What's New for Eyewitness
by Sally Lodge, Children's Bookshelf -- Publishers Weekly, 7/26/2007
Long a mainstay of DK Publishing's children's list, the eye-catching Eyewitness series has been published in 88 countries and has sold 60 million copies, approximately 20 million of those in the U.S. alone. Almost 20 years after the publication of the first Eyewitness books, DK is relaunching the series this month with a multi-pronged program. Newly arrived in stores are the debut volumes—China, Great Scientists, Oil and Mesopotamia—in an enhanced format that features the same trim size, design and photo illustrations as the original series, which also includes a CD containing clip art and a wall chart tucked into the front and back covers, respectively. In addition to these four brand-new volumes, DK has reissued eight backlist Eyewitness titles in this new format. Next month, the publisher will release the first four Eyewitness Workbooks and in the fall will roll out with the inaugural Eyewitness Expert kits.
Beth Sutinis, DK's publishing director for children's books, explains that the inclusion of the CD in the new Eyewitness books was based on kids' obvious interest in clip art featuring images from the series' books. "We have a massive picture library that we've accumulated over time and we've made clip art available on the DK Websites in various countries and it is always the most clicked-on feature of the sites," she says. "In this digital age, kids love to use the clip art for school projects and for fun, so we thought the CD would be a very appealing add-on." Impressively, the publisher was able to keep the cover price of these enhanced editions at $15.99, the same price point as the current backlist Eyewitness titles.
The decision to create wall charts to insert in the new volumes grew out of the popularity of the posters DK has routinely produced for teacher mailings. "We thought that if a child is really interested in a subject—say dinosaurs, knights or pirates—they'd love to have a wall chart to hang in their bedroom wall the same way teachers have used them to decorate their classrooms and librarians to decorate their sections," observes Sutinis.
To determine what subjects to cover in the Eyewitness series, DK conducts ongoing research in the institutional and trade arenas. The publisher has in recent years passed out surveys at ALA conventions and has received what Sutinis calls "great kid feedback" as well as teacher and librarian input through its Web site. Discussing the new books, she explains, "In the case of Chinaand Oil in particular, these are hot-button issues right now that kids are talking about in social studies and current event classrooms." Other brand-new Eyewitness volumes due in 2008 are Vote—obviously a timely topic in an election year—and Forensic Science, which Sutinis labels "a perennial intriguing subject."
Priced at $9.99, Eyewitness Workbooks debut next month with Earth, Human Body, Ancient Rome and Stars & Planets. These are sturdy folders that open to reveal three panels and include a paperback workbook with activities, stickers, a progress chart and certificate of excellence, a map pertinent to the subject and a "turn to learn" wheel presenting over a hundred facts. The Eyewitness Expert series are $29.99 kits that contain an Eyewitness book, a clip art CD and wall chart, a model, map, collectible cards bound into a paperback book and a small-format hardcover guide that chronicles the work of an expert in the relevant field. Due out in the fall in this series are Dinosaur, Ancient Egypt, Bird and Rock & Mineral.
The publisher has a $250,000 marketing campaign in place for the Eyewitness relaunch, which educational marketing manager Jaimie Cona calls "the largest of any campaign I've worked on in my six years with DK." Plans include radio promotion, advertising in educational publications, a brochure targeting retailers and a dedicated Eyewitness Web site featuring quizzes, downloadable activities and a feature explaining how the books are made.
At Children's Book World in Haverford, Pa., owner Hannah Schwartz reports that the four new Eyewitness books, which her store is displaying in a permanent wooden Eyewitness display, are selling well. She notes that sales of Eyewitness books have been strong historically, but that the enhancements "are definitely a perk. I think people are intrigued by the clip art CD, particularly since we are living in such an electronic world."
Sutinis anticipates that DK will publish four to six new frontlist Eyewitness titles annually and will reissue 20 backlist titles in the new format each year, as well as eight to 12 Eyewitness Workbooks and four to six Eyewitness Experts annually. She observes that the Eyewitness design, with its crisp photos of objects positioned against white backgrounds, was revolutionary when DK first introduced the series two decades ago. "There was nothing like it in the market at the time, but of course Eyewitness has had its fair share of imitators over the years," she says. "This is one of the compelling reasons that we need to keep innovating when it comes to this series. It's important to keep a step ahead."
