HarperCollins, Tokyopop Announce Co-Publishing, Sales and Distribution Agreement
New Line of Manga Titles Launches with Bestselling Meg Cabot Novels
HarperCollins Publishers to Sell and Distribute TOKYOPOP Books
NEW YORK, NY (March 27, 2006) –HarperCollins Publishers and TOKYOPOP today announced the companies will join forces in a unique co-publishing agreement to create a progressive new line of co-branded manga titles. The program will include several projects from bestselling author Meg Cabot, whose HarperCollins novels have sold more than six million copies to date. In addition, HarperCollins will sell and distribute the entire TOKYOPOP line in North America.
Manga, the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons, refers specifically to the avant-garde art form that originated in Japanese comic books. The new line of books from TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins will include manga titles based on existing HarperCollins works, as well as original manga titles conceived by HarperCollins authors. All books will be developed in manga format by the award-winning TOKYOPOP team, who will manage the creation of manga text and artwork in close consultation with the originating authors and HarperCollins editors. The first books are scheduled for publication in 2007, and HarperCollins and TOKYOPOP are anticipating growing the line to as many as 24 titles per year.
The first manga titles produced by the partnership will be based on Meg Cabot's bestselling young adult novels. TOKYOPOP writers and artists, working closely with Cabot and her HarperCollins editor, will convert her multimillion copy selling books into manga format. The Meg Cabot manga titles will be published along with other manga titles based on key middle grade and young adult franchises from the HarperCollins list.
“This collaboration is indicative of our commitment to grow our authors in new and exiting ways, as well as to offer our consumers a wider range of formats in which to enjoy their favorite books and authors. This is really what Publishing+ is all about,” said Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “We have been eager to enter the manga marketplace, and can think of no more powerful way than to join forces with TOKYOPOP, a company we have long admired as the leading manga publisher in North America.”
“TOKYOPOP is proud to begin this exciting new partnership with HarperCollins, the most innovative and diverse mainstream publisher in America,” added Stu Levy, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of TOKYOPOP. “Together our companies will be able to expand the manga lifestyle into mainstream youth culture, building a new paradigm in entertainment, where East meets WEST. and a new generation of multi-ethnic creators can flourish.”
As of mid-June, HarperCollins will begin selling and distributing all TOKYOPOP books to the North American trade book market. All back office functions including customer service, warehousing, billing and credit will be performed by HarperCollins.
“HarperCollins continues to invest in new people and technology to offer world-class client services,” said Glenn D'Agnes, COO, HarperCollins Publishers. “We will increase TOKYOPOP's reach in the marketplace to capitalize on the high-growth manga sector, while simultaneously increasing its service levels to its customer base.”
“Our partnership with HarperCollins will allow us to take the Manga Revolution to the next level,” said Mike Kiley, Publisher of TOKYOPOP. “The combination of HarperCollins' world-class systems and market penetration with TOKYOPOP's groundbreaking creativity will create a compelling new force in publishing.”
About TOKYOPOP
TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company's global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with recent offices opening in the UK and Germany and upcoming partnerships in Australia and China, in addition to its original Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP's award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
About HarperCollins Publishers
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.
HarperCollins Publishers to Sell and Distribute TOKYOPOP Books
NEW YORK, NY (March 27, 2006) –HarperCollins Publishers and TOKYOPOP today announced the companies will join forces in a unique co-publishing agreement to create a progressive new line of co-branded manga titles. The program will include several projects from bestselling author Meg Cabot, whose HarperCollins novels have sold more than six million copies to date. In addition, HarperCollins will sell and distribute the entire TOKYOPOP line in North America.
Manga, the Japanese word for comics and print cartoons, refers specifically to the avant-garde art form that originated in Japanese comic books. The new line of books from TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins will include manga titles based on existing HarperCollins works, as well as original manga titles conceived by HarperCollins authors. All books will be developed in manga format by the award-winning TOKYOPOP team, who will manage the creation of manga text and artwork in close consultation with the originating authors and HarperCollins editors. The first books are scheduled for publication in 2007, and HarperCollins and TOKYOPOP are anticipating growing the line to as many as 24 titles per year.
The first manga titles produced by the partnership will be based on Meg Cabot's bestselling young adult novels. TOKYOPOP writers and artists, working closely with Cabot and her HarperCollins editor, will convert her multimillion copy selling books into manga format. The Meg Cabot manga titles will be published along with other manga titles based on key middle grade and young adult franchises from the HarperCollins list.
“This collaboration is indicative of our commitment to grow our authors in new and exiting ways, as well as to offer our consumers a wider range of formats in which to enjoy their favorite books and authors. This is really what Publishing+ is all about,” said Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “We have been eager to enter the manga marketplace, and can think of no more powerful way than to join forces with TOKYOPOP, a company we have long admired as the leading manga publisher in North America.”
“TOKYOPOP is proud to begin this exciting new partnership with HarperCollins, the most innovative and diverse mainstream publisher in America,” added Stu Levy, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of TOKYOPOP. “Together our companies will be able to expand the manga lifestyle into mainstream youth culture, building a new paradigm in entertainment, where East meets WEST. and a new generation of multi-ethnic creators can flourish.”
As of mid-June, HarperCollins will begin selling and distributing all TOKYOPOP books to the North American trade book market. All back office functions including customer service, warehousing, billing and credit will be performed by HarperCollins.
“HarperCollins continues to invest in new people and technology to offer world-class client services,” said Glenn D'Agnes, COO, HarperCollins Publishers. “We will increase TOKYOPOP's reach in the marketplace to capitalize on the high-growth manga sector, while simultaneously increasing its service levels to its customer base.”
“Our partnership with HarperCollins will allow us to take the Manga Revolution to the next level,” said Mike Kiley, Publisher of TOKYOPOP. “The combination of HarperCollins' world-class systems and market penetration with TOKYOPOP's groundbreaking creativity will create a compelling new force in publishing.”
About TOKYOPOP
TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company's global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with recent offices opening in the UK and Germany and upcoming partnerships in Australia and China, in addition to its original Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP's award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
About HarperCollins Publishers
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.
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