Macmillan Children’s Books signs a new deal with InvestiGators creator John Patrick Green amid a sales surge
Macmillan Children’s Books has announced an expanded program of publishing with John Patrick Green, the author-illustrator mastermind behind the graphic novel series InvestiGators. The agreement, for 7 titles across the InvestiGators and the companion Agents of S.U.I.T. series, comes as the series enjoys a 134% sales increase through the UK TCM. The deal takes the combined series to 19 titles with publishing running through to the end of 2028.
The deal, for UK and Commonwealth Rights, was done by Cate Augustin, Editorial Director at Macmillan Children’s Books, with Kristin Dulaney at Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group in the US, where the books are published under MCPG’s First Second graphic novel imprint.
2025 will herald a new look for the core InvestiGators series, with refreshed covers rolling out from January, reinvigorating the books’ appeal to existing and new readers alike. An extensive year-round comms campaign including on demand TV advertising, extensive retailer promotions and wide-reaching partnerships will launch in January. The eighth book in the series, Class Action, will publish in paperback on January 30th, followed by Wild Ghost Chase in April, book three in the Agents of S.U.I.T. series for which John collaborates with Christopher Hastings and Pat Lewis. June will see John back in the UK with a major tour, which for the third consecutive year will coincide with Independent Bookshop Week. The tour will include large scale public events and signings as well as multi school events. A further new title, Case Files, will publish in September, a special interactive instalment in the series where Mango and Brash will be asking their readers for help in cracking the case, capitalising on the trend of narrative puzzle books.
InvestiGators: High Rise Hi-Jinks was one of 2024’s most in demand World Book Day £1 books. As part of the World Book Day activities John took part in one of Waterstones’ largest ever virtual multi school events on World Book Day itself, reaching over 41,000 children in the UK and Ireland as well as schools in the United States, Uganda, Switzerland, Poland, Oman, Norway, Mauritius and Italy.
The InvestiGators series, which is a favorite amongst teachers and librarians as well as young readers, is also gaining recognition from judging panels. The seventh book in the series, All Tide Up, won its category in the inaugural Scholastic Graphic Novel Award. All Tide Up was also shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Award and Heist and Seek won the Spark! Book Award.
