Usborne Books & More |
|
Usborne books - published by the parent company,
Usborne Publishing in London - are available in the United States
through the Educational Development Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Educational Development Corporation was incorporated in 1965 and
presently has two divisions. Educational Development
Corporation began distributing Usborne books through the Publishing
Division in 1978. The Home Business Division (Usborne Books & More) began its operation on March 1, 1989 and has experienced steady growth since. The Home Business Division distributes Usborne books through independent consultants who sell directly to the consumer via Usborne home showings, direct sales, book fairs, and directly to the school and library market, as well. Though Usborne books were initially a supplement to the corporation's product line, it has grown to become the largest product line for the company! |
| How
Usborne Books Were "Born" |
| The following is
excerpts from an article that appeared in the Tulsa
Tribune on October 8, 1986. Peter Usborne of London in one of the world's leading publishers of children's books - almost all of them nonfiction. No funny little bunnies for Usborne, whose contention is that children like to learn. What they don't like is being bored. "Educational but great fun, too, is the idea of all the books we do," Usborne said. An avid traveler, Usborne said, "You can get an idea (for a book) just by landing at the airport." Usborne came to book publishing with a background of having founded "Private Eye," a British humor magazine. "My wife announced that she was pregnant, and suddenly, it seemed the only thing worth doing in life was doing books for children," he said. But even though he determined to publish books of information, Usborne's impish sense of humor set the tone. "We are selling knowledge and the the idea that acquiring it can be fun," he said. The question was how to convince a grade-school child to delve into a book on business management, archeology, medicine. Usborne began with two theories. "I feel equal to my kids," he said. It made sense to him that children should be addressed as equals. Also, he said, "My theory is that children prefer most other media to books." Usborne evolved a combination of quick, often witty text, bright colors in lots of cartoons and illustrations, packaged in 30 or 40 pages as light as a magazine. The result, he said: "A book that, at first, doesn't look like a book at all." The concept was "an absolute shocker" at the start, he said. But it worked. A survey in England showed that about half of Usborne's books are bought by parents. The other half - bought by children. The pages of all the books are jammed full of text and pictures. "We pack it in," Usborne said. "Children love it." Usborne's books are written by a 70 member staff, and illustrated by hundreds of artists in London. The books are written for age groups from preschool up. As it is, Usborne contends some of his children's books are the best sources of quick information for grown-ups, too. "The American people are wanting better education for their children, " said EDC President Randall White. "That stimulates a demand for better children's books." |
Business Reviews |
| July 1993 – Publishers
Weekly quoted "According to EDC's annual report, the
fastest growing segment at EDC last year was the home
party plan division which saw sales increase 99%..."
September 1993 – Special Investment Situations quotes "The Home Party Plan Division doubled revenues during FY93...makes EDC the only multilevel direct selling company in the U.S. to offer primarily nonfiction educational books for children and has received enthusiastic response in all fifty states." October 1993 – EDC Second Quarter Interim Report "The Home Business Division recorded 160% increase this quarter versus the same quarter last year. Our consultants are becoming much more active, as indicated by the fact that we had an 11% increase in active consultants yet a 160% increase in sales." February 1994 – OTC Growth Stock Watch "Net sales for the Home Business Division were 95% over the same period last year. This division continues to add new consultants as the popularity of selling books in the home increases." January 1995 – Fortune Magazine stated "EDC was listed as the 12th fastest growing stock on NASDAQ for the 1994 year. Sales by it's Amway-like unit soar." February 1995 – Tulsa World "Through at home demonstrations, representatives should generate $3.5 million in sales for 1994, more than doubling the previous year's $1.3 million. And 1995 could easily bring in $8 million... The Home Party Plan is the fastest growing of the company's 3 divisions. ...is far from reaching market saturation... The financial incentive can be substantial for those who hustle. Last month 3 of the company's at home marketers were paid more than $5,000 for their efforts... August 1995 – Tulsa World - Top 25 Investment Guide "Finger sandwiches and coffee aren't the key to Educational Development Corp.'s success. The key is the book-selling parties in which the refreshments are served. EDC's multilevel marketing division is growing 180% a year... In fiscal 1995, which ended Feb. 28, the nearly 3,000 people in the active sales force accounted for 36% - 4.5 million - of the publisher's $12.5 million sales." November 1995 – Forbes - The Best Small Companies in America EDC was recognized as one of the best! January 1996 – Investors Business Daily "Randall White's company is hardly a household name. But a lot of parents in a lot of households have reason to be pleased with White and his firm, Educational Development Corp.. EDC has tapped a market of parents eager to see their children's talents and interests blossom from behind books rather than in front of TV and video game screens. Earnings at the U.S. publisher...have surged in each of the last 3 years. Much of EDC's explosive growth of recent years has occurred in its direct selling Home Business Division. Sales there jumped 167% last year. The number of people selling books had risen from 320 in 1992 to 4,800 now. August 1996 – Tulsa World - Top 25 Investment Guide EDC was listed as #3. "The company continues to grow at a 50% compounded rate and increase its multilevel sales force 100% annually... volume generated by its 7,000 plus sales force has increased..." September/October 1997 – Usborne Books listed in Wealth Building Magazine - 142 Proven Direct Sales Firms: "This list represent some of the most solid companies in this fast growing - and stable - industry." November 1997 – Forbes - The 200 Best Small Companies in America: EDC/Usborne Books was listed for the 2nd time! 1998 – Wealth Builder magazine listed us as a proven direct selling company! 2001 – the PRNewswire reported that the multi-level sales arm of the Company, recorded an increase of 62%, marking the 12th consecutive month that the Home Business Division has produced a sales increase. May 7, 2003
–
Yahoo Finance online - Educational Development
Corporation (NASDAQ: EDUC) reported today that net
sales for the month of April 2003 were $2.6 million,
the largest April in the Company’s history. The Home
Business Division has recorded sales increases every
month since July 2001, a string of 34 consecutive
months. EDC, and its
Usborne Books & More division |