HarperCollins Launches 360, A "Global Publishing Program" For Authors

PublishersLunch

In a move that underscores publishers' growing desire to maximize the territorial rights they control through direct publishing in a possible markets, HarperCollins announced Wednesday morning that they will launch a new "global publishing program" called HarperCollins 360, starting July 1. The initiative's goal "is to ensure that all books published by any division of HarperCollins around the world are available in print or digital format in all English-language markets."
In other words, Harper will make certain they are publishing into the US market any titles originated by Harper divisions in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India and Canada where they have the rights to do, comprising approximately "50,000 print books and 40,000 e-books...limited only by the rights held, not by technology or geography."
The program will start with Harper UK titles "moving to HarperCollins 360's US team." Jean Marie Kelly is leading that team and takes the title Affiliate Publisher, HarperCollins 360. She will "manage the editorial pipeline and all marketing and publicity efforts" and work closely with president of sales Josh Marwell and group international publisher Chris Wold in the UK "to ensure each book is published to its fullest potential." Harper's Canadian and Australian books will also be available in the US by the end of the year.
"It is our responsibility to provide our authors with the broadest possible reach through our global print and digital publishing platforms, regardless of where their books originate," said HarperCollins president and ceo Brian Murray in a statement. "We are establishing new publishing roles, with marketing and publicity support, to maximize the global influence of our authors. Our vision is to have the entire HarperCollins book catalog available for customers in all major territories for which we have rights." Harper will draw on "new POD partnerships and the technology co-located in our warehouses in the US, UK and Australia" to broadly provide both print and ebook editions.
Harper UK ceo Victoria Barnsley added: "We are thrilled to be able to more effectively publish HarperCollins UK titles into the US market. We see this as a big growth opportunity for our authors and their work." How agents will see Harper's increasing move into global publishing, however, remains in question. Harper spokesperson Erin Crum believes that "this new program will provide an additional significant reason for authors to sign world English right deals with HarperCollins and we welcome and encourage this kind of deal to maximize our authors' presence globally.
Similarly, publishing across borders was the topic of a number of interesting panels at last week's Publishers Launch BEA conference as well. Spain's Blanca Rosa Roca has launched Barcelona eBooks, publishing digitally (and via POD) in English. Their first author is an American, Noah Gordon, "who sells millions of copies in Spain" but wasn't published previously in the US. (Barcelona eBooks has a distribution partnership with Open Road.)
Spanish publishing consultant Javier Celaya predicted that multiple international publishers will launch digital publishing ventures focused on English-language editions and the US market. "European publishers are not looking only at your market," Celaya said, "they are looking at international markets." He added, "If you translate a book into English, it becomes an international product," for product sale around the world but also as a more accessible version for potential licensees in other languages. Celaya suggested that "you're going to see more publishers creating 'American-like' products," completed with Americanized author names and titles, "so that they can penetrate the market." The big international publishers "have the clout and the business structure to create those kind of products."
Indeed, at last October's Publishers Launch Frankfurt, Mondadori executive Riccardo Cavallero announced the publisher's plan "to launch our authors in English directly into English-speaking markets" in ebook form. That venture is due to launch later this year, beginning with roughly 50 to 70 titles.

Another Launch BEA panel on exports of US titles in both printed and ebook form portrayed how the expansion of localized international internet ebookstores has worked hand in hand with growing ebook "exports." As former S&S international sales executive (now with txtr) Dan Vidra said, "the digital sales are following the online sales explosion." Baker & Taylor chief executive David Cully noted that "one of the things that has been surprising and wonderful is the number of internet bookselling operations...in developing markets around the world. There are great indigenous online booksellers" in many countries where international companies are not yet dominant. Cully added, "I think it is apparent to everyone that the old world of rights can't stand. The rights barriers that we once dealt with are falling." (He underscored that B&T "abides by all the rights information that are in ONIX feeds.")