Mattel taps Simon & Schuster to sell its upcoming books

The toyco has named the publisher as its first sales and distribution partner for Mattel Press Imprint, which launches next year.
June 15, 2023

Gearing up to launch its own publishing imprint next year, Mattel has teamed up with US publisher Simon & Schuster to sell its upcoming books in North America.

As the first sales partner for Mattel Press Imprint, S&S will handle sales and distribution in both the US and Canada for book titles based on the toyco’s most popular brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels and Thomas & Friends. Under the deal, which comes into play on July 1, the publisher will also distribute titles from Mattel’s existing American Girl Publishing Imprint.

Announced in March, Mattel Press Imprint is on track to launch a first range of titles next year. Its focus is on publishing print books, audiobooks and digital e-books, and also supporting these titles with events and marketing initiatives.

Publishing is a growing area of business for Mattel, which already has licensing deals in place with Penguin Random House, Italy’s Panini (magazines) and Bendon Publishing. The company’s first foray into publishing its own books has been pretty successful so far. Since launching in March, the American Girl Publishing Imprint has sold 160 million copies at retail. Now Mattel is looking to replicate these results for its other brands.

In preparation for next year’s big publishing push, Mattel acquired video-calling app Caribu in 2022. It allows kids to read books together with friends and family members through interactive video calls. The toyco used the platform in February to launch digital versions of several new American Girl books.

About The Author
News editor for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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