The Bookseller’s Caroline Horn reports that Walker Books is to double its picture book output to 30 titles a year in 2008, a bold move that underscores the company’s growing confidence in the market. It will also extend its picture book backlist into new formats, including a board game. The push is led by a new deal with acclaimed Taiwanese illustrator Jimmy Liao, who has sold more than five million books worldwide and will make his Âchildren’s debut with author Joyce Dunbar in THE MONSTER WHO ATE DARKNESS (October 2008).
Walker Books picture book publisher Deirdre McDermott hailed the acquisition as “the picture book signing of the decade”. Lesley Agnew, manager of The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, said the move would help specialists and independents. “The choice has been declining for the past 18 months [but] our sales of picture books have always been strong.”