NEWS
TOTAL LICENSING
Books, however, are our messen-
gers—they get read, passed around,
and speak for our artists and series.
We all, in this
Why Books?
They get noticed by future licensees
licensing
or their families. We get letters from
TL: I noticed that you have advertise TL: What happened then?
readers weekly. They also motivate
industry, grow
book licenses frequently, and I became GLM: In America I resolved to only
purchasers to collect them. And so
by new
curious. To my best memory, I don’t be- read English, and started a new collec-
new sequels have a ready-made mar-
lieve we have ever run so frequently ads tion which, by now, numbers around
marketing, new
ket and retail organizations, of course,
referring to books. After all, we are a li- 1,000 books. Later in life, when I had
are aware of it and keep planning the
channels, and
censing magazine, not a already started
series into their future plans. You also
diversification.
book publishers’ journal? to travel to
may be able to motivate retailers to
GLM: Well, this is a sell designs, I
devote space to a boutique concept,
somewhat complicat- discovered the
adding other licensees’ products to an
ed question—but let International
end cap, displaying the entire concept.
Intercontinental
me refer you to our Book Fair in
This is another example of visibility!
slogan: “Books Are Frankfurt and
Licensing’s book
Our sales force can use book samples
Our Passion!” I went totally
as a handy way to show the series and
program was such
crazy. I was like
convince their client to consider a li-
a trend.
TL: What makes you a kid in a video
cense.
say that? or toy shop,
Books, because of their long life-span,
GLM: To explain— and now in my
can bring surprisingly high and con-
maybe I should tell mature life, our
sistent royalties. Books can also serve
Total Licensing met
you a story: When I company, Inter-
seasons, like Christmas with special
was a kid in school, I had a lot of trou- continental, exhibits at some three to
George Medina in
themes. Finally, there are also foreign-
ble learning how to write—but I had five book fairs each year.
language editions once you have be-
New York to find
no trouble learning how to read.
come known.
out more...
My Dad encouraged me by giving me
TL: What do you hope to accomplish by
books and discussing their meaning.
that?
TL: That’s very interesting, but the inspi-
Then I started buying them myself
GLM: Well, you see, over time we
rational market is a special niche—are
from my pocket money. Many were
start many new design-based prop-
there other examples?
not children’s books, but “Grown-Up”
erties but when a book publisher
GLM: Yes! – Take pets: Everyone likes
books.
would approach us, I would always
pets! Famous Japanese photographer
reject the overture, complaining that
Yoneo Morita pioneered the use of
TL: You sound like a somewhat unusual the advance was never compensating
the fish-eye lens in the photography
child. compared to the income many fewer
of puppies and kittens, and other cute
GLM: Well, no—I don’t think so—I designs could create when used on
pets. He is able to give them the hu-
played soccer, skied, hiked, but I spent greeting cards, paper or gift products.
morous appealing quality that has
many hours, often at the expense of After I rejected one more publisher
become known around the world
my school work, lying on my belly de- at the New York Licensing Show, he
under the name “Hanadeka Club”—
vouring page after page. returned again and sold the Artist and
(Hanadeka in Japanese means “big
I set myself many tasks. Amongst them, me around to give it a try after all.
nose”)—and when you look at one
I wanted to read the collected works
of his 4,000 different images, you see
of all the famous classics like Shake-
TL: When was that, and can you tell me
why Hanadeka gift books now come
speare and Goethe or the Iliad.
who was the publisher?
GLM: This then became our series,
in eight different types.
TL: How old were you, and did you think Dear God Kids, written and illustrated
A gifted writer, editor, and publisher,
you understood what you were reading? by Anne Fitzgerald, published by Allied
Helen Exley, of the UK, a leader in
GLM: I am reasonably sure that quite Publishing. It has become a best-seller
the field, helped us reach some 30
a bit went over my head—but books in the ever-growing inspirational mar-
languages.
were my world of games and toys. I ket. With its success and visibility, it
Exley has even reversed the usual or-
nibbled at them for pleasure while led to many other product categories.
der and created other products to go
chewing the sandwiches and cakes Since 2001, the US public has bought
with their books and calendars in a
provided by my mom. more than 6 million books. There are
handy spinner rack.
When we were driven now 27 books, including not only
TL: In conclusion—what are your future
out of Austria in 1938, board-books and children’s Bible sto-
plans in this direction?
I was sixteen and I had ries, but also Interactives and more.
to sell off my whole
GLM: To make our series more entic-
collection of roughly
TL: You mentioned the word “visibility,”
ing, we now select a few of our artists
800 German-language
what do you mean?
to write, illustrate, and design as well
books to a lending-
GLM: We are, after all, a small organi-
as present short initial versions of gift
library for pennies
zation compared to the Disneys and
or children’s books we think could be
because, like many
Warners of our world. We always
successful. By this, we make it easy for
emigrants, we were
hope that, in time, some angel will ap-
a publisher’s editor to see how such a
unable to transport
pear and involve us in a big TV chil-
series might appeal. With this sample,
them away.
dren’s program or movie project, but
we can get the conversation going.
so far it has not happened!
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