By Laura Kemmerer
Known for its hit TV shows such as Adventure Time and Regular Show, Cartoon Network has recently announced that they will be partnering with Penguin Books for Young Readers to launch its own imprint in 2015. While Penguin has retained the licensing rights for books associated the aforementioned TV shows, Cartoon Network Books will create an entire new opportunity for storytelling for the network. In turn, Penguin will become the hub for everything Cartoon Network that is not directly connected to television.
According to Publishers Weekly, Lori Burke, director of licensing and consumer products for the North American sector, said, “All of our Cartoon Network titles are working well. We have had a holding-hands partnership, and now we want to become a destination for Cartoon Network publishing.”
Beyond television, Cartoon Network is treating this focused expansion into publishing as more than just a traditional printing venture. With plans to develop new ideas that may not work on television into books, Cartoon Network fans can discover more about new characters as well as further backstories of old, well-loved ones. The Penguin/Cartoon Network imprint is set to launch in the summer of 2015.
Articles/Further Reading:
http://www.mhpbooks.com/cartoon-network-launches-imprint-with-penguin-books-for-young-readers/
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/64085-penguin-launches-cartoon-network-imprint.html