by Dennis Abrams

Nosy Crow Managing Director Kate Wilson announced that the Dutch publisher Gottmer will be publishing a full range of Nosy Crow’s award-winning storybook apps in Dutch, beginning with Nosy Crow’s acclaimed Three Little Pigs app, described by The Huffington Post as “nothing short of a masterpiece.”

Nosy Crow’s cutting-edge apps are highly interactive multimedia experiences for children aged two to seven. The apps blend text, animation, original music and child narration, combined with the unique features of touchscreen devices. Wilson says: “Our work with Carlsen in Germany and Gallimard in France over the last year has proven to us that there are business model advantages in a digital version of a co-production approach. It means that everyone gets a great app while managing their financial risk. Just as importantly, the partner publishers bring their publishing skills to create the best possible foreign-language version that will appeal to parents and children in their own language. And we know that they can provide the kind of publicity and connection with consumers that will make the apps visible — and successful — in their own countries.

Finding a Dutch partner was an obvious next step. Not only does Gottmer have its own positive experiences of making and selling apps based on its own books, but they have been particularly enthusiastic about Nosy Crow’s print titles, having bought 86% of our 2011 picture and board book list.”Melanie Lasance, Publishing Director of Gottmer, says:

“We are very excited to be embarking on this new adventure together with Nosy Crow. Gottmer, in its 75th year of existence, is eager to explore all the new possibilities that are out there in this rapidly evolving market. We have successfully published 14 apps in the past months, and have worked closely with Nosy Crow on a substantial number of print projects. We feel confident that this new co-operative venture with the Nosy Crow team will take our digital output to a higher level. Nosy Crow has developed wonderful picture book apps that reflect their fresh, innovative and child-centered approach to publishing, which is the same approach that we at Gottmer strive for, so it feels only natural that our two companies should engage in this partnership.”