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Let people know: January 2012:
Amazon Publishing: Amazon has hired Tim Ditlow as associate publisher, nominally of the Marshall Cavendish imprint (see December) but probably of other children's and YA titles, as noted in this PW piece.
Children's Book Press: The backlist of this multicultural publisher has been acquired by Lee and Low. The company itself closed down last year. Further details.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux BFYR: Beginning on February 6, Joy Peskin will be division vice-president and editorial director. She had been associate publisher at Viking. Further details in PW.
Harlequin: T. S. Ferguson recently joined Harlequin as an Associate Editor, working on YA fiction.
Sterling Publishing: The Wall Street Journal reports that Barnes and Noble is putting Sterling, their publishing wing, up for sale--a strategic move completely opposite from the direction in which Amazon is heading. In a message, an astute industry observer commented to me: "Acres of backlist -- thousands and thousands of titles.... We'll see, but whomever buys it will want the parts rather than the whole, I'm fairly certain."
Tumblehome Learning: This is a new imprint with an educational focus, publishing "fiction and nonfiction books with science, mathematics, and engineering themes for readers, ages 7-16." More details in PW
Whitman: After helping the company expand into new areas, Josalyn Moran has moved into an advisory role, the company reports in a press release. She had been the Vice President, Publishing, since May of 2010.December 2011:
Entangled Publishing: Stacy Cantor Abrams (formerly at Walker BFYR) is now editorial director of Entangled and will be working on adult as well as YA. Press release
Marshall Cavendish: Amazon has bought the entire Marshall Cavendish children's division, as reported by Business Wire, including all current and backlist titles. I understand that the staff are being kept on and the offices will remain in Tarrytown for now. Amazon has been building a trade division for a year now, so this makes sense. Discussion on my Facebook page.October 2011:
Algonquin Books: This Chapel Hill-based press is starting a young readers/YA line, headed by Elise Howard, formerly at HarperCollins. News item in Shelf Awareness.
Hartlyn Kids: An interesting new small press, focused on book about other countries. Details in this PW article.
Scholastic Press: Emily Seife has left Schwartz and Wade (Random House) and is now an associate editor at Scholastic.
Tundra Books: Tara Walker will start as editorial director on November 1. She had been an editor at Kids Can Press.
YA imprints: PW looks at YA imprints beyond the big NY publishers in a useful overview.September 2011:
Blooming Tree Press: According to reports on an online discussion board, the company is being closed down.
Greenwillow Books: Executive editor Steve Geck is leaving Greenwillow to become editorial manager for Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Move Books: Eileen Robinson is launching this new company, which will publish books for boys, initially focusing on middle-grade novels. See the Move Books website for more information, or this PW article.
Scholastic: Ruckus Media, the children's book app company headed by former Simon and Schuster exec. Rick Richter, is joining forces with Scholastic to create Scholastic Ruckus, which will publish ebooks and apps of various kinds as well as print titles. Full details: PW article.
Scholastic: Scholastic Press editor Jennifer Rees is leaving the company. She tells me: "I’m expecting my third child and have decided to move into freelance editing."
Simon Pulse: Assistant editor Emilia Rhodes has left Simon and is now an associate editor at Alloy Entertainment, a developer.August 2011:
Whitman: In yet more news from Whitman (see May and July below), the company is launching Albert Whitman Teen, which will publish for the YA market. Further details from PW.
July 2011:
Atheneum/McElderry (S&S): Ruta Rimas, who had been an assistant editor at Balzer and Bray (HarperCollins), is now an associate editor at these related imprints, reporting to Justin Chanda.
Penguin: There are a few pieces of news from Penguin Young Readers.
Scholastic: PW reports that the company has been offering buyout packages to employees with at least 10 years of experience. Whether or not there will be departures in the trade division remains to be seen.
Thomas Nelson: Jennifer Barrow recently joined the company as an editor in children's and gift books.
WestSide Books: This two-year-old publisher of books for teens is being put up for sale and staff are being laid off. Details: PW article.
Whitman: Albert Whitman has hired Kristin Ostby as a Senior Editor. From their press release: "Otsby has been working for a number of publishers as a freelance editor since August 2010 when she moved to Chicago. Prior to that, she was an Editor with the Penguin Young Readers Group in New York working on the Grosset & Dunlap/Price Stern Sloan imprints."May 2011:
Boyds Mills Press: Liz Van Doren will be joining the staff of Boyds Mills, with the title of Executive Editor. Full details are in this press release (PDF).
Dial BFYR: Starting May 9, perhaps related to the reorg of the Penguin imprints mentioned in January, Jennifer Hunt will be vice president of acquisition and development, and editor-at-large. She had been at Little, Brown.
Pyr: This adult SF imprint is starting a YA line. Details
Random House: As part of a reorganization of its paperback publishing, RH is launching Ember and Bluefire, which will publish mostly reprints, but a few originals. Full details.
Whitman: After 28 years at Albert Whitman, Abby Levine is retiring on June 17.April 2011:
Appleseed (Abrams): Abrams is launching this new imprint to focus on books for children ages 0-5. It will release 8-12 titles per season, and be led by Cecily Kaiser (see June 2010). Details in PW
Capstone: Ashley Andersen Zantop will be the publisher and general manager for the Capstone children's imprints, overseeing both fiction titles. She replaces Lori Benton, who left in November (see below). Details in PW
Chronicle Books: Ginee Seo, most recently editorial director at Atheneum, will be the new children's publishing director for Chronicle (see May 2010). She attended Bologna on behalf of Chronicle and will officially start May 12. News item in PW
Dial Books: Alisha Niehaus left Dial last summer, and is now at the Girl Scouts of America.
I hope you have found this page and this site useful. Please visit The Purple Crayon Bookstores page to find some recommended bookstores and to learn how to support this site while doing your usual online shopping. Thank you.
March 2011:
HarperCollin's Children's Books: Sarah Landis has joined the staff from Hyperion as senior editor. She will report to Farrin Jacobs and edit teen fiction. Also, Karen Chaplin has left Puffin for HC. She will report to Barbara Lalicki and acquire tween/teen fiction.
Simon and Schuster: Zareen Jaffery is now on the staff as an executive editor, having left HarperTeen.February 2011:
Bloomsbury: In an interesting reorganization, Bloomsbury has created global divisions. The new head of the global children's division, Emma Hopkin, formerly of Macmillan UK, will move to Bloomsbury in the new role of managing director, children's & educational publishing. Reporting to Hopkin: Sarah Odedina, as publishing director, children's fiction; and Jayne Parsons, as publishing director, education and children's non-fiction.
Disney-Hyperion: Tamson Weston has left Disney-Hyperion and is now working as an editorial consultant, running Tamson Weston Books.
HarperCollins Canada: Hadley Dyer has joined the staff as executive editor.
Scholastic/Cartwheel: Editor Rotem Moscovich has left and is now at Hyperion.January 2011:
Disney-Hyperion: Emily Meehan joined Hyperion as executive editor in December. She had been at Simon & Schuster for the past ten years.
Heinemann-Raintree: Russell Primm sent me this note: "Just wanted to update you on my current situation. I left Heinemann-Raintree as editorial director in mid-September. I'm back at Editorial Directions [his packaging company] as 'Principal.' Pam Mamsch Rosenberg remains our editorial director." He also told me that Catherine Clarke has moved into his position at H-R as Editorial Director.
Penguin: Some of the imprints are being reorganized. Julie Strauss-Gabel has been promoted to VP and publisher of Dutton Children's Books, which will become a "boutique" (i.e., smaller) imprint specializing in MG and YA, "with a focus on titles of exceptional literary quality and strong commercial appeal." Dial, under Lauri Hornik, will increase their output from 50 to 75 titles per year, including some by the former Dutton authors.
Putnam BFYR: In news I missed, Arianne Lewin is now an executive editor at Putnam, having followed Jennifer Besser (see April 2010) from Hyperion.
Sky Pony Press: According to Publisher's Lunch, Skyhorse Publishing is starting a new imprint, with its first titles to appear this fall. "Former publisher and founder of Millbrook Press Jean Reynolds is serving as consulting editor," so this sounds like a serious endeavor.
Young Adult publishers: For an excellent overview of YA/teen publishing, read this article on the YA scene from Publishers Weekly, which includes information on new imprints and of imprints expanding their lists.November 2010:
Amicus Publishing: Rebecca Glaser (formerly of Capstone) sent me this information: "I left Black Rabbit Books in January this year to start Amicus, which publishes to the K-8 education market and has a new line of leveled readers for K-2. Amicus' 2010 list is out and we are already hard at work on next year's list."
Callaway Digital Arts: Callaway, an established book publisher/packager (Miss Spider's Tea Party, etc.) is moving into app development, joining Ruckus Media in a growing area. More information
Knopf Children's: Nancy Siscoe will be taking on some of Joan Slattery's authors (see September). She has been promoted to senior executive editor, from associate publishing director. Erin Clarke has been promoted to executive editor, and Katherine Harrison to assistant editor.
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group: Jonathan Yaged, who most recently was the head of the Disney children's division (see April 2010) , has been named the new president of the Macmillan children's group. More details
Scholastic: Lori Benton, for a long time on the staff at Harcourt, and most recently at Capstone, will be joining Scholastic in the new position of Publisher for the trade division, starting January 3. More information
Sterling: Barnes and Noble's publishing wing is adding a teen fiction imprint, Splinter, and releasing its first list in January. More information
Tricycle Press: Random House, which acquired this quirky children's imprint as part of their acquisition of Ten Speed Press about 18 months ago, has announced that they will be closing it, effective January 31. Publisher Nicole Geiger and the editorial staff (Abgail Samoun, Joanne Taylor, Kim Keller) are being laid off; the backlist will be maintained, titles in production will be published, and books under contract may or may not be kept. This is sad news, and to my mind is noteworthy as the first established imprint to be a casualty of the recession (my interpretation, not evident from the public statements). Jennifer Laughran, literary agent, made a thoughtful comment on the significance of the closing.October 2010:
Houghton Mifflin Children's: Margaret Raymo is stepping down into a purely editorial position, as senior executive editor. Mary Wilcox will take over as editorial director and continue as e.d. at Harcourt Children's.
Macmillan Children's Publishing Group: The president of the Group, Dan Farley, has announced that he will be leaving soon. As far as I can tell, this has no implications for the children's imprints--Holt, FSG, and Roaring Brook.
Putnam BFYR: Tim Travaglini, Senior Editor, has left Putnam. When I know more, I'll post it.September 2010:
Candlewick: Candlewick has launched a partnership with Françoise Mouly's Toon Books to publish books for emerging readers. Press release from Candlewick
Hyperion: Kevin Lewis (most recently at Simon and Schuster--see May 2009 entry) is joining Hyperion in the position of Executive Editor.
Knopf BFYR: Joan Slattery will become an agent and contracts manager at Pippin Properties, starting November 1. She leaves Knopf.
Penguin: Penguin is setting up a Poptropica imprint, to publish books related to the children's web site, starting with a guidebook and graphic novels. PW article
Ruckus Media: Former president of the Simon and Schuster children's book division Rick Richter (see December 2008) has announced this new company, which will create apps for smart phones, working with children's book authors and illustrators and also repurposing content from Rabbit Ears Library (an audiobook company that hasn't been active recently). Richter's goal is to be the largest publisher of children's animated apps. PW article for more details
Sourcebooks: A former Dorchester editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, is joining Sourcebooks to publish mass market and YA titles. Information from PWAugust 2010:
Disney: Brooke Dworkin has arrived at Disney Books from Price Stern Sloan.
Running Press: Kelli Chipponeri, who had been the associate editorial director, is leaving to go to Chronicle, with the title of executive editor.
I hope you have found this page and this site useful. Please visit The Purple Crayon Bookstores page to find some recommended bookstores and to learn how to support this site while doing your usual online shopping. Thank you.
Last update January 23, 2011
Maintained by Harold D. Underdown
About this page: It's difficult to keep track of who is where at the major publishers, with editors coming and going every month of the year. Books get out of date and magazines and newsletters may be a few months behind in reporting.
Here I maintain a chronological list of these moves, both incomplete and infrequently updated, along with occasional nuggets of relevant industry news. Please do not take it as the final word, and do not assume that it is accurate: it is not all based on first-hand information. I base it on information I've obtained from messages I get from folks on the Internet, articles in various sources, and my contacts in the industry. The latest information is added at the top. Companies losing or laying off staff are coded in red, while those adding staff or filling vacancies are in green; unless I state otherwise, this should not be taken as an indication of growth or shrinkage in their publishing program. Please send additions and corrections by email to me. Thanks.
Additional resources: For context, read The Current Climate for Children's Books. For addresses of children's publishers, you should have a copy of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, which is a massively useful book. It's published annually, so my notes here will help you stay current. Online, you can find some publisher's addresses in the CBC Member's list from the Children's Book Council WWW site. That is not a list of all children's publishers, however. Publishers Weekly has been maintaining a list of contact information, Comings and Goings, for laid-off publishing people. Discussion about editors, agents, and publishers, and how long they take to respond, can best be found at the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Chat Board at Verla Kay's site. News can be found on the Publishers Weekly web site, and on Alice Pope's SCBWI Children's Market Blog. For an evolving list of information about editors, see Ellen Jackson's Editors A to Z.
I hope you have found this page and this site useful. Please visit The Purple Crayon Bookstores page to find some recommended bookstores and to learn how to support this site while doing your usual online shopping. Thank you.
