Fremantle sells world English rights to Sally Morgan board book ‘I Love Me’

Fremantle Press has sold world English-language rights to Sally Morgan’s board book I Love Me (illus by Ambelin Kwaymullina) to Andrews McMeel Publishing, part of Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU), in North America.

Fremantle Press CEO Jane Fraser told Books+Publishing that the deal came out of this year’s Visiting International Publishers (VIPs) program in May, where Fraser met with AMU president and publisher Kirsty Melville.

‘I had a meeting with Kirsty Melville … and showed her our new board book edition of I Love Me,’ said Fraser. ‘It’s a beautifully illustrated book that celebrates individuality and promotes self-esteem in Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Aware that AMU publish board books and have rigorous marketing, I thought this would be a great fit for their list. Kirsty knew straight away it was for them.’

Fraser also emphasised how important the VIPs event is for small publishers. ‘[It] gives Australian publishers without the budget to travel to all the international book fairs the opportunity to present their books to a range of foreign agents and publishers.’ She added: ‘For the past few years I have been focusing on selling rights to our children’s books into North America because, like here, their children’s book market is steady and growing. This means they are open to new content and every now and then the stars align.’

AMU senior editor Jean Lucas said: ‘We have been wanting to expand our board book line, so this project is a great fit for AMU. We embrace a creator-first approach in every sense—identifying talent, opening opportunities, and bringing their unique creative voice to the world.’

I Love Me was longlisted in the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs), and has been published in hardback, paperback and board book formats.

Category: Junior Local news Rights and acquisitions