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New OUP Bookworms as ELT market hots up

01.05.08 Alison Flood

Oxford University Press is fighting back against increasing competition in the ELT market with the relaunch of its 200-plus Bookworms Library readers, and a new series of short stories from around the world.

The global relaunch, which kicks off this month, follows “extensive” international market research. The 218-strong Bookworms Library series is being rejacketed and updated, maintaining the Bookworms branding but increasing the picture size to fill the whole cover, and including pictures of film stars to increase student appeal. OUP has also provided more grading information to make it easier for teachers to select the right level.

“The market is becoming more and more competitive,” said product manager Harriet Seymour. “Lots of publishers are entering the arena, but we were the first series there, and we are really going to push our branding with the new World Stories.”

The World Stories series launches with eight titles, featuring stories from around the world illustrated by local artists, and will be expanded in the future. The books are written in different “world Englishes” such as Botswanan English, Malaysian English and Indian English.

“One of the aims of these titles is to bring the best of the world’s stories to the English-language learner, gently introduce different world Englishes, and show that it is not always necessary to conform to native-speaker models,” said series editor Jennifer Bassett. “This is the new zeitgeist in the ELT world,” Seymour added.

The eight launch titles are priced between £4.25 and £5.25, and can be purchased with audio. They include The Meaning of Gifts: Stories from Turkey; Changing their Skies: Stories from Africa; and The Long White Cloud: Stories from New Zealand.

As part of a global marketing campaign for the relaunch, OUP will provide booksellers around the world with point of sale material, including spinners, counter packs and posters. It will also advertise in ELT media, with publicity to include story competitions with papers around the world.

ELT Oxford University Press OUP Alison Flood

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