Hodder Children's Books

From The Bookseller http://www.thebookseller.com/news/117038-hachette-childrens-to-launch-e-books.html

Hachette Children`s to launch e-books

22.04.10 | Caroline Horn

Hachette Children`s UK is to launch its first e-book range in May and will make around 120 titles available as e-books this year. The publisher plans to keep the same pricing for its e-books as its printed editions and is moving towards simultaneous publication of printed books and e-books, where possible.

Andrew Sharp, group rights and digital director for Hachette Children`s, said that a combination of factors, including the launch of new technology such as the iPad this year, made 2010 the right time to be publishing an e-book list. "We predict that a growth in e-book sales will happen over the next few years. Looking at the US, it`s only now that e-book sales have exceeded audiobook sales." The company is also developing new apps for its picture books, the first of which is expected to be released this autumn.

Sharp said, "Our e-book publishing is geared towards older readers who are quick to adopt new technologies." Among the first 11 e-book titles to be published in May will be the bestselling The Vampire Diaries by L J Smith (Hodder Children`s Books) which is currently in the Top Ten Children`s Chart. The fifth and sixth Vampire Diaries titles, Nightfall and Shadow Souls, will be published as e-books alongside TV tie-in editions in May. Debut titles will include an e-book edition of Della Says by Keris Stainton (Orchard) that will be released simultaneously with the paperback edition.

Further titles to be released later in the year include the Rose series by Holly Webb (Orchard), Eden Maguire`s Beautiful Dead series (Hodder Children`s) and titles from bestselling teen writers Sarra Manning and Chris Higgins (Hodder Children`s).

Hachette Children`s expects to release the same number of titles as e-books in 2011.