Mairi Kidd, managing director of accessible children’s book publisher Barrington Stoke, has been made redundant after six years at the company.
Kidd joined the publisher as managing director in 2010. Prior to that she was chief executive of arts agency Firefly Arts.
The company told The Bookseller it is not replacing the role of managing director. Instead different members of the team will have “bigger roles”. Sales and marketing director Jane Walker will lead the sales and marketing team, financial controller Anne Mather will handle operations and the company’s founder Lucy Juckes will have more of a “hands on role for the time being”.
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Kidd left the company on 17th March and can be contacted on mairi.kidd@gmail.com.
Bonnier hires Felicity Johnston as children’s commissioning editor
Bonnier Zaffre has hired Felicity Johnston as its new commissioning editor at children’s imprints Hot Key Books and Piccadilly Press. She replaces Tilda Johnson, who is leaving the company in August.
Johnston is currently a commissioning editor of children’s fiction and non fiction at Hachette Children’s Group and will join Bonnier in September.
Tilda Johnson is leaving Bonnier to go travelling before setting herself up as a freelance editor.
via Bonnier hires Felicity Johnston as children’s commissioning editor | The Bookseller.
Sarah Hughes Joins HarperCollins As Children’s Fiction Publisher
In a highly newsworthy appointment, Sarah Hughes (previously at Puffin and currently at Egmont) is moving to HarperCollins:
HarperCollins Children’s Books has hired Sarah Hughes, currently publishing director at Egmont, as its fiction publisher.
Hughes will lead the fiction team in the newly-created role…
Her team will include fiction publishing director Nick Lake, editorial director Harriet Wilson and commissioning editor Lizzie Clifford.
via Sarah Hughes joins HarperCollins Children’s | The Bookseller.
Odedina moves to Pushkin Children’s Books
Sarah Odedina, former m.d. of Hot Key Books and children’s publisher at Oneworld, has been appointed to the new role of editor-at-large of Pushkin Children’s Books.
Odedina will acquire and edit up to six titles per year for Pushkin Children’s Books.
Pushkin publisher and managing director, Adam Freudenheim, said Odedina was “undoubtedly one of the great children’s editors in the UK.”
He said: "In less than three years since its launch Pushkin Children’s Books has become a major part of our entire publishing programme. I’m a huge admirer of Sarah’s editorial nous and look forward to seeing what gems she brings to the Pushkin Children’s list which we look to grow even further in the coming years."
Arabella Stein Joins Bright Group Illustrator Agency
Literary agent Arabella Stein right has joined illustrator agency Bright Group international’s London office.Stein, whose official title at Bright is senior agent, reports directly to m.d. and founder Vicki Willden-Lebrecht. She will take on some of the company’s existing clients as well as looking for new talent.Stein told The Bookseller she wanted to help her clients to have as broad a career as possible. “The market for children’s books is exciting globally, not just in the UK. We are going to be looking at doing everything we can do for our illustrators. Yes, it’s about picture books, but also activity, educational and commercial work.” Bright Group is particularly interested in helping its lesser-known artists become brands, she added.
via Arabella Stein signs up for Bright Group | The Bookseller.
Random House imprint names new publisher
Children’s publishing vet Jennifer M. Brown is stepping into the role of VP, publisher at Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of New York-based Random House Children’s Books.
Effective August 24, Brown will oversee the direction and lead the long-range and daily activities for the Knopf Young Readers publishing program. …
Brown spent a decade immersed in the world of kids books as the children’s reviews editor for US-based trade publication Publishers Weekly. She is currently the children’s editor of Shelf Awareness, a daily e-newsletter for the bookselling and publishing trade, and she is director of the Center for Children’s Literature at the Bank Street College of Education in New York. Prior to Publishers Weekly, Brown was a children’s book editor at HarperCollins.
James Daunt explains Allen’s and Howells’ departure from Waterstones
Daunt told The Bookseller: “We have become a much simpler business and also a business that is running itself as efficiently as it possibly can. Unfortunately that also means a business which is more streamlined. They [Howells and Allen] were both exceptionally good at their jobs but they were employed in an era when Waterstones was different but we have substantially changed.”He added: “We used to have to defend ourselves to a large degree – we do not do that anymore. I think we have an excellent relationship with the trade press and also the wider press now – things were a lot more complicated a few years ago.”
via Allen and Howells exit ‘changed’ Waterstones | The Bookseller.
M.d. James Daunt said their departures were the result of a company decision, because the chain had “substantially changed” since the duo were first employed. From now on, the company’s publicity needs will be handled by company members in a less centralised form, he indicated.
Hall-Craggs leaves RHCP
Sad to see that Clare Hall-Craggs is an early casualty of the Random House/Penguin merger/
Clare Hall-Craggs is leaving her job as publicity director of Random House Children’s Publishers following the merger with Penguin’s children’s division.
Hall-Craggs departs today (13th May) after 15 years at Random House, where she led a team of seven publicists. During her time at the company she has worked with authors including Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Pratchett, Shirley Hughes, Simon Mayo and Beth Reekles.
Apparently last month staff at Random House Children’s Publishers were told that up to 18 roles were at risk of redundancy.