Well, I can't say I'm surprised by this news. After seeing both news of both W.I.T.C.H. and Winx hitting the airwaves on Jetix and Fox Box respectively next season, and that they both have book series, I'm not surprised Marathon decided to follow with Totally Spies. Yes, it does seem every entertainment company is trying to follow others into the book market.From marathon.fr
04/15/2004
American giant Simon and Schuster acquires rights for Totally Spies
Marathon has just completed a sale for the North American license of Totally Spies to Simon and Schuster (Viacom group). One of North America’s three largest publishers has acquired exclusive publishing rights (all formats) of the series (with the exception of “Narration book: graphic novel” rights, held by Tokyo Pop). Simon and Schuster plans to set to work immediately on the publication of three titles to be released early 2005. Three other titles are slated for Summer 2005 and then four more by the end of the year. The publisher has made plans to release novels, journals, coloring books, etc. Totally Spies will soon total 104 half-hour episodes (by end 2005) and has been enjoying widespread popularity among viewers all over the world. The series is currently airing twice weekly on Cartoon Network (US) and watched by over 1.8 million viewers.