B'mann, Planeta in Paperback Deal
Herbert R. Lottman -- 5/29/00
For several years, Bertelsmann's Spanish trade imprint Plaza y Janes has been engaged in a titanic struggle for market supremacy with Spain's number-one general publisher, Planeta. Henceforth, Plaza and Planeta will be partners in what is certain to become the leading paperback publisher in Spanish, fed by 14 imprints in fiction and nonfiction belonging to the two Spanish groups. And, of course, the new organization will be in a position to lure popular authors from elsewhere. The plan, according to Spain's trade journal Delibros, is to release 400 titles annually, in printings as high (for Spain) as half a million, selling both in mass market and trade paperback price ranges. Traditionally, Spanish paperbacks are sold on newsstands; the new enterprise will make use of these and other channels for a total of 5,000 points of sale--and this before eventual extension of the market to Latin America, where Planeta and Plaza are major players. In addition, another scheme is to combine forces to tackle the mass market, whose principals are bestseller specialist Ediciones B, part of a large press combine, and Santillana, a school and trade empire whose imprints include upscale adult and children's Alfaguara. The aim is to extend the reach of both groups into new outlets such as supermarkets and gas stations as well as newsstands. Back To News---> |
