Sterling Gets Tube Plug with DIY
By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 4/24/2006
The book publishing/cable television connection continues to yield new partnerships. Following last week's agreement between TFH Publications and Animal Planet, Sterling Publishing has inked a deal with the DIY Network to publish a line of co-branded books.
The series will be based on a smattering of the network's shows with topics ranging from doghouse building to jewelry making. Sterling's Lark Books imprint is launching the line with a seven-title list for 2006. The first four books in the line—Dazzling Beaded Jewelry by Jackie Guerra, Weekend Bathroom Makeovers by Amy Matthews, Doggie Homes: Barkitechture for Your Best Friend by Dr. Karen Tobias and Kenny Alfonso and Wheel-Thrown Pottery by Bill van Gilder—will hit bookstores on August 1. With a number of other titles planned into 2007, Lark publisher Carol Taylor said the partnership is "booked through fall 2007."
DIY, which is broadcast into roughly 36 million homes with an audience of both men (47%) and women (53%), will be plugging the books on air as well as through its Web site, DIYnetwork.com (which draws 2.5 million unique visitors per month). For its part, Sterling will be rolling out the books to all major retailers with advertising planned for national magazines and newspapers.
Sterling president Andrew Martin said the partnership was inspired by the fact that the two companies cover the same topics, but in different formats. "We're doing books on knitting, and we found that they have a show on knitting," Martin said. "We have a book on how to build birdhouses, and we find out they have a show on building doghouses. We discovered that Sterling mirrors what DIY does in print, and DIY mirrors what Sterling does on TV."
With planned print runs of 20,000–25,000, Martin said changes will be made as the publisher gauges the response to the titles and the marketing efforts. "These are very specific books, but the interesting kicker is the muscle that comes out of this relationship with DIY. [How that affects interest in the books] is going to inform us pretty quickly how far we can go in the marketplace."
