Editions du Seuil, Chronicle Team Up

Chronicle Books has announced a joint venture with Editions du Seuil, an independent French publisher primarily of illustrated books. The companies will publish titles from their respective lists in each other's countries (and languages) under the Seuil Chronicle imprint.

"Like most good business ventures, this merges out of solid friendship," said Jack Jensen, Chronicle president and publisher. "We came to the conclusion that while it is always nice to sell foreign rights, with the right partnership we were willing to take a chance becoming publishers in other markets. The best thing about it is that we begin to build an identity in another marketplace."

Both publishers will collaborate on all aspects of publishing Seuil Chronicle books, from design and translation to marketing and sales. Veteran Seuil employee Florence Barrau is working in Chronicle's California offices throughout the launch, and Jensen thinks that a Chronicle employee will be sent to France at some point. "She's learning about our editorial process," said Jensen of Barrau, "and will help us pick better books to send to France."

For the past three years, the parties tested the partnership with Chronicle's titles in France. The inaugural Seuil Chronicle list, which will have five adult and four children's titles, will be on display at BookExpo America and will go on sale in August. Among the first books are Winged Migration, based on the Oscar-nominated documentary; Mapping the Sky, a primer on the universe; and JFK: Remembering Jack, a French photographer's homage to the president, complete with a CD of his speeches. This year marks the 40th anniversary of JFK's assassination, and Jensen thinks this moderately priced ($12.95) book will be a surprise title on their first list.