Chronicle Books Marks 25 Years of Its Gift Publishing Program
The celebrated book publisher is also home to innovative stationery, journals, games, desk accessories, and more
SAN FRANCISCO, JUNE 11, 2018: Known by its distinctive spectacles logo as the publishing company that sees things differently, Chronicle Books will celebrate 25 years of its gift publishing program this year.
When Chronicle Books launched its gift program in 1993, the company became the first book publisher to aggressively expand into gift and stationery products such as journals, notecards, and calendars. Now 25 years later, gift products are essential to Chronicle Books’ mission and represent one third of all new titles Chronicle Books publishes. Chronicle Books releases an average of 300 new titles each year: about 100 gift products and 200 adult and children’s books.
In addition to stationery and calendars, Chronicle Books’ gift offerings now include sticky notes, postcards, pens and pencils, coasters, guided journals, board games, playing cards, desk accessories, ice pop molds, tarot decks, and more. Although these titles all look very different, what unites them is Chronicle Books’ instantly recognizable spirit and creativity.
Chronicle Books Publisher Christine Carswell notes, “For decades, Chronicle Books has been challenging and changing publishing expectations. We’ve expanded the definition of what it means to be a publisher by bringing the enduring magic of books into new and surprising formats. And we’ve expanded the landscape of where publishers sell by going beyond bookstores to so many other places where readers and gift-givers shop.”
Chronicle Books’ bestselling gift series include the 52 Deck series (8 million copies sold), the Letters to My series (2 million copies sold), the 642 Things series (1.8 million copies sold), and the One Line a Day series (1.6 million copies sold). Bestselling individual gift titles include The Pregnancy Journal (1.6 million copies sold), The Yoga Deck (765,000 copies sold), and My Quotable Kid Journal (458,000 copies sold).
An Artful Beginning
Chronicle Books was already the established leader in illustrated books and a pioneer in the specialty retail channel when it began its gift publishing program 25 years ago. Chronicle Books quickly began building on its strengths with early gift bestsellers like ArtBox Frida Kahlo, Griffin & Sabine Writing Box, Deborah Schenck Blossoms Notecards, and Fay’s Friends Address Book, which featured William Wegman’s photographs and a fuzzy cover to simulate a Weimaraner’s coat.
Gift publishing created new ways for customers to experience Chronicle Books’ existing bestsellers, and it allowed the creative team to find unique, powerful ways to present visual artists’ work. Suddenly Chronicle Books’ editors and designers were no longer constrained by traditional book formats. They now had the freedom to look at an artist’s work, or an author’s words, and think about the best way to present it—whether that meant a traditional book, or a new format like a stationery kit or desk calendar. A wave of creativity followed.
Gifted Experimentation
Experimentation led to one of Chronicle Books’ biggest gift successes. When a team discovered a shared enthusiasm for gold foil, Publishing Director Christina Amini encouraged them to push the idea as far as they could. The result became one of Chronicle Books’ bestselling gift titles: Gold Standard Noteblock, a pad of paper that looks just like a gold bar, complete with beveled edges and a seemingly engraved gold-foil wrapper. The angle of cut on the beveled edges turned out to be technically very difficult, eventually wearing out the printer’s beveling machine—but they happily purchased new machinery to shape the many reprints. Gold Standard Noteblock has gone on to sell over 100,000 copies. The same design team has created other paper doppelgängers, including the Pad of Butter and Chocolate Notepad.
The flyaway success of the Letters to My series (created with artist Lea Redmond) has a lot to do with its ingenious design. Each bound book in the series features lined pages with prompts to write letters to an important person in your life: your future self, your new baby, your grandchild, or your romantic partner. Each blank letter smartly folds out for ease of writing, seals up tightly, and then remains attached to the spine to be opened by the lucky recipient at some point in the future. The Letters to My series began in 2014 and now has more than 20 different titles and sparked a spin-off Little Letters series.
Chronicle Books has also released gift products in partnership with international brands such as Disney•Pixar, Lucasfilm Ltd., HBO, DC Comics, Star Trek™, Pantone, Marimekko, and more.
Looking Ahead
In this 25th anniversary year, Chronicle Books will debut an innovative new line of desktop accessories and games, moving beyond the paper realm to include Magic Library, a wooden Jacob’s Ladder toy that emulates a book stack; a foldable Desktop Buddy to hold your supplies while you work; and The Never-Ending Notepad, a ceramic list-maker sold with a dry-erase pen, which won the Best Desk Accessory Award at the London Stationery Show in April 2018. Earlier this year Chronicle Books released three gift items tied to Congressman John Lewis’s National Book Award-winning graphic novel series March: a postcard set, a journal, and a pair of enamel pins. In Fall 2018 Chronicle Books will release the party games Drinkin’ with Lincoln and Vampyre Hearts; the Bibliophile Ceramic Vases designed to look like books created with artist Jane Mount; and the Go-To Notebook line in collaboration with Mohawk Fine Papers.
I See Chronicle Books Everywhere
Right from the beginning, Chronicle Books recognized that its publishing could reach people even if they weren’t shopping in a bookstore. That’s why, in addition to bookstores, Chronicle Books titles can be found in gift stores, clothing boutiques, pet stores, wineries, hotels, and spas—even car washes! The success of Chronicle Books’ gift titles allows the company to bring more content to more people in more different retail environments, encouraging gift stores to carry more books and bookstores to carry more gift merchandise.
Chronicle Books President Tyrrell Mahoney said, “Chronicle Books has been in the publishing vanguard for decades because of what we make and how we sell. When people need a gift, they know to look for the glasses for one that will bring surprise and delight.”
With the support of many retailers and fans around the world, a book powerhouse has become a gift powerhouse as well. “Chronicle Books has remained the leader in gift markets because of our unique products,” said Lisa Bach, Director of Independent Special Sales. “They’re designed to be something very special you want to share, something that will be really appreciated as a gift. You see our titles everywhere because retailers count on us to deliver gift publishing that sells. And it does.”