Bookmarking A Trend

As proof that classics continue to appeal to readers in today's connected, digital world, the leading book license in 2017 was also one of the most distinguished: Dr. Seuss. The Walt Disney Company, with its strength in movie franchises and classic characters, was the leading license owner. Penguin Random House, the No. 1 publisher in the U.S., was also the leading publisher of licensed books, according to the new NPD BookScan License Reporting Service, which tracks approximately 4,000 licenses across more than 16 million weekly book sales in the U.S.

Other

It used to be that book licensing was confined to popular television and film properties, but now there are all kinds of interesting and creative examples of licensed books from a much wider content universe. Given the ubiquity of popular franchises, and the way content can spread rapidly across platforms, licensing is one of the hottest areas in publishing to watch.

There is no such thing as a predictable pattern when it comes to licensing anymore. Bringing popular licenses from other platforms into books gives license owners a powerful way to extend the world of their brand into an affordable, high value format. Publishers reap the benefits of a built-in–and plugged-in–fan base that can stimulate sales right out of the gate.

We can expect licensed publishing to be one of the higher-growth areas in the book industry for years to come. It's also one to watch carefully, as a bellwether of larger consumer trends.