Hachette Children’s signs Pokémon publishing deal

Hachette Children’s Group will this year publish three Pokémon titles after signing a publishing deal with The Pokémon Company International.

The three titles - Pokémon: Pokémon Creative Colouring: Official (p/b, £6.99), Pokémon: The Pokémon Sticker Book: Official (p/b, £4.99) and Pokémon: The Pokémon Encyclopedia: Official (h/b, £8.99) - will be released 17th November as part of a deal brokered between Katie Price, licensing director at HCG, and Amy Levenson, publishing manager at The Pokémon Company International.

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment, and the official Pokémon website.

Price said: “It is extremely exciting to be a part of the popular Pokémon brand and we are thrilled to be able to put three different formats at a range of price points into the market in 2016. This deal is in line with the Hachette Children’s Group’s strategy to become a key player in the licensing arena.”

Pokémon experienced a surge in popularity this year after the release of a mobile game in July that now has more than 20 million active users.

Other publishers with Pokémon titles include Century, which acquired the rights to The Pokémon Book of Joy in August, and www.thebookseller.com/news/prh-acquires-first-official-inspirational-pok-mon-book-380836">Scholastic, which is responsible for The Official Pokemon Handbook and The Official Pokemon Collector’s Sticker Book.