National Book Network Adds Children's Line

Although National Book Network is the second largest book distributor in the U.S., it hasn't had a children's book presence until now. "With the baby boom echo creating a demand and with the Harry Potter success driving parents into the stores, distributors need to be in kids books," NBN president Jed Lyons told PW. "It's definitely a category we're going after," said v-p of marketing Miriam Bass, who is overseeing NBN Kids. "Every season we'll be introducing new children's publishers." Starting with the fall list, NBN will carry three children's lines, including two that are new to children's book publishing. And the company has already signed Moon Mountain to its roster for next year. The North Kingston, R.I., publisher had been distributed by Bookpeople's Words division.

NBN Kids' first clients are the six-year-old Herrington Teddy Bears in Costa Mesa, Calif., which creates plush for businesses like Hard Rock Café and Mercedes-Benz, and which will inaugurate its book publishing division this October; Eaglemont Press in Seattle, Wash., which publishes photographic books and is adding children's to its product mix; and the Child Welfare League's Child & Family Press in Washington, D.C. This winter, NBN Kids will debut New Zealand–based Milly Molly House, which publishes 48 titles for 4–8-year-olds. The books feature two girls: Milly, who is black, and her white friend Molly.

At BEA, Bass found an unusual kids' client at the booth around the corner: Bennett/Novak, better known for its hip advertising art, is publishing comedian Craig Shoemaker's pop culture/children's books What You Have Now... What Daddy Had Then and What You Have Now... What Mommy Had Then.