Gaia swoops for two more books with the RSPB

Gaia, an imprint of the Octopus Publishing Group, has announced that it will publish two more books with the RSPB

A new puzzle book, RSPB Garden Birdwatcher’s Puzzle Book, will be published on 26th October 2023 in paperback, and a trivia book, RSPB A Little Bird Told Me, will be published on 26th September 2024, in hardback. 

Commissioning editor Nicky Crane made the world all-languages deal with product licensing manager Louisa Skevington at the RSPB, and with authors Dominic Couzens and Charlie Bingham directly.

RSPB Garden Birdwatcher’s Puzzle Book will be the second puzzle book Gaia has published with the RSPB. The new puzzle book focuses specifically on birds that can be seen “from the comfort of our doorstep” and will be “packed” with over 1,000 questions, word puzzles and brainteasers. The book will test readers’ knowledge on the birds in their gardens, from the goldfinch and nuthatch to the beloved robin, covering topics including biology, migration, the garden environment, and British garden birds in history and culture, and includes a colour section to test identification.

The third book, RSPB A Little Bird Told Me, will be “a beautiful, illustrated book packed with bird-related trivia, with a Christmas theme running throughout". The publisher says: “This will be a treasure trove of incredible facts, for anyone wanting to learn more about our feathered friends, and an ideal gift for the festive season.”

Bird expert Dominic Couzens will author both books, and nature writer Charlie Bingham will co-author the trivia book. Puzzle-setters and authors Dr Gareth Moore and Laura Jane Eyres have also been brought on board for the new puzzle book.

Crane said: “It’s been a joy working with Louisa and the team at RSPB on the first puzzle book, and so thrilled to be able to extend our publishing programme with them here at Gaia. In fact, we’ve become a hub of birding books, with Flock Together’s Outsiders and Hamza Yassin’s hugely exciting upcoming title, Be a Birder! We know interest in birdwatching has grown massively over the past few years – and it’s so exciting to be adding these beautiful books to the list, perfect for the casual bird-spotter or the more serious birder, and celebrating the beautiful birds we have in our country.”

Louisa Skevington from the RSPB said: “We are delighted with the response to the first puzzle book and are excited to be expanding our slate of titles with Gaia. The two new titles will again be fun, eye-catching and educational and it’s wonderful to be appealing to a wide audience of puzzle-lovers, nature-lovers and curious minds with our publishing programme.”