Brand owner and creator Charlotte Reed has appointed Larkshead Media to manage global licensing for ‘May The Thoughts Be With You’, the delightful new property that combines thoughtful, positive and funny messages with witty cartoons in what has become an unlikely publishing success.
‘May The Thoughts Be With You’ is loved for its optimism and positive outlook. But it began life as a response to something that wasn’t positive at all: a debilitating bout of depression that Charlotte Reed suffered in 2008.
To aid her recovery, Charlotte posted upbeat thoughts on her Facebook page, thoughts that her friends liked and that, over time, inspired illustrations, characters, and finally a book that Charlotte sold from a stall in London’s Portobello market.
Her book’s winning combination of humour, honesty and cheerfulness gained Charlotte an audience and her book became a self-publishing success, attracting visitors from many countries to Charlotte’s stall.
It also attracted the attention of Hay House Publishing, which offered her a global book deal. ‘May The Thoughts Be With You’ has now become a hit in both English-language and translated editions across a number of countries.
SaysCharlotte, “It’s extraordinary that a simple but heartfelt response to one of the lowest points in my life has developed into something that has touched so many people. I’m so excited to be starting this licensing journey and looking forward immensely to bringing the ideas and imagery of May The Thoughts Be With You to an even bigger audience.”
In the light of this success a few people suggested that the appealing messages, arresting imagery and amusing characters like the Shoeless Guru, Betty and her clever cat and the Happy Hippy could be ideal for a licensing programme. They were not alone. ‘May The Thoughts Be With You’ was presented at Licence This!, the annual competition at BLE designed to introduce new properties to licensing.
It not only got the judges’ approval but won first prize — and gained the support of Larkshead, which is now building a licensing programme for the property.
The programme will be introduced at BLE on the May The Thoughts Be With You stand number J14 in October.
Says Clare Piggott, Director of Licensing and Merchandising, Larkshead Media, “Charlotte’s is an extraordinary story and ‘May The Thoughts Be With You’ is an extraordinary property. Uplifting messages around themes of mindfulness, care and love are not unusual but none combine the wit and originality that has made ‘May The Thoughts Be With You’ such a big word-of-mouth hit. We are sure that, managed with the same care and attention that has brought the book to an ever-increasing international market, this will be a very popular licensing programme.”
With a core target market of young adult females and males, the early category focus for the brand will be on paper products such as greeting cards, gift wrap and notebooks and gifting.
Apparel notably t-shirts and nightwear is also seen as having strong potential. The evident appeal of the book to the very young offers another potential market for the brand in the longer term.
It’s quite a jump from Facebook and self-publishing to translated editions and a licensing deal. But Charlotte isn’t letting success go to her head.
So, if you fancy finding out more and you’re in the area, the book is still available at Charlotte’s stall on Portobello Road!
