SmartsCo Inks Quirky Distribution Deal

by Bridget Kinsella, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 4/17/2007

Philadelphia publisher Quirk Books has partnered with SmartsCo, a small San Francisco house, to include its list of games and lifestyle guides in Quirk's distribution agreement with Chronicle Books. Known for irreverent books like the Worse Case Scenario series, Quirk has been distributed by Chronicle Books since 2002.

SmartsCo has 17 titles. Quirk has 100 titles in print and publishes about 30 books a year. Quirk and Chronicle will handle SmartsCo sales, but SmartsCo will remain an independent company with its own section in the Quirk Books catalogue. SmartsCo will present its latest publication, DogSmarts, at this year's BEA.

"We've been wanting to find a way to help young, creative companies," said David Borgenicht, Quirk Books president and publisher. "We agreed to fold SmartsCo's line into our distribution agreement with Chronicle." Chronicle's director of distribution, Anna Erickson, said SmartsCo titles "sit very comfortably next to our gift list. They've developed a format that is a brand."

SmartsCo cofounder Jennifer Elias said the company essentially publishes "flash cards for adults," or games to help people learn about everything from wine and food to sex and babies in a fun way. Before teaming up with Quirk, SmartsCo had its own catalogue and worked with commissioned reps. With the new distribution agreement, Elias said, now "we can focus on product."