In contrast to the problems associated with adult non-fiction publishing, children's books are flourishing. At Macmillan we are still celebrating with Emily Gravett her winning the Kate Greenaway medal for Wolves.

This was closely followed by this press release suggesting that even more good things are on the way. It's really great working with the professional authors, illustrators, designers and editors who seem to proliferate in children's publishing and the results speak for themselves.

A new transatlantic partnership

Macmillan Children’s Books UK teams up with US publisher Jean Feiwel in her new role at Holtzbrinck Children’s

Macmillan Children’s Books UK will be teaming up with Jean Feiwel, recently appointed Senior Vice President and Publisher of children’s books at

Holtzbrinck USA, to acquire jointly and to co-publish select titles.  In particular, books acquired by Macmillan Children’s Books will play a role in Feiwel’s new imprint, Feiwel & Friends; and Feiwel’s projects are already starting to cross the Atlantic to MCB.

Macmillan Children’s Books’ big Spring 2007 title THE BLACK BOOK OF SECRETS by F.E. Higgins will be on the Feiwel & Friends Fall 2007 launch list, and Kate Saunders’ THE LITTLE SECRET will be published in Spring 2008. From Feiwel’s list Macmillan Children’s Books will be publishing a new series by bestselling Australian author Andy Griffiths, as well as Lily Archer’s debut novel THE POISON APPLES.

Sarah Davies, Publishing Director of Macmillan Children’s Books, said: ‘It’s great to have the opportunity to forge stronger links with our Holtzbrinck sister companies and – when the occasion’s right for us both – to have the potential to acquire rights together. The arrangement is entirely flexible, but there are times when standing together will make us even stronger.  Jean Feiwel is a dynamic publisher with a stellar track record and it’s very exciting to work with her.’

Jean Feiwel said:  “My mandate coming to Holtzbrinck has been to make the whole even stronger than the sum of our parts.  I believe it is in the best interests of our authors, our books, our company to work together in a way that allows us to accomplish a global reach, using the best ideas and talents from both countries. Sarah and I immediately connected on commercially like-minded projects.  I am very excited to be working with her and the entire MCB team.’

Macmillan Children’s Books, a division of Pan Macmillan UK and part of the Holtzbrinck group, is a leading children’s publisher in Britain.  It publishes fiction and non-fiction, picture books and novelty books, and the leading preschool imprint, Campbell Books. It has had both commercial and critical acclaim with authors such as Meg Cabot, Georgia Byng, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Eva Ibbotson, and with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s GRUFFALO titles and new picturebook star Emily Gravett.

Jean Feiwel joined Holtzbrinck USA in February 2006 to start a broadly defined children’s effort and to guide strategy within the group.  As well as creating new imprints she will also be publishing into paperback and other formats the backlists of fellow Holtzbrinck companies Farrar Straus & Giroux, Henry Holt and Roaring Brook Press. Prior to this she spent more than 20 years at Scholastic where she invented the children’s series market with THE BABYSITTERS CLUB, GOOSEBUMPS and DEAR AMERICA, and designed the editorial strategy for all Scholastic’s successful imprints.

For further information contact:

Emma Hopkin, Managing Director, Macmillan Children’s Books: 0207 014 6071

Sarah Davies, Publishing Director, Macmillan Children’s Books: 0207 014 6109