Monday 4 November 2013

Alliance Backs New Kid on the Book Block

Less than four months after announcing its move to independence, children's book publisher David Fickling Books (DFB) has confirmed it will join the UK's Independent Alliance to cement its leading position among smaller publishing firms.

The Independent Alliance is, with the arrival of DFB, a global alliance of 11 independent UK publishers. Members share a common vision of editorial excellence, original, diverse publishing, innovation in marketing and commercial success.

Stephen Page, CEO of Faber & Faber, said: "We've long admired David's publishing, his commitment to his authors and to quality reading; so, it was entirely natural to invite David Fickling Books to join the Independent Alliance at the earliest opportunity and they will be the first dedicated children's publisher in the group."

Said David Fickling: "We were genuinely thrilled that the Independent Alliance called on us so quickly and we have no hesitation in joining their ranks. We love their drive and energy, both in publishing and among the wider independent creative industries.

"DFB, previously an imprint within Random House, has published authors including Philip Pullman, Mark Haddon and John Boyne. Earlier this year (July 2013) they were voted winner of the Branford Boase award when Dave Shelton's ,A Boy and a Bear in a Boat carried off this coveted annual prize for children's books. It is the third time in the last seven years that DFB has scooped this award.

David added: "Despite the pressures, we really believe that independent publishing has been enjoying something of a renaissance this century and that the best is yet to come."

Background

DFB

Based in Oxford, DFB operates alongside its sister company, which publishes the children's comic, The Phoenix, to form a unique story-house in the heart of the city. Their first titles under the new name are scheduled for spring 2014.

Independent Alliance

The founding publishers of the Independent Alliance were Faber and Faber, Atlantic Books, Canongate, Icon Books, Portobello Books, Profile Books and Short Books, who came together in partnership in July 2005. Serpent's Tail, part of Profile Books and Granta Books joined in 2007 and Constable & Robinson in 2013. Faber and Faber provides the sales force and administrative team for Independent Alliance publishers and, from March 2008, The Book Service Ltd (TBS) became the sole distributor.

Read more about the Independent Alliance

See also our What the Papers Say page for online coverage of DFB.