Tag Archives: Dummies

This Book Is Brought To You By…

With ads appearing on everything from cup holders to subway risers to (ok, to use an extreme case) people’s skin, books remain one of the last of the ad-free sacred spaces. Other than the occasional unsuccessful attempt at inserts (1970’s cigarette ads) and product placement (Bulgari anyone?), publishing has never looked seriously at advertising as…Continue Reading

Licensing Lysol: The 25th Annual Licensing Show

Yup, that’s right, Mr. Lysol strolled the Javits Center June 21-23, one of several seemingly incomprehensible brands (think RotoRooter) that are — or hope to be — turned into licenses. Welcome to the 25th Annual Licensing Show, where 20,000 attendees gazed at the wares of 525 exhibitors, showcasing 5,700 properties — essentially on par with…Continue Reading

Wiley’s Brands Buffer the Slump

John Wiley & Sons publishes the #1 seller in travel guides (Frommer’s), one of the leading franchises in consumer technology (Dummies), and what it calls the bestselling cookbook brand in the world (yep, Betty Crocker). Bolstered by the acquisition of Hungry Minds two years ago — which dropped all three of those blockbuster brands into…Continue Reading

The Franchise Fix

Lucrative, Licensed Book Lines Are Looking Better All the Time As book publishers search in an ever-widening gyre for “consumer equity,” “points of differentiation,” and authors pre-packaged with their own “platforms,” it may be no shock that the concept of franchise publishing — partnering to publish licensed, branded, or co-branded titles, or even signing up…Continue Reading