From Publishers Lunch today, announcement of an American arm for Egmont.
Following their discussion in August of plans for a US venture, the UK’s largest children’s book publisher Egmont has announced current group sales director Douglas Pocock will serve as evp of Egmont US, which will start up next year and launch its first list in fall 2009. Their “focus will be on delivering a list shaped for the USA from both established and new authors.”
Pocock says in the announcement, “The formation of Egmont USA offers us a terrific opportunity for genuine collaboration between our UK and American offices, enabling us to create real competitive advantage in terms of joint acquisition, world rights and building authors as brands. The launch of Egmont in the USA is the culmination of two years’ planning and it is enormously exciting to finally reach this point.”
In the UK, Egmont is one of the largest chidlren’s books publishers; in Northern Europe, where the company originated, it’s that plus one of the world’s largest comics publishers via it’s huge Disney license. Unknown if either the UK or new US branch will pursue the graphic novel option.
Might this foreshadow the end of Gemstone’s Disney comics? Seems like the few that are still trickling out are largely reprints of European stuff with the occasional Barks reprint. Of course, I could be mistaken on the contents since the titles I was buying were cancelled and I haven’t been buying U$ or WDC&S.
Wow. I doubt that they will have much success with Disney comics here. HOWEVER, they could easily enter the American market by reprinting their Fleetway archives (such as Neil Gaiman’s 2000 AD stories).
Egmont is also adept at marketing licensed properties, and could easily acquire US rights of European comics, which have yet to be exploited.