Publishing News
General News
May 15-31, 2005 Edition GENERAL NEWS S&S to Publish Kids’
Books Based on VIZ
Deko Boko Characters
SAN FRANCISCO, CA/05/06/05VIZ Media is expanding its preschool brand Deko Boko Friends with toy and licensing deals in North America, according to an item in World Screen News. Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, has been licensed to publish an array of books for preschoolers, based on the animated characters.
Spin Master has been tapped as master toy licensee and will produce play sets, bath toys, plush, puzzles, role-play items, soft dolls, vehicles and Deko Boko Friends licensed fun furniture.
Produced as 30-second animated shorts, Deko Boko Friends currently features 12 unique characters who help teach children about diversity and tolerance. It airs on Nick Jr. in the U.S., and deals have been inked with Noggin and Nicktoons.
In addition to holding the worldwide broadcast rights outside of Asia for Deko Boko Friends, VIZ Media has the global licensing rights for merchandise.
HarperCollins
Launchs Speakers
Bureau for Its Authors
NEW YORK, NY/05/03/05HarperCollins Publishers has launched a speakers bureau to secure appearances for HarperCollins authors. Gary Reznik will serve as Director of the new business.
“Publishing+ continues to break ground, creating more opportunities for our authors, as well as developing new initiatives for consumers and booksellers,” said Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. “The speakers bureau is the first major new program we are providing as part of Author+, a suite of services that will provide additional benefits to our authors. Through it, we will introduce our authors to new audiences, complementing and extending our traditional marketing and publicity efforts, while also providing the author with an added source of income.”
The speakers bureau, under the direction of Reznik, will work with corporations, associations, universities, libraries, clubs, chambers of commerce, hospitals, and other professional organizations, groups and societies in major markets in the U.S. and around the world.
“Based on my experience in arranging speaking engagements for a range of authors, I was excited about the idea of establishing a speakers bureau within a publishing company – and HarperCollins was the obvious choice,” said Reznik. “With a stellar list of business, health/wellness, motivational/inspirational and political writers, as well as a host of exceptional novelists who have not often appeared on this circuit, I believe we’re off and running.” The speakers bureau will bring speaking opportunities to a broad range of HarperCollins authors such as the bestselling Sena Jeter Naslund, Fortune columnist and bestselling business humorist Stanley Bing, international celebrity chef Mario Batali and multicultural marketing guru Guy Garcia.
Reznik comes to HarperCollins from one of the country’s leading speakers bureaus where he has been negotiating and contracting with authors and organizations since 1999. If you are interested in booking a HarperCollins author for a speaking engagement, contact Reznik at (212) 207-7136 or at gary.reznik@harpercollins.com.
HarperCollins is one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, the company has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. Its publishing groups include the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children’s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.
