Jess Brallier

Last updated

Jess M. Brallier (born May 31, 1953) is a publisher working in various media, genres, and formats, such as bestselling books, popular web sites, apps, and virtual worlds including Poptropica, one of the Internet's largest virtual worlds for kids. [1] He helped launch bestselling brands such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Galactic Hot Dogs; and extended the Poptropica brand into toys, global education, and books. He is also the author or co-author of 31 books, [2] including Lawyers and Other Reptiles.

Contents

Jess M. Brallier JessBrallier Photo.png
Jess M. Brallier

Publishing career

Jess Brallier initially held marketing positions for trade book publishers, including Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Little Brown, and Addison Wesley. In 1992, Brallier founded the children's publishing imprint, Planet Dexter. [3] [4]

In 2007, Brallier launched Poptropica, the online role-playing website for kids. [5] Readers actively participate in stories on the website with their own virtual characters (“avatars”). [6]

Poptropica became the world's largest virtual world for kids: Visitors from more than 130 countries enjoyed the site in more than 100 languages, and the site averages 10 million kids a month. [7] [8] It was named one of Time Magazine's 50 Best Websites and one of Family Fun magazine's top 10 fun websites. [9] [10]

Brallier used the website FunBrain to be the first to publish Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid online in 2004, two years before the property was published in print. [11] In 2013, Brallier did likewise with the virtual graphic novel series Galactic Hot Dogs. [12]

Brallier served as Senior Vice President and Publisher of Pearson's Family Education Network, an online publisher for parents, teachers, and reference readers. [7] Family Education Network operated Funbrain and Poptropica until it was acquired by Sandbox Partners in 2015. [1]

Of the 30+ published books that Brallier authored or co-authored, half are adult titles and half children's books. [13]

Brallier also won book publishing's Literary Marketplace Individual Achievement Award in recognition of his marketing campaign for three New York Times bestsellers: Reinventing Government by David Osborne, Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White, and Touchpoints by T. Berry Brazelton. [4]

Brallier also is a keynote speaker. [14]

Personal life

A native of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, Brallier is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (B.A.) and Boston University (M.S.). He and his wife reside in New York City. Brallier works out of Boston and New York. [4] They have two adult children, one of whom is Max Brallier, author of Galactic Hot Dogs. [1]

Books

Tess's Tree (illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)
Presidential Wit and Wisdom: Maxims, Mottoes, Sound Bites, Speeches, Asides, and Memorable Quotes from America’s Presidents with Sally Chabert
Celebrate America with Sally Chabert
Lawyers and Other Reptiles
Lawyers and Other Reptiles II: The Appeal
Y2Kids: Your Guide to the Millennium
Medical Wit and Wisdom: The Best Medical Quotations from Hippocrates to Groucho Marx with Sally Chabert
The Hot Dog Cookbook: The Wiener Work the World Awaited
The Pessimist’s Journal of Very, Very Bad Days with Richard McDonough
The Pessimist’s Journal of Very, Very Bad Days of the 1980s with Richard McDonough
This Book Really Sucks!
“Whaddaya Doin’ in There?!” A Bathroom Reader for Kids
Play Ball!
Money Madness
The Cocktail Hour with Sally Chabert
Write Your Own Living Will with Bradley E. Smith
Bouncing Science
Hairy Science
Shadowy Science
Thumbs Up Science
Who Was Albert Einstein?.
Calculator Mania
Shake, Rattle, and Roll! Cool Things to Do with Dice
Going, Going, Gone: This Book Disappears!
Magnetic Pattern Blocks The Really, Really Classy Donald Trump Quiz Book

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dav Pilkey</span> American cartoonist and author (born 1966)

David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, Captain Underpants, and its spin-off children's graphic novel series Dog Man, the latter published under the respective writer and illustrator pen names of George Beard and Harold Hutchins.

<i>Kingdom Keepers</i> Childrens novels by Ridley Pearson 2005–2013

Kingdom Keepers is a series of children's novels written by American author Ridley Pearson. The New York Times Bestselling series is published through Disney Editions and Disney Hyperion, and the first book was released on August 29, 2005. Its plot follows the adventures of five teens who, by day, are holographic hosts in the Disney Theme Parks. By night, they battle Disney villains to keep them from taking control of the parks, the Disney entertainment empire, and the world. The series' franchise also includes several other elements such as an online game and an interactive educational tour provided for school groups through Disney's Youth Education Series.

<i>Far Horizons</i> Science fiction anthology edited by Robert Silverberg

Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction is an anthology of original science fiction stories edited by Robert Silverberg, first published in hardcover by Avon Eos in May 1999, with a book club edition following from Avon and the Science Fiction Book Club in July of the same year. Paperback and trade paperback editions were issued by Eos/HarperCollins in May 2000 and December 2005, respectively, and an ebook edition by HarperCollins e-books in March 2009. The first British edition was issued in hardcover and trade paperback by Orbit/Little Brown in June 1999, with a paperback edition following from Orbit in July 2000. The book has also been translated into Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Memorial High School</span> Public school in Reading, Massachusetts, United States

Reading Memorial High School (RMHS), overseen by the Reading Public School district, is a four-year high school serving the town of Reading, Massachusetts, United States, as its only public grade 9-12 school. The school had a student body of 1,269 as of 2016 and draws from Reading's Parker and Coolidge Middle Schools. A major building renovation and construction project was completed prior to the 2007-08 academic year. Competing in the Middlesex League, the school's sports teams are called the Rockets. The school's administration includes principal Kevin Tracey and vice principals Jessica Theriault and Kathleen Buckley.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> (book) 2007 novel by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a children's novel written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his attempts to become popular in his first year of middle school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Kinney</span> American author, cartoonist and screenwriter

Jeffrey Patrick Kinney is an American author and cartoonist, best known as the creator of the children's book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He also created the child-oriented website Poptropica.

Poptropica is an online role-playing game, developed in 2007 by Pearson Education's Family Education Network, and targeted towards children aged 6 to 15. Poptropica was primarily the creation of Jeff Kinney, the author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. As of 2015, he remains at the company as the Creative Director. The game primarily focuses on problem-solving through game quest scenarios, called "islands". Islands all center on a problem that the player must resolve by going through multiple obstacles, collecting and using items, talking to various characters, and completing goals. All islands, upon completion, award "credits," which are non-negotiable currency that may be used to buy costumes and special effects in the Poptropica store.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid</i> Comic style book series by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is an American children's book series and media franchise created by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abrams Books</span> American publisher of books and stationery

Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery.

Lora Leigh is a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance novels. Leigh started publishing with electronic publisher Ellora's Cave in 2003. Leigh's longest-running series is The Breeds. She won the 2009 RT Award for erotica. Leigh was born, in Ohio and raised in Martin County, Kentucky, US.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever</i> 2011 childrens book by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is a 2011 bestselling and award-winning children's book and the sixth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. The book was released on November 15, 2011, the paperback edition was released on January 31, 2013, and was the fastest-selling book of 2011, giving him the third-strongest opening-week sales for a children's author. Cabin Fever had a first printing run of six million copies, which Amulet Books stated was one of their most significant titles for that year. In 2012 Kinney won a "Best Author" Children's Choice Award from the Children's Book Council for Cabin Fever. The book received widespread acclaim from critics. The book was followed by 2012's The Third Wheel. An animated adaptation is in the works for Disney+.

This is a list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 2010s, as determined by Publishers Weekly. The list features the most popular novels of each year from 2010 through to 2019.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel</i> Book by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is a 2012 bestselling children's novel and the seventh book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, written by American author Jeff Kinney. Kinney announced the book in March 2012, with The Third Wheel's cover revealed in May 2012. The book was released on November 13, 2012.

Funbrain is an educational browser game website for children and adults. It was on this site that Diary of a Wimpy Kid was first published before being turned into a successful book series and movie franchise.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down</i> 2016 book by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down is the eleventh book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. The book was unveiled during the 2016 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Virtually Live Event. The book was published on November 1, 2016.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown</i> 2018 childrens book by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown is the 13th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was published on October 30, 2018. The story takes place soon after the events of The Getaway, in the winter and centers on a snowball fight in protagonist Greg Heffley's neighborhood. The Meltdown was advertised through a live book tour by Kinney. Upon release, the novel sold several hundred thousand copies and received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball</i> 2019 childrens novel by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball is a children's novel written by Jeff Kinney and the fourteenth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It was released on November 5, 2019. In this book, protagonist Greg Heffley's family receives an inheritance and they use the money to renovate their house. Wrecking Ball received positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Brallier</span> Childrens book author

Max Brallier is a children's book author and has written more than 30 books. He is best known for his New York Times bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth, which has been made into a TV series by Netflix.

<i>Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End</i> Book by Jeff Kenney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End is the 15th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It was published on October 27, 2020. The story follows protagonist Greg Heffley and his family as they vacation in a recreational vehicle (RV). It received many positive reviews and was a best-seller for several weeks following its release. The book was promoted with a pool-party themed drive-through event. The book was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which influenced the writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Heffley</span> Fictional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

Gregory "Greg" Heffley is a fictional character in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, serving as the antiheroic main protagonist and unreliable narrator of the books, online series, and multimedia franchise. He was created by Jeff Kinney, and portrayed by Zachary Gordon and Jason Drucker in the first three films and the fourth film, respectively.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alter, Alexandra. “’Galactic Hot Dogs’ Hopes Readers on Funbrain will buy at Bookstores.” The New York Times. May 5, 2015
  2. ↑ Rosen, Judith. “New Owner for Poptropica and FEN.” Publishers Weekly. May 21, 2015
  3. ↑ "Planet Dexter". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
  4. 1 2 3 "Jess M. Brallier." Archived 2010-07-13 at the Wayback Machine Our White House. Accessed Mar. 19, 2014
  5. ↑ “
  6. ↑ Raugust, Karen. "Publishers Bring Online Virtual Worlds to the Printed Page." Publishers Weekly. Jan 13, 2012
  7. 1 2 Lew, Kimberly. "DIY IP: How Publishers Develop, Exploit and Deploy Their Own Intellectual Property." Publishing Trends. Dec. 11, 2012
  8. ↑ Lavoie, Denise. "'Wimpy Kid' author keeps day job on kids' website." The Washington Times. Mar. 9, 2011
  9. ↑ McCracken, Harry. "50 Websites that Make the Web Great." Time Magazine. Aug. 16, 2011
  10. ↑ Family Fun Magazine. Sept. 2010 issue
  11. ↑ "Lb Wimpy Kid 03 30 08 DN98I53 V25.d33f19.HTML".
  12. ↑ Rosen, Judith. "The Latest from Funbrain: 'Galactic Hot Dogs.'" Publishers Weekly. Oct. 24, 2013
  13. ↑ Amazon.com:Jess Brallier
  14. ↑ “Digital Book World Conference.”
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.