Welbeck and Tibor Jones launch children's fiction partnership

Welbeck Publishing is partnering with creative studio Tibor Jones to develop children's fiction projects.

The partnership kicks off with The Boy Behind the Wall, the launch title for new children's imprint Welbeck Flame.

Set in Berlin in 1967 and inspired by the true story of a student’s balloon being shot down, The Boy Behind the Wall explores an unlikely friendship between two boys either side of the Berlin Wall, who communicate as pen pals under the watchful eyes of the Stasi, using lemon juice as invisible ink.

The story has been in development since 2015 and has been a collaboration between multiple writers and creatives, including two German editors, using the pseudonym Maximillian Jones.

Welbeck has world rights to the title, which is released on 14th October 2021, with a sequel underway for 2022. Welbeck Children’s will handle all publishing rights, with Tibor Jones handling all film and merchandise.

Kevin Conroy Scott, co-founder of Tibor Jones, said: “I started the Tibor Jones Studio to bring truly unique and memorable children's fiction to the market and I am so thrilled that we will be partnering with Welbeck and their innovative and dedicated new team on this and many other brilliant projects for years to come.”

Welbeck executive director Mark Smith commented: “The creativity and imagination of Kevin and his team at Tibor Jones are unmatched in the children’s space and Welbeck is delighted to have entered into this collaboration. The Boy Behind the Wall is the first of many new projects that we’ll work on together and we have every intention of bringing these joint projects to global audiences across multiple platforms.”