Diamond to distribute Angry Birds books

Diamond has signed with Rovio, maker of the game sensation Angry Birds, to distribute their growing line of books — presumably by launching them from a slingshot through the windows of comics shops, bookstores and mass market retailers around the world.

A worldwide sensation, the Angry Birds game has been downloaded over 400 million times. Angry Birds costumes were the top pick for this Halloween, and their merch is showing up everywhere.

The book line thus far includes doodle books, and a cookbook for — what else? — eggs.

There’s been a lot of talk over when Angry Birds would enter the comics market — one of the creators of the game is a former webcartoonist — so far they have a webcomic based on the recent Harvest Moon game online.

Diamond Comic Distributors has finalized negotiations with Rovio Entertainment to exclusively distribute its new publishing line of books based upon Angry Birds, the wildly popular, bestselling mobile app game. Diamond will represent Rovio Entertainment in book distribution to comic book specialty shops, bookstores, mass-market merchandisers, and other outlets worldwide.

“We’re extremely pleased about our new partnership with Rovio and look forward to expanding the market for Rovio’s new line of books,” said Bill Schanes, Diamond’s VP-Purchasing. “The initial title releases are full of the wit and creativity

“We’re very excited about our new line of Angry Birds books and we think fans worldwide will love them, too,” said Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio’s Mighty Eagle & CMO. “Thanks to Diamond, our distinctive Angry Birds brand has found a nice home to roost for distribution of its new book line.”

It all takes flight with the release of the first of three books: Angry Birds Bad Piggies Egg Recipes (978-952-276-000-5, Hardcover, 104 pages; $14.99), scheduled to be in stores this November. When the hungry Pigs steal their eggs, the Birds unleash their wrath on the swinish swindlers, demolishing everything in their paths. But what do the pigs do with these eggs, anyway? In Angry Birds: Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes readers will find out, and get all kinds of inspirations from 40 egg-centric recipes ranging from scrambled eggs and omelets to eggs benedict and quiche. And if simply eating the eggs isn’t enough, there are tips on egg-themed party games and even a section on egg-based beauty tips.

After a session of destruction, Angry Bird fans may want to indulge their creative side with two distinct Angry Birds: Doodle Books, also scheduled for release this November. Each book features over 100 unfinished drawings which can be finished, colored, or embellished in any way fans see fit! The Angry Birds: The Big Red Doodle Book (978-952-276-002-9, Softcover, 96 pages; $9.99) features the Birds and Pigs in familiar settings from the game, while the Angry Birds: The Big Green Doodle Book (978-952-276-003-6, Softcover, 96 pages; $9.99) takes the Angry Birds and Pigs on vacation to a tropical destination.

Additional Angry Birds books are also planned for release during 2012.

Originally released in December 2009, Rovio’s Angry Birds has become a worldwide phenomenon. The game is consistently the most downloaded application on iPhone, iPad, Android, Nook, and a number of other platforms. Angry Birds games have also been released for PC and Mac. In total, the games have been downloaded over 400 million times.

Rovio is currently expanding its brands into entertainment, books, and merchandising, both in North America The world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels and related pop-culture merchandise, Diamond Comic Distributors makes a wide range of distribution, sales, promotions, and marketing services available to its lineup of publisher and vendors. Diamond works closely with each of them to ensure that their products thrive in worldwide markets, most notably the comic book specialty market.