Barbara Marcus, one of the most prominent and influential figures in children’s book publishing for decades, will step down May 1 as president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books. She will be succeeded by Mallory Loehr, currently EVP and publisher of the Random House Books for Young Readers Group.
Marcus began her career in marketing and promotion at Bantam in 1973 and later worked at Berkley Books. She joined Scholastic in 1983 as VP of marketing and associate publisher, working with Scholastic publisher Dick Krinsley. By the time Krinsley retired in 1991, Scholastic had grown its trade program by a factor of 10. Once Marcus succeeded Krinsley, the veteran told PW that the 39-year-old Marcus was “the best marketing person” he had ever worked with.
While at Scholastic, Marcus, along with senior VP Jean Feiwel, developed the hugely popular Baby-Sitters Club and Goosebumps series, and went on to play a key role in the wild successes of the Harry Potter franchise, approving acquisitions of all seven Potter books and overseeing the huge marketing campaigns. Marcus left Scholastic in 2005 and, as a result of a non-compete clause, initially stayed away from children’s publishing, serving as an adviser to Penguin and Open Road Integrated Media. She got back in the children’s publishing world in 2012, when she was named to succeed Chip Gibson as president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books.
Throughout the course of her career, Marcus has been a fixture at major industry conferences, fairs, and events and involved in numerous industry charitable causes. In its 150th anniversary issue, PW named her one of publishing’s 25 change makers between 1997-2022.
“Barbara’s boundless curiosity, drive, and leadership have been a constant force in her extraordinary career, and propelled Random House Children’s Books to new heights,” Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya wrote in a memo to employees on Thursday announcing Marcus’s plans. In it, he credited her sharp eye for the market as leading to the launch of new imprints and growth in picture books, middle grade, nonfiction, graphic novels for young people, and young adult romance, as well as to an increase in focus on books by diverse authors. Malaviya also noted Marcus’s role in developing “franchises and brands with wide consumer appeal” and acquiring, by leveraging her wide network of contacts, such major companies and properties as the Little Tiger Group, in 2019, and the Boxcar Children in 2023.
Marcus told PW, "I have had the most wonderful time, and experienced so many new and exciting accomplishments at Random House Children’s Books. It has been an amazing journey throughout my career. I will always love children’s books and I so admire what we do as an industry, but now is the right time—the division is in great shape, and the team is so strong."
Loehr has been with Random House Children’s Books for more than 30 years, leading editorial teams across a wide range of imprints—Crown, Doubleday, Little Golden Books, and Dr. Seuss among them—and working with such authors as Mary Pope Osborne, creator of the blockbuster Magic Tree House series. In her new role, she will report directly to Malaviya, and will join the PRH leadership team.
“Mallory has played a seminal role in the development of this business,” Malaviya wrote in a separate memo to staff. “She embodies creativity and open-mindedness and leads with an innate warmth that brings people together.” He added: “She’s a homegrown talent who truly believes in constantly evolving our approach to work in a way that can change cultures and thinking.”
