Press Release Fun: The Skinny on What is Actually Happening with Macmillan & Co.

And a big thank you to Jennifer Doerr for forwarding this on:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2008

 

MACMILLAN ANNOUNCES FORMATION OF A CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING GROUP

 

DAN FARLEY NAMED PRESIDENT

 

SIMON BOUGHTON AND JEAN FEIWEL APPOINTED

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHING DIRECTORS OF

MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING  

 

 

John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan, today announced the creation of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, bringing together the seven Children’s book companies under a single management structure. Dan Farley was named President of the new group. Jean Feiwel and Simon Boughton were each named Senior Vice President & Publishing Directors, Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing, reporting to Farley.

 

John Sargent said, “Our children’s business has grown enormously, both through start-up companies and acquisitions. This has given us a great breadth of editorial talent and a wonderful array of books from preschool to young adult. Bringing these businesses under a single management structure recognizes that we’ve become one of the industry’s largest children’s publishing groups and will enable us to broaden our marketing reach and fully support our publishing programs.”

 

Dan Farley stated, “The new organization is a constellation of Macmillan’s numerous, highly acclaimed imprints: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Roaring Brook Press, Feiwel and Friends, Square Fish, First Second, and Priddy Books. Our mission is to support their continued independence and the creation of a distinctive, diverse, and meaningful publishing program, while leveraging the resources, talents and scale of the greater Macmillan enterprise.”

 

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group with be divided into two publishing groups.

 

Jean Feiwel will oversee the affiliation of imprints including Feiwel and Friends, Square Fish, Holt Books for Young Readers, and Priddy Books. She will continue as the Publisher of Feiwel and Friends and of Square Fish. Laura Godwin, Vice President & Publisher of Holt BYR, will report to Jean.

 

Simon Boughton, will become Publisher of Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, with Margaret Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher & Editorial Director, FSG BYR, reporting to him. Simon will continue as Publisher of Roaring Brook Press and Macmillan’s graphic novel imprint, First Second.  First Second Editorial Director Mark Siegel will continue to report to him.

 

Macmillan Children’s will recruit a senior marketing executive, reporting to Dan Farley, to direct the children’s group promotional efforts and oversee a consolidated children’s marketing group. The new executive will work in key partnership with the Publishing Directors and with President of Sales Alison Lazarus and with the Macmillan sales organization.

 

“A consolidated marketing group will provide energetic and innovative support for all of Macmillan Children’s publishing, featuring publicity, targeted marketing including educational, institutional, online, and retail, along with advertising, sales promotion, and other functions,” said Farley. “It will enhance our collaboration with booksellers, suppliers, and other partners. Yet we will remain no less committed to our distinct imprint identities; editorial vision and our title development performance remain the creative core of our business and crucial for our success.”

 

The new structure goes into effect January 1, 2009.

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