Ginee Seo, executive publishing director for children’s books at San Francisco-based Chronicle Books, is leaving the company on May 5. Seo has been with Chronicle for 12 years, since being named children’s publishing director in March 2011. She plans to continue writing and editing while spending more time with her family.
At Chronicle, Seo built lists across age bands, expanding the indie publisher’s offerings for older readers and steering content and format development for bestselling franchises. She edited a number of picture books including Brendan Wenzel’s They All Saw a Cat and Hello Hello, a book about threatened species for which she established a partnership between Chronicle and the Wildlife Conservation Society, and edited the graphic novel Lowriders in Space, Raul the Third's first book for children. In a release, Chronicle credited Seo with “a substantial increase in sales growth and critical recognition, numerous New York Times bestsellers, three Caldecott Honors, Pura Belpré, Coretta Scott King, Sibert, and Geisel medals, and numerous ‘best-of’ lists and state reader awards.”
Seo first came to publishing by way of the advertising business. She then spent 10 years with HarperCollins, and rose to v-p and editorial director of HarperTrophy. She joined Atheneum as v-p and associate publisher in 2000, and between 2005 and 2008, under her own named imprint at Atheneum Books for Young Readers, she oversaw the publication of Chris Lynch’s National Book Award finalist Inexcusable, Nic Sheff’s methamphetamines memoir Tweak, and James Howe’s queer middle grade novel Totally Joe. She resigned from S&S in 2008, and has been with Chronicle since 2011.
Until Seo’s successor is named, Chronicle’s founding children’s publisher Victoria Rock will serve as executive publishing director.
Chronicle Marks Additional Changes
In addition to Seo’s departure, Chronicle posted several newsworthy items this week. As PW reported Wednesday, Jack Jensen announced he would step down from his role as president of Chronicle’s parent company, the McEvoy Group. Jensen, who has been with Chronicle for 46 years, will become chair of the McEvoy Group’s advisory council and serve on the board of U.K.-based Abrams & Chronicle Books.
Meanwhile, Chronicle and its Canadian distributor Raincoast Books, forged a deal to distribute stationery company Paperblanks, founded in Vancouver, B.C., and now headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Paperblanks creates journals, planners, address books, and other stationery items with art and literary themes, and collaborates with global institutions including the Getty, V&A, New York Public Library, and the British Library. In a release, Chronicle president Tyrrell Mahoney and Paperblanks CEO Graham Conway said the partnership would expand Chronicle’s roster of gift options for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
