Target Books

Target Books
Ebury Publishing (since 2018) · Public domain · source
Name	Target Books
Status	Defunct
Founded	1973
Country	United Kingdom
Headquarters	London
Publications	Novels, novelisations, anthologies
Topics	Science fiction, children's fiction, media tie-ins

Target Books was a British imprint best known for publishing novelisations of televised drama and science fiction, particularly novel formats derived from popular BBC series and other screen properties. Established in the early 1970s, it became closely associated with adaptations of Doctor Who television serials, while also producing tie-ins for franchises and licensed properties from producers such as ITV and international studios. The imprint influenced tie-in publishing practices in the United Kingdom and beyond, intersecting with broadcast schedules, fan cultures, and paperback market trends.

History

The imprint launched in 1973 under the aegis of W. H. Allen & Co. as part of a drive to monetise televised content in paperback form, drawing on precedents set by tie-in novels for Hammer Film Productions adaptations and Anglo-Amalgamated releases. Early editors negotiated rights with organisations including the BBC and production companies associated with series such as Doctor Who and The Avengers. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the imprint operated within the broader UK paperback ecosystem dominated by publishers like Pan Books, Fontana Books, and Penguin Books, responding to market pressures from mass-market retailers and newsagent distribution. Corporate changes affecting parent companies—mergers and acquisitions involving entities such as HarperCollins and other conglomerates—altered strategic priorities, and by the late 1980s the imprint's output declined amid shifting licensing practices and the rise of original tie-in novels from specialist genre houses like Virgin Books and Titan Books.

Publications and Formats

Publications were predominantly mass-market paperbacks, often issued with distinct cover art commissioning artists from the book and comics sectors, including illustrative specialists who had worked for 2000 AD and Look-In (magazine). Many editions featured both single-volume novelisations and omnibus reprints collecting multiple serials; collectors valued first editions and UK-only variants. The imprint also produced hardcover editions for special launches and occasional anthologies compiling short stories or episode adaptations. Distribution channels included national retailers such as WHSmith and mail-order catalogues affiliated with fan organisations like Doctor Who Appreciation Society. Marketing employed tie-ins with television listings in Radio Times and adverts in genre periodicals such as Starburst (magazine).

Doctor Who Novelisations

The imprint became synonymous with novelisations of Doctor Who television serials, commissioning writers to adapt scripts originally written by creators and script editors including Terry Nation, Robert Holmes, Douglas Adams, Terrance Dicks, and Robert Sloman. Many adaptations were written by in-house or freelance novelists who had connections to television or radio drama, with some authors—most notably Terrance Dicks—producing extensive runs that shaped readers' perceptions of televised stories. Novelisations covered eras starring actors such as Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and Colin Baker, translating episodic scripts into continuous prose and sometimes restoring deleted scenes or expanding characterisation. The series contributed to sustaining fandom during broadcast hiatuses and provided canonical material referenced by later writers in spin-offs published by houses like Big Finish Productions and Virgin Publishing.

Other Series and Tie-ins

Beyond Doctor Who, the imprint produced novelisations and tie-ins for television series and films including adaptations related to The Avengers, Blake's 7, and adaptations of Doctor Dolittle and other family properties. Licensed works tied into franchises such as Star Trek and film distributors' releases were occasionally pursued through negotiated agreements with rights-holders, and the imprint issued novel versions of children's television properties promoted on BBC Children's Television strands. It also published original media-tie short fiction anthologies by writers with television credits, creating crossovers between broadcast writers and paperback markets comparable to contemporaneous output from Ballantine Books and Del Rey Books in the United States.

Editors and Contributors

Key editorial figures included commissioning editors and series editors who liaised with rights owners, authors, and artists; notable contributors comprised scriptwriters and novelists with television backgrounds, including Tom Baker-era collaborators and scriptwriters such as Terrance Dicks, Robert Holmes, and Douglas Adams when adaptations or related prose projects were authorised. Cover artists and illustrators often had pedigrees in comics and paperback illustration, with connections to creators from 2000 AD, IPC Magazines, and freelance illustrators known for genre work. The imprint also published work by emerging novelists who later contributed to genre publishing houses like Virgin Books and Titan Books.

Legacy and Influence

The imprint's catalogue preserved episodes and scripts in prose form, influencing later reprints, scholarly studies, and fan scholarship within communities such as the Doctor Who Appreciation Society and academic inquiries hosted by institutions like Birkbeck, University of London and University of Manchester media programmes. Its model for authorised adaptations informed later tie-in strategies by publishers including Virgin Books, BBC Books, and Titan Books, and its books remain sought-after by collectors and researchers tracing the nexus between British television production and paperback publishing. Reissues, omnibus collections, and retrospective anthologies by specialist presses and licensed publishers have kept key titles in circulation, affecting how successive generations access televised heritage and contributing to the institutional history of UK media merchandising.

Category:Publishing companies of the United Kingdom Category:Science fiction publishers