Rainbow Magic on the Rise
This story originally appeared in Children's Bookshelf on June 7, 2007 Sign up now!
by Sally Lodge, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 6/7/2007
Youngsters have long found fairies fetching, and a successful series from Scholastic suggests these winged beings continue to enchant. Initially published by Orchard in the U.K., the fairy-filled Rainbow Magic series has been translated into 20 languages and has sold more than 10 million copies. The books, which feature fairies with an array of themes, clearly tickle the fancy of American girls: Scholastic's sales have topped two million copies since the house brought out its first two titles in May 2005. And Rainbow Magic will soon expand beyond the book realm, as all rights to the property have recently been acquired by London-based HIT Entertainment, which has in the works a tie-in TV show, toys and apparel.
Comprised of multiple seven-book arcs, as well as several stand-alone titles, Rainbow Magic introduces two ordinary girls who are thrust into the magical world of Fairyland. In the first two series, they meet Rainbow Fairies and Weather Fairies, respectively. The third series is Jewel Fairies, which Scholastic launches next month with four titles, each with a 50,000-copy first printing. The fourth series, Pet Fairies, debuts here next March.
Rainbow Magic was originated by U.K. book packager Working Partners in 2002. Recalling the initial inspiration for the series, managing director Chris Snowdon says, "We wanted to create something new and fresh about fairies that would engage younger readers and, we hoped, provide a great place to start independent reading." The books are written under the pseudonym of Daisy Meadows by a team of writers, though two authors are responsible for the majority of the writing.
Snowdon reports that the packager from the start envisioned Rainbow Magic growing beyond the Rainbow Fairies series, yet didn't anticipate just how far or fast it would extend. "No one expected the incredible success of the books, which really clicked in after the Weather Fairies books were published," he explains. "So we had to move fast to create the other series." In addition to the four series mentioned above, Party Fairies, Fun Day Fairies and Petal Fairies are now out in the U.K., with Dance Fairies debuting in the fall.
At Scholastic, senior v-p and publisher Ellie Berger notes that Rainbow Magic was an ideal match for her company. "Rainbow Magic speaks to our sweet spot since we are able to distribute it through all channels. It has had great success in the trade, fairs and clubs and is really growing. These are very accessible first chapter books and have a collectibility aspect which is part of their appeal. And it certainly helps that right now fairies seem to be the thing."
Scholastic's promotional fanfare for its summer rollout of Jewel Fairies includes a poster with activities, book giveaways at summer camps, a 16-copy clip strip and a 24-copy mixed floor display for retailers.
HIT Entertainment, whose portfolio of brands includes Bob the Builder, Thomas & Friends and Barney, will work with Working Partners to develop content for new Rainbow Magic books and has big plans for the Rainbow Magic franchise.
