Penguin UK and Diamond Book Distributors have confirmed they will soon begin selling Doctor Who books in North America.
Previously, Penguin UK’s selection of Doctor Whobooks, mostly Young Adult novels and comics which tie-in with the show, have only been available in the US and Canada when imported by specialty shops like ThinkGeek, who offer them with steep mark-ups.
The new deal with DCD will allow these books to be made directly available to North American retailers, and thusly available to the growing legion of American Doctor Who fans at reasonable prices
The catalog contains over a hundred books, including novels, episode guides, activity books, sticker portfolios, and even a Where’s Waldo style large format seek-and-find book dubbed Doctor Who: Where’s the Doctor, with illustrations based on the most current season.
It was not detailed why Penguin’s own North American distribution channels – currently mostly used for their Penguin Classics line – are not being leveraged. It is also unclear how this will interact with the Doctor Who comics properties already distributed in the US, the rights for which are owned by IDW Comics.
“Doctor Who has been one of the growing brand licenses for Diamond and we’re happy to be selling the Penguin Books UK line in North America,” said Bill Schanes, VP-Purchasing for Diamond Comic Distributors. “These books haven’t [previously been] directly available from any US source except for those that might have imported a small quantity.”
The books are expected to hit stores throughout North America sometime this year.
