Farshore’s John Packard talks new launches for Mr. Men Little Miss and Minecraft during the summer.
LicensingSource.net catches up with a selection of licensees across key categories to find out their summer successes and what they see as the highlights and challenges as we enter the ‘golden quarter’ of 2024.
Today: John Packard, publishing director, Farshore.
“We’ve launched two very different, but equally exciting, publishing propositions from Farshore this summer. Firstly, we announced that two new characters will join the Mr. Men Little Miss classic library in September: Mr. Fib and Little Miss Surprise. This will take the total number of characters up to 89. Coverage was fantastic, with the official reveal on BBC’s The One Show, followed by a range of stories in print and online, generating strong pre-orders.
Secondly, as part of Mojang’s 15th anniversary celebrations for Minecraft, we announced the The World of Minecraft, publishing this October. Part of Expanse, Farshore’s imprint creating high-quality, immersive books on video gaming for adults, this book is for older fans and provides the definitive account of how Minecraft came to be the biggest selling video game of all time. Created in collaboration with Mojang, the story is told through exclusive interviews and incredible concept art, celebrating the community of fans and the ways they shaped the game.
We’re thrilled to be publishing two versions, a coffee table hardback as well as a deluxe numbered edition for collectors, alongside our wider programme of Minecraft books for all ages, including activity books, novels and early readers, handbooks and guides, annuals, and an advent calendar, continuing our strategy of publishing high-quality books for all kinds of gaming fans.”
This feature originally appeared in the autumn 2024 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
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