As consumers spend more time on digital devices, publishers are mining the e-world for licenses that might translate into book formats.
(...) Mobile apps present unusual challenges to publishers. One is that, unlike most entertainment properties, most offer very little content to adapt for book publishing, aside from the graphic look, basic character traits, and a premise.
“In most cases you have a great game, but the backstory is not fully fleshed out like a traditional licensed property,” says Bob Traub, president of Established Brands Licensing. He represents Cut the Rope, which has 35 licensees and is about to sign a coloring and activity publisher.
“A lot of times these are people who haven’t done [publishing] before,” adds David Hedgecock, CEO of Ape Entertainment, which publishes digital and print comics tied to Pocket God, Temple Run, Squids, and Cut the Rope, and will debut Fruit Ninja in April. “These are indie studios that created characters that took off. They’re either not set up for licensing or are working out the kinks. But their enthusiasm more than makes up for that. These are creative people who are intimately invested with the process.”
John Leonhardt, president of Dimensional Branding Group, Temple Run’s licensing agent, says app developers can be surprised by the complexity of the book publishing process, even as publishers can be challenged by how little there is to work with.
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