Button Books, an independent publisher of children’s titles based in the U.K. and founded in 2012, has begun to bring its titles to these shores. Starting with a series of picture books and related products using archive illustrations from French illustrator Alain Grée, as well as a series of animal-themed picture books by designer Madeleine Rogers and her studio mibo.
Button’s rights and marketing director, Melanie Arora said that the house aims to create “high quality, high production value books,” that are design- and illustration-led. Early successes in the U.K. centered on activity books and flashcards created from illustrations in previous books, which they will continue to produce and distribute abroad. The house currently produces three to five books per season, and as they “catch up” releasing existing U.K. books in the U.S., they plan to publish 10 books a season.
The first American editions of Button Books’ titles started to release in the U.S. earlier this year, and as the company completes Americanizing the rest of its backlist, all titles will eventually be available. Button Books are distributed in the U.S. by PGW; Button is also branching out in Australia this year, through distributor Hardie Grant.
GMC Books, the U.K. publisher of which Button is an imprint, has “other imprints [that already] distribute in the U.S.,” Arora added, and she believes that Button’s books will be equally appealing to American markets. “The illustrations [in Button’s books] are charming, they’re gorgeous gift books, and they’re selling brilliantly across the U.K. and Europe.” Forthcoming in its spring 2016 list, in addition to further titles in the Grée and mibo series, are standalone titles The London Activity Book and Animal Alphabet.
