and digital: “It’s a well-oiled machine with tried and tested business models. We know what our roles are. Digital is relatively new and it’s incredibly dynamic. We have developed business models but these are constantly evolving due to new possibilities and skills.” (Piesing, 2014). Egmont understands that working collaboratively with brand owners, developers and of course their authors is key in order to produce the best books. They accept that other people involved are experts in their field and in order to be successful they must respect their ideas. Tiffany Leeson (Egmont UK’s Art Director) adds, “Whether in print or digital, working with someone who knows their medium is really insightful. You have to just listen to them and be guided by their experience.” (Piesing, 2014).
Egmont recognize that they must remain innovative in their approach to ensure they continue to exceed the expectations of the consumer by acquiring cult new titles and stay up to speed with the digital revolution. This is why they are already experimenting with new ways of telling stories on games machines, smartphones and tablets; some of the devices children love most. They are also working with schools aiming to incorporate magazines to teach literacy. The key to Egmont’s success is that they have learnt that brand owners and game developers are the experts here and as Lesson later discusses in Piesing’s article “just like working with authors, when we are working with a team of developers we are in effect working with the creators and our approach is a collaborative one.” (2014).
Word count ~ 492.
Bibliography:
Andrews, A. (2009). Winnie the Pooh publisher Egmont agrees ebook deal for Nintendo DS - Telegraph. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/6275591/Winnie-the-Pooh-publisher-Egmont-agrees-ebook-deal-for-Nintendo-DS.html [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Clark, G. and Philips, A. (2013). Inside book publishing. 4th ed. London: Routledge.
David, A. (2013). Should we be worried about the decline of children's reading?. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/nov/01/decline-childrens-reading-ebooks-publishing [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Egmont UK, (2014). EGMONT PUBLISHING SNAPS UP UK DEBUT TEEN FICTION SERIES - Egmont UK. [online] Available at: https://www.egmont.co.uk/egmont-publishing-snaps-uk-debut-teen-fiction-series/#.VGt9FIeZbwx [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Egmont UK, (n.d.). Home - Egmont UK. [online] Available at: https://www.egmont.co.uk [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Farrington, J. (2014). Children's fuels 2014 growth in US. [online] Thebookseller.com. Available at: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/childrens-fuels-2014-growth-us [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Hall, F. (2013). The business of digital publishing. London: Routledge.
Piesing, M. (2014). "It's Collaborative Now," says Egmont UK of Game Development - Publishing Perspectives. [online] Publishing Perspectives. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2014/05/its-collaborative-now-says-egmont-uk-of-game-development/ [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
PublishersWeekly.com, (2014). Global Publishing Leaders 2014: Egmont. [online] Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/63044-global-publishing-leaders-2014-egmont.html [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
One international publisher that has the right idea is ‘Egmont’ who have a reputation for innovation, quality and success. They are a commercial foundation that generates revenue amounting to EUR 1.6 billion and each year they donate over EUR 10 million to help improve the lives of children and young people. (Egmont.co.uk) It is evident Egmont have pronounced their place in the children’s digital market, but I ask myself how have they achieved their success?
From browsing their website, I can see that they are experimenting with fresh ways of telling stories and the books they offer about Minecraft, Angry Birds and Moshi Monsters are highly attractive for children today. Stephanie Gauld (Digital Publisher at Egmont) expresses how there is a cultural divide between print and digital: “It’s a well-oiled machine with tried and tested business models. We know what our roles are. Digital is relatively new and it’s incredibly dynamic. We have developed business models but these are constantly evolving due to new possibilities and skills.” (Piesing, 2014). Egmont understands that working collaboratively with brand owners, developers and of course their authors is key in order to produce the best books. They accept that other people involved are experts in their field and in order to be successful they must respect their ideas. Tiffany Leeson (Egmont UK’s Art Director) adds, “Whether in print or digital, working with someone who knows their medium is really insightful. You have to just listen to them and be guided by their experience.” (Piesing, 2014).
Egmont recognize that they must remain innovative in their approach to ensure they continue to exceed the expectations of the consumer by acquiring cult new titles and stay up to speed with the digital revolution. This is why they are already experimenting with new ways of telling stories on games machines, smartphones and tablets; some of the devices children love most. They are also working with schools aiming to incorporate magazines to teach literacy. The key to Egmont’s success is that they have learnt that brand owners and game developers are the experts here and as Lesson later discusses in Piesing’s article “just like working with authors, when we are working with a team of developers we are in effect working with the creators and our approach is a collaborative one.” (2014).
Word count ~ 492.
Bibliography:
Andrews, A. (2009). Winnie the Pooh publisher Egmont agrees ebook deal for Nintendo DS - Telegraph. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/6275591/Winnie-the-Pooh-publisher-Egmont-agrees-ebook-deal-for-Nintendo-DS.html [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Clark, G. and Philips, A. (2013). Inside book publishing. 4th ed. London: Routledge.
David, A. (2013). Should we be worried about the decline of children's reading?. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/nov/01/decline-childrens-reading-ebooks-publishing [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Egmont UK, (2014). EGMONT PUBLISHING SNAPS UP UK DEBUT TEEN FICTION SERIES - Egmont UK. [online] Available at: https://www.egmont.co.uk/egmont-publishing-snaps-uk-debut-teen-fiction-series/#.VGt9FIeZbwx [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Egmont UK, (n.d.). Home - Egmont UK. [online] Available at: https://www.egmont.co.uk [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Farrington, J. (2014). Children's fuels 2014 growth in US. [online] Thebookseller.com. Available at: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/childrens-fuels-2014-growth-us [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
Hall, F. (2013). The business of digital publishing. London: Routledge.
Piesing, M. (2014). "It's Collaborative Now," says Egmont UK of Game Development - Publishing Perspectives. [online] Publishing Perspectives. Available at: http://publishingperspectives.com/2014/05/its-collaborative-now-says-egmont-uk-of-game-development/ [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].
PublishersWeekly.com, (2014). Global Publishing Leaders 2014: Egmont. [online] Available at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/63044-global-publishing-leaders-2014-egmont.html [Accessed 18 Nov. 2014].