Independent Australian publisher, Wise As Stories, has sold the Simplified Chinese rights for their debut children’s book series, Willow the Wonderer, to Beijing Reader & Thinker Culture Co
For Immediate Release : 23.03.23
Wise As Stories are pleased to announce the first foreign rights sale for ‘Willow the Wonderer’ children's book series.
Respected Chinese publisher, Beijing Reader & Thinker Culture Co, have acquired the Simplified Chinese rights to the first two titles in the series.
The rights sale comes with the option to publish either a Simplified Chinese or a Bi-Lingual (Simplified Chinese and English) edition of the titles across mainland China within 18 months.
Wise As Stories will retain exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Chinese editions, outside of mainland China, as we look to bring a rich, multi-lingual catalogue of books for our readers.
Willow the Wonderer is a new picture book series from debut Australian author, Reeta Dhar, and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Darren Pryce. Conceived at the height of the COVID pandemic, it is a genre defying series of children's books about the search for happiness. Written in verse with beautifully crafted imagery, the stories plant seeds of wisdom and make early childhood learning effortless.
The first title in the series (Willow the Wonderer) was published in Australia in November 2021 and is now in second printing. The second title (Willow the Wonderer - Honey Time) was published in November 2022. Another three titles are planned for release by the end of 2025.
The books have sold all over Australia and been warmly embraced by readers, who consistently leave five-star ratings and reviews online.
Lianwen Wang, Editor at Beijing Reader & Thinker Culture Co. also gave the series a glowing review. He said,
“Willow the Wonderer is a series of well planned and crafted children's books for all the little wonderers. It has a timeless message about looking for happiness within and planting seeds of wisdom. It tells lively and interesting stories in poetic rhythm, presents a wonderful and innocent world with beautifully crafted imagery. Moreover, each volume contains a skill to learn, for example, practicing counting in ‘Willow the Wonderer’ (Book 1), and learning the natural and creative expressions of colour in ‘Honey Time’ (Book 2).”
Speaking of the Australian creatives involved, he added,
“This is truly a rare work full of love. We'd like to commend Reeta Dhar and Darren Pryce, the two founders of Wise As Stories and the image and text authors of Willow the Wonderer. We look forward to our pleasant collaboration and their future creations.”
Reeta Dhar, Co-founder of Wise As Stories and Author of the Willow the Wonderer series, said,
"It’s wonderful to see Willow the Wonderer find a new home in China with Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co. China is rapidly becoming the largest children's book market in the world – and we are thrilled to have our books represented there by an established publisher who shares our focus in education. As a debut author, it's also exciting to see my books get translated into another major spoken language. I am looking forward to working with the editorial team in China through the process."
Darren Pryce, Co-Founder of Wise As Stories and Illustrator of the Willow the Wonderer series added,
"Getting international recognition and representation is an important milestone for Australian creatives and we are grateful to Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co. for their interest and engagement in our work. Closing a foreign rights deal is also a fantastic achievement for our independent publishing venture. We look forward to working with the team in China to promote the Willow the Wonderer series and spread the seeds of wisdom far and wide."
The rights sale was facilitated by Wise As Stories’ Chinese rights agency, CA-LINK International. CA-LINK continue to represent Wise As Stories foreign rights across China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
About Wise As Stories
Wise As Stories is an independent publishing house co-founded in January 2021 by Australian author, Reeta Dhar, and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Darren Pryce. Our purpose is to create beautiful stories that plant seeds of wisdom. These are stories we wish we’d grown up with - stories that help our readers grow in wonder, wisdom and joy. Our books are also designed to make early childhood learning effortless, extending it into the education category. We are a creative owned and led enterprise, developing a novel approach to publishing. We market, distribute and retail our books and gifts through proprietary eCommerce channels, new media platforms and select independent stores around Australia.
About Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co
Beijng Reader and Thinker Culture Co is a wholly owned subsidiary of Beijing Golden Century Botu Culture Co, a cultural entity integrating book research and development, publishing, and distribution. The group employs about 200 people, and publishes books valued at approximately 1billion RMB annually. Established in 2017, Beijing Reader and Thinker Culture Co have developed a rich catalogue of books with a focus on teaching materials for colleges and specialised secondary schools, teaching aids for primary and secondary schools, family education, children’s literature, young adults and the humanities. The company has comprehensive marketing and distribution channels through Xinhua Bookstore, multiple e-commerce stores and new media platforms.
Media enquiries:
Reeta Dhar
Co-Founder & Author
Wise As Stories
+61 405 447 362
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