In a move to put the Walker Books Group’s three U.S. children’s publishing divisions under one person, the company has hired Andrew Smith as SVP and publisher of Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree.
Smith, currently SVP and publisher of Abrams Children’s Books, will join Walker April 28 and report to Walker Books Group president and publisher Belinda Ioni Rasmussen. Smith will be based in New York and become a member of Walker's global leadership team. Earlier in his career, Smith was VP of sales at Candlewick and SVP and deputy publisher at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers before moving to Abrams in 2016.
The publisher role is a new one, and Smith will manage the publishing lists of the three divisions. "Andrew’s appointment is part of a broader strategy to strengthen each of our U.S. publishing houses by retaining the individuality and unique editorial vision of each house, while also benefiting from a single point of leadership, which can drive a more joined-up approach to strategy and publishing output," Rasmussen told PW.
Prior to Smith's appointment, Katie Cunningham, who moved to Nosy Crow earlier this year, had oversight of editorial at Candlewick Press, while Derek Stordahl, who left in early March, served as managing director of Holiday House and Peachtree. Under the new structure, "Smith will bring a strategic overview that will help shape the editorial direction and publishing identity of all three houses in the U.S.," Rasmussen explained.
Smith's appointment in the latest effort by the owners of Walker Books Group to create a more unified presence in the U.S. Rasmussen was named to the newly created position of president and publisher of Walker Books Group last April and joined the company in September after directing Macmillan Children’s Books in the U.K. for 12 years. Her appointment followed Karen Lotz stepping down as managing director of Walker Books Group in November 2023.
The U.K.-based Walker Books Group was acquired in 2020 by Trustbridge Global Media, which is part of Trustbridge Partners, a Shanghai-based private equity firm. The purchase followed earlier deals by Trustbridge to buy Holiday House in 2016 and Peachtree Press in 2018. In 2022, TGM created Trustbridge Entertainment whose mandate is to develop and produce kids' and family programming based in part on its book content.
Smith's appointment also follows the decision made late last year to discontinue the Walker Books US imprint that had been headed by Susan Van Metre, who is now working at Walker in a freelance capacity, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen described the changes that have occurred over the last year as an integration of some of Walker's key operations. Among those was the creation of an integrated sales and marketing team across Candlewick Press, Holiday House and Peachtree under Mary Marotta, who is SVP of sales, marketing, and business.
Rasmussen acknowledged that Walker does expect its publishing strategy to evolve over the coming years, with the goal of delivering stronger financial results across the group. "That said," Rasmussen continued, "any changes we make will be firmly rooted in the values that define our houses—namely, editorial and design excellence, deep care for author and illustrator relationships, and an unwavering commitment to quality and creativity."
She emphasized that Walker's strategy "is not about simply increasing volume. Our focus will be on publishing with greater purpose, ensuring each title has the best possible chance to thrive—creatively and commercially."
"Now that Andrew is on board and has taken up this key role within our global leadership team, we’re in a strong position to develop a comprehensive growth plan. We’re excited to have someone of his caliber leading our publishing into its next chapter, working in partnership with his colleagues in the U.S. and overseas."
