We All Read About a Yellow Submarine

In August, Candlewick Press and its sister company, Walker Books in the U.K., will launch Yellow Submarine, a picture book based on the 1968 Beatles film. "We're really excited about it," said Andrew Smith, Candlewick's v-p of sales. "Everything retro is in these days, and this is the ultimate, highly recognizable symbol of the 1960s, especially with the Beatles and their psychedelic clothes."

This is only the second book ever authorized by Beatles licensor Apple Corps., the first being Chronicle's Beatles Anthology (1999), which has sold more than two million copies worldwide.

The publication of a picture book opens up the opportunity to expand on a collector-focused licensing program that began with the rerelease of the film's soundtrack in 1999. The core of the juvenile products effort will be figures from McFarlane Toys, puzzles and games from Universal Games and apparel from an as-yet-unannounced licensee, according to Matt Hautau, v-p of licensing and marketing for licensing agency Signatures Network. He said bookstores are likely to carry some of the licensed items.

Candlewick will provide a 12-copy floor display with a pocket so stores can cross-merchandise Yellow Submarine CDs and DVDs if they carry them. "We want to make a statement about the brand, but have the book be the centerpiece of any promotion," Smith said. Planned marketing support for the book, which will have a 100,000-copy first printing, includes appearances by a costumed Blue Meanie and national advertising in Rolling Stone. Candlewick is also talking with Capitol Records about cross-promotional opportunities.