IDW Kids' Line Lures Screen Writers
By Laura Hudson -- Publishers Weekly, 6/23/2008 12:51:00 PM
Worthwhile Books, the children’s book imprint of comics publisher IDW that launched earlier this year, has announced its upcoming slate of books for fall and spring, including a number of children’s books by Emmy and Peabody award-winning Hollywood screenwriters. Worthwhile has already adapted several titles for the U.S. market through a first-look licensing deal with U.K. publisher Meadowside Books, including Michael Recycle, a story about a young environmental superhero, that had combined pre-orders of 125,000 copies for hardcover and paperback. A sequel, Litterbug Doug, is on the way for spring 2009.
The imprint’s upcoming slate of original books will focus on writers recruited from film and TV, thanks to the Hollywood connections of IDW v-p and creative director Rob Kurtz, who formerly wrote for Boy Meets World and Grace Under Fire. Worthwhile’s fall 2008 line features Vigfus the Viking, a humorous immigrant story by David Sacks, a former writer and producer on The Simpsons and producer on Malcolm in the Middle, and The Town of Zack by Will and Grace writer and That’s So Raven executive producer Dava Savel. Both will be released in October.
More books will follow in spring 2009, including Carl the Frog by David Weiss, a writer for Shrek 2, Jimmy Neutron,and the Rugrats movies; and Seamus McNamus, The Goat Who Would Be King by Rob Kurtz. Worthwhile has already proven it can be flexible in reacting to market demands. When Scholastic Book Fairs ordered 100,000 copies of Michael Recycle, Worthwhile was able to publish the book in two months, Kurtz said.
Kurtz said that despite a lower pay grade, the children’s book genre appeals to television writers because of its creative freedom, something that is far more limited in Hollywood. “The advance I’m paying them is maybe [the equivalent of] one week of their salary,” said Kurtz. “But it’s a passion for them. They’re proven, great writers and they want to write for kids.” And using established film and TV writers means that the path back to Hollywood for screen adaptations may be easier for these properties, “because they’re being written by people that [the studios] know can produce great scripts for them,” Kurtz added.
Worthwhile Books will be distributing its titles through Diamond Book Distributors into the comics shop market, an unusual venue for conventional children’s books. “We are unique that we’re [one of the few] publisher who is getting picture books regularly into comic book stores,” said IDW cofounder Ted Adams.
