This has been a landmark year for Bloomsbury Children’s Books on this side of the Atlantic. An imprint of Bloomsbury USA (established in 1998 as an American subsidiary of London-based, global publisher Bloomsbury), the young readers line released its debut titles in the U.S. in 2002. Over the last 20 years, books published by Bloomsbury Children’s have received more than 400 starred reviews and have garnered multiple top awards, among them the Printz Award, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Author Award, Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, and numerous Honor accolades from the Newbery, Caldecott, Sibert, and Pura Belpré Awards committees.
The past two decades have also brought Bloomsbury Children’s Books commercial success, as its releases by such popular authors as Kalynn Bayron, Shannon Hale, Brigid Kemmerer, Emery Lord, Sarah J. Maas, Kate Messner, and Renée Watson landed on bestseller lists across North America. One top-selling author, Salina Yoon, reached a publishing milestone of her own in 2022, when her eight-book Penguin and Pinecone picture book series, which has sold one million copies worldwide, commemorated 10 years in print. To celebrate the occasion, last month Bloomsbury published a 10th anniversary edition of the series’ debut title, Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story, which features a poster.
The Roots of a Longstanding Team
PW did not have to search far to find help piecing together standout moments in the imprint’s 20-year tenure in the States. With an aggregate total of some 50 years’ experience working at the publisher, teammates Mary Kate Castellani (publishing director, children’s trade), Donna Mark (creative director), and Beth Eller (senior director, school and library marketing and domestic rights) offered insight and anecdotes that shape a solid portrait of the imprint’s formation, growth, and future path.
Castellani explained that the inaugural publisher of the imprint was Victoria Arms Wells, who in 2002 “led a small staff of about a half-dozen colleagues, co-publishing a carefully selected list of titles with their U.K. colleagues, as well as beginning a U.S. acquisitions program.” Though the imprint released only two U.S.-originated books out of a list of 20 during its first year, the total annual output is currently 60 titles, more than 50 of which are generated in this country. Mark joined the house in 2005, initially as art director. When she arrived at the company, she said, “the children’s division was growing, and I was excited to take part in all of the possibilities that came with an expanding list.” That same year, Eller began working at Bloomsbury when the publisher acquired her employer, Walker Books for Young Readers, which marked Bloomsbury’s first major expansion of its U.S. publishing program. Eller was appointed director of school and library marketing for the newly merged group. The Walker Books for Young Readers imprint existed alongside Bloomsbury Children’s Books until 2013, when the two imprints were combined under the Bloomsbury name.
Castellani was hired by Walker Books for Young Readers in 2006, as editorial assistant to Emily Easton, then publisher of the company, and joined Bloomsbury Children’s, in the role of senior editor, when the two lines were consolidated. “I assisted Emily on some really exciting projects over the years and began building my own list in 2009, with my first acquisition being Kate Messner’s debut novel, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.,” she recalled. “It’s been an amazing journey to be part of Bloomsbury’s growth, as our list succeeded and developed in so many ways, with incredible authors and colleagues bringing such passion to their work. Now as publishing director, I am honored to fill the shoes of my predecessors and see our children’s list into the future. It is extremely gratifying to support my team as they bring such energy and insight to our list.”
Highlights Past and Yet to Come
When asked to cite pinnacles of their tenures at Bloomsbury, Castellani, Eller, and Mark mined their memories—and contemplated the future.
Eller harkened back to 2005, her inaugural year at Bloomsbury, when the company received its first Newbery Honor, for Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy. “For my very first ALA with Bloomsbury, I had the honor of planning the celebratory dinner with the author, Bloomsbury staff, and the Newbery committee,” she recounted. “The book includes many beautiful descriptions of the ‘miri’ flower, for which the main character, Miri, is named. I thought how lovely it would be to have miri flowers on the dinner tables as centerpieces. After much searching, I found that these flowers only exist in the imagination of Shannon Hale. I’ve since learned to factcheck first! But celebrating Shannon’s Newbery Honor remains one of my most memorable experiences—another is celebrating not one but two lifetime achievement awards with Nikki Grimes.”
Mark remarked that a high point for her was “the acclaim of Caldecott Honor for Gone Wild by first-time author-illustrator David McLimans in 2007. That was an early success that really propelled us forward.” As creative director, Mark noted, “I have also enjoyed reimagining the covers for the Princess Academy series for new audiences, creating covers and designs that speak to the heart of a Renée Watson reader, and helping build a fantastical, romantic look for Brigid Kemmerer’s epic stories.”
Noting that “we think of awards and bestsellers as a measure of success,” Castellani shared the experience of “the day in 2018 that Bloomsbury had multiple ALA award winners, with Renée Watson’s Piecing Me Together winning the Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor, and Salina Yoon winning a Geisel Honor for My Kite Is Stuck, which was utterly thrilling for our team!”
Observing the wider landscape, Castellani said, “What stands out for me overall is the longevity of my relationships with authors, working together on many books over many years.” As examples, she spotlighted “Kate Messner, whom I’ve worked with for nine novels, and who has taught me the importance of living curiously; Nikki Grimes, whose experience and talent are unparalleled; Kalynn Bayron, whose writing shines light on the joy of queer Black girls; Gillian McDunn, whose writing reminds me of the books that made me into a reader; Brigid Kemmerer, whose rich, fast-paced storytelling is a true escape; Trang Thanh Tran, whose evocative writing blends issues of identity with horror elements in the freshest way; and Frank Morrison, whose artistry is such a thrill to witness.”
Castellani, Mark, and Eller have high aspirations and expectations as they help usher Bloomsbury Children’s Books into its third decade. Though all herald the progress their company has made, the ongoing quest to further diversify the imprint’s roster of book creators, subjects, and characters is a high priority. “It’s most important for a publisher to offer a range of books to capture the interest of a reluctant reader, or perhaps a child who can’t find a reflection of themselves in their immediate community but can in the world of a good book,” Mark said.
“Over the last several years,” Eller said, “Bloomsbury Children’s, in the U.S. as well as the U.K., has made a commitment to diversity both in its hiring practices and the books we publish. The children’s division has been steadily publishing more and more new voices from a wide array of backgrounds, and our U.S.-originated list will continue to bring new and diverse talent to the company.”
Castellani also viewed the future with optimism. “I’m so proud of all the authors we’ve built over the last 20 years, and the makeup of our upcoming lists is more stirring, more representative, more conversation-worthy than ever,” she said. Titles include new early readers from Salina Yoon, due in winter 2024; The Otherwoods, a “scintillatingly creepy” middle-grade adventure by Justine Pucella Winans; Sing Me to Sleep, a “seductive fantasy” by Gabi Burton, about a siren who is secretly an assassin; and Plague-Busters, “exciting nonfiction by bestselling writer Lindsey Fitzharris.”
Two decades in, the Bloomsbury Children’s list has reached what Castellani calls “the perfect size, allowing us to give each author the care they deserve and helping to foster a culture of healthy work-life balance for our teams.” Looking ahead, she forecasts that the imprint will stay the course in terms of its mission. “Bloomsbury’s Children’s Books’ commitment to our authors and to publishing a wide array of diverse, market-leading titles will continue to be the foundation of everything we do. With those values in place, we’ll be ready for whatever comes in the next 20 years.”
