Lerner Publisher Services, Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing Group’s distribution arm, announced Wednesday that Barrington Stoke, a Scottish children’s book publisher, has signed with them for exclusive distribution in the U.S. and Canada. Beginning with the spring 2012 season, 12 selected titles from Barrington Stoke’s list, which will be adapted for American readers, will be sold in the U.S. and Canada under the Stoke Books imprint. They will be released simultaneously in paper, library-bound hardcover, and e-book formats. Another 12 titles will be published under the imprint this fall.
Barrington Stoke, which was founded in Edinburgh in 1997, publishes fiction and nonfiction for reluctant and struggling readers ages 8-16. They also publish books for adults, and are known for producing books on cream paper stock to better serve dyslexic readers (cream paper is considered more beneficial for dyslexic readers, as white paper often is too bright for them). The Stoke Books imprint will focus on middle-grade reluctant and struggling readers.
In a statement, David Wexler, executive v-p of sales for Lerner Publishing Group, who oversees Lerner Publisher Services, said, “Barrington Stoke has a breadth of great titles for struggling readers and is known for producing high-quality books by big-name authors including Catherine Fisher and Frank Cottrell Boyce. Lerner Publisher Services will provide them with access to market share that they cannot reach on their own through our established, successful sales and distribution channels.”
Lerner Publisher Services launched this past spring. Stoke Books will be one of eight children’s book publishers distributed by LPS.
