Penguin Putnam Announces Publishing Partnership With DreamWorks SKG

Posted on December 10, 1997

Penguin Putnam Inc. has signed a multi- year strategic license agreement with DreamWorks Consumer Products, it was today by Douglas Whiteman, Executive Vice President of Penguin Putnam. The deal grants Penguin Putnam publishing rights for at least the first five animated feature films for DreamWorks Pictures, as well as the option to propose publishing programs for other DreamWorks properties, including live action motion pictures, animated and live action TV programs and direct-to-video films. Penguin Putnam's rights encompass most book formats with a suggested retail price of $4.00 and above.

Penguin Putnam is currently working on more than two dozen titles in support of the 1997-1998 motion pictures set for release from DreamWorks Pictures.

The first four books shipped in early November and are based on the film Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the true story of a mutiny on board the slave ship Amistad. Signet will publish a mass market paperback adult novelization written by Alexs Pate, the critically acclaimed author of Losing Absolom. For younger readers, Puffin will publish a junior novelization by Joyce Annette Barnes, and Dutton plans a nonfiction account of the incident titled Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers. In addition, Plume will republish Black Mutiny by William Owens, a book that served as one of the historical sources for the film. Amistad is set for release in December.

Penguin Putnam is also developing a range of titles and formats for Small Soldiers (Summer 1998). Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace) and with special effects from Stan Winston Studio and Industrial Light & Magic (The Lost World: Jurassic Park), the film tells the story of a small town that is overtaken by artificially intelligent toys. Grosset & Dunlap plans six titles, including a movie storybook and a top secret dossier, all capturing the innovative look of the film.

In support of DreamWorks' first animated film The Prince of Egypt (Holiday 1998), Penguin Putnam is developing titles in at least a dozen formats, with age-appropriate content for both adults and children, and honoring the ground-breaking animation style of the film. A faithful retelling of the Biblical story of Moses, The Prince of Egypt is an epic film with themes of slavery, faith, and deliverance.