Department | LICENSING
McCagg. “Some of them seem to appreciate the balance we
bring to the Warner Bros.–Universal madness,” she says. “They
want to work with someone who they can trust to care for the
brand. And we want them to take care of our authors as well as
we do. Our licensees are really invested in our properties and
products, and they take it seriously.”
Albert Whitman staffers have been coming to the show for
four years to learn about licensing through the seminars and by
walking the floor. This year, the company decided to try a booth.
“We feel like we’re educated enough to do some deals, and there
may be a couple that come out of this,” says president John
Quattrocchi. “There have been a few interesting things that
have popped up that wouldn’t have without the booth.”
Whitman was focusing primarily on the Boxcar Children but
also showing other properties, including Grumpy Pants and the
Zapato Power series. “You have to identify what your best prop-
erties are in this context, not the book context,” Quattrocchi
says. He also cautions that publishers need to remember their
core business. “It’s easy to get distracted with this. You have to
be careful.”
Author and Illustrator Enthusiasm
Over the years, book creators have become increasingly open to
the idea of licensed products based on their names, characters,
or titles.
Debbie Macomber Inc. recently retained agent Seltzer
Licensing to launch a lifestyle licensing program inspired by the
author’s books and personal interests. Adele LaCombe,
Macomber’s daughter and chief executive officer of the company,
notes that books and writers have many of the same connections
with consumers that an entertainment property has. “You’re
drawing on emotion the same way a TV show does,” she says.
“We always hear that Debbie has brought hope to people when
they really needed it. With the products, we want to bring that
encouragement and hope beyond the book.”
At this year’s expo, an illustrator won the One to Watch
award, presented by organizer UBM and trade publication
License Global. The award honors a new property and first-time
expo exhibitor considered to have strong licensing potential.
Renée Graef, who has illustrated 80 children’s books including
American Girl’s Kirsten titles and HarperCollins’s My First
Little House program, won for her Lulu brand, which was
and authors effective means of promoting their books and gen-
erating revenue.
Properties with literary origins at the expo mainly hailed
from the world of children’s books, although authors such as
Debbie Macomber and book-based brands for adults such as
Quirk’s Worst-Case Scenario represented for licensing by
Moxie & Co., were also in the mix. These were primarily
exhibited by licensing agents and by the many entertainment
studios and producers that are currently creating book-based
entertainment.
A handful of publishers also had stands. They included longtime exhibitors Scholastic and Atlantyca, second-year participant Candlewick Press, and first-year booth holder Albert
Whitman & Co.
Candlewick was showing a variety of its titles and series,
including Guess How Much I Love You?, the Judy Moody books,
Circus Ship, and Bears on Chairs. Director of licensing Mary
McCagg notes that one of the benefits of having a booth is the
connections that are made. “There are so many different people
here that we wouldn’t meet otherwise,” she says. “They ask
things like, ‘Have you thought of a baby swaddling blanket?’
and we say, ‘No, we haven’t, but we’ll take your card.’ ”
The smaller IP owners at the expo sometimes seem to get lost
among the huge and eye-catching booths of the Twentieth
Century Foxes, Nickelodeons, and Mattels of the world. But
many attendees are looking beyond Hollywood, according to
Licensing Expo 2017 Highlights Synergies
Between Books and Tie-in Products
Publishers including Candlewick, Scholastic, and Albert Whitman exhibited at the
Las Vegas show By Karen Raugust
Candlewick was at the expo speaking with potential licensees about
Bears on Chairs, Circus Ship, and other properties.
