This was on the cards but is now live. Are they Random Puffins?! Woohoo watch THIS space!
Penguin Random House UK has created a single children’s division, led by Francesca Dow.
Dow will be MD, Penguin Random House UK Children’s, and will report to Tom Weldon, CEO, Penguin Random House UK. Philippa Dickinson, currently MD of Random House Children’s Publishers, takes on the new role of Consultant Children’s Publisher with editorial responsibility for key projects and authors. She plans to fulfil her long held desire to retire in 2015.
Weldon said: “We passionately believe in children’s publishing and plan to invest significantly in this area over the next few years. We are determined to capture the readers of tomorrow. We believe that having one really brilliant and dynamic children’s division will allow us to compete even more effectively on behalf of all our authors, illustrators and licensing partners for the attention of young readers in an environment which now offers them an unlimited choice of entertainment and information.”
Dow to head merged PRH UK children’s division
Also news from: The Bookseller
Penguin Random House UK is to create a single children’s division, bringing together Penguin Children’s and Random House Children’s Publishers.
Francesca Dow [above right], previously m.d. of Penguin Children’s, is to be the m.d. of the new division, reporting to Penguin Random House UK c.e.o. Tom Weldon. Philippa Dickinson [above left], currently m.d. of Random House Children’s Publishers, is to take on the new role of consultant children’s publisher “with specific editorial responsibility for key projects and authors”, before retiring in March next year.
The company said there were no current plans to co-locate the two divisions, though a spokesperson said that the “ideal situation” would be to bring them under one roof.
Weldon said: “We passionately believe in children’s publishing and plan to invest significantly in this area over the next few years. We are determined to capture the readers of tomorrow. We believe that having one really brilliant and dynamic children’s division will allow us to compete even more effectively on behalf of all our authors, illustrators and licensing partners for the attention of young readers in an environment which now offers them an unlimited choice of entertainment and information.”
He added: “I feel very fortunate that we will continue to benefit from Philippa’s incredible publishing prowess, passion and commitment over the next 14 months. During the last 28 years, she has led first Transworld Children’s and then RHCP to great success. She and her team work with authors of enduring quality – such as Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Pratchett, Malorie Blackman, and Shirley Hughes – and then publish them successfully over a long period of time. They are also proud to be the publishers of five of the eight children’s laureates. They have great success with modern crossover classics such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Book Thief, The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas and Wonder and they foster new talent such as McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter’s The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet and Simon Mayo’s Itch series. “
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