Jimmy Gownley announced yesterday that his ongoing series all-ages Amelia Rules will now be sold at the various Scholastic book fairs and clubs that are regularly held in schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. The comics will be repackaged into a special trade edition entitled “Amelia Rules! Funny Stories” and compile Gownley’s favorite stories since he started the series in 2001.
This is a pretty big deal, as I recall Jeff Smith (or someone associated with Jeff Smith) saying something to the effect that the book fairs proved to be a very, very lucrative source of income for the Bone books. Teachers and kids spend gobs of money at these things, so this could prove to be a nice windfall for Gownley.
Full press release after the jump
For Immediate Release
Renaissance Press is pleased to announce that Amelia Rules! will now be carried as part of Scholastic Book Fairs and Clubs nationwide and in Canada.
The special, reformatted, Scholastic edition is entitled “Amelia Rules! Funny Stories” and compiles the very best Amelia Rules! stories since the book’s creation in 2001.
“We’re thrilled that Amelia is going to to be made available to a whole new audience who may have never seen it before,” says cartoonist Jimmy Gownley. “I have fond memories of getting books from Scholastic as a kid. Being a part of this is has been a dream of mine for quite a while.”
“Scholastic is the number 1 kid’s publisher,” Renaissance Press Marketing Director Karen Gownley reports. “The initial order was huge and we’re hoping it’s just the beginning of a long relationship with Scholastic.”
The 128 page “manga-sized” paperback will sell for $4.99. Availability through Scholastic Book Clubs and Book Fairs begins this fall. It will be available to comic book shops and other venues in 2008.
August 3rd, 2007 at 11:48 am
And this is the way you get comics into the hands of kids. I happen to think it’s fantastic news.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:29 pm
And no one deserves this success more than Jimmy. He’s a fantastic creator and a tireless advocate for all kids comics.
Way to go, Jimmy!