Three years after it was founded by retired Publications International president Richard Maddrell, Cottage Door Press is expanding at such a rapid pace that it has already outgrown its headquarters in Barrington, Ill. The publisher of board books and picture books for babies and toddlers up to age three is moving this summer into a larger space in another Chicago suburb, Deerpark, to better accommodate its growing staff, which has doubled in size from the original nine to 20 employees.
Cottage Door, which debuted with 18 releases in 2015, will have 150 titles in print by the end of this year. The titles are conceived, designed, and produced in-house, with freelance artists illustrating the books written by Cottage Door’s creative team. Fifteen titles are being released this spring, and 25 this fall, for a total of 35 frontlist releases in 2017. While marketing manager Melissa Tigges declined to disclose Cottage Door’s net revenues, she noted that the company is on a solid upward trajectory: 2017 net revenues are expected to be double the previous year’s revenues.One of Cottage Door’s debut 2015 releases, Grandma Wishes, a board book written by Julia Lobo and illustrated by Helen Rowe, has sold 265,000 copies to date, making it the company’s bestselling title.
While [the company] attributes much of its success to producing high-quality books and marketing them to indies, Barnes & Noble, and the big-box retailers, as well as to Amazon, Tigges also credits its success to latching on quickly to current trends. The publisher has tried out popular formats such as padded board books, books with flaps to lift, touch-and-feel books, books that make sounds, and books made with engineered paper. Expansion plans include jumping on the current trend of books with STEM and STEAM content, with books aimed at babies and toddlers, as well as publishing books for slightly older readers, ages four and five.
Recently, Cottage Door entered into its first two licensing agreements, with the Smithsonian Institution and with Kids II (Baby Einstein). The partnership with the Smithsonian, to develop board books for babies and toddlers up to age five, will focus on interactive books about natural habitats and the environment. The first four titles will be released this fall, with plans to continue to release three to five titles each year in the Smithsonian Kids line.
The Baby Einstein collaboration also will feature interactive board books, with the first four titles to be released this fall; Cottage Door intends to release six to eight titles each year under the Kids II brand.
