Six months since leaving her job as managing director of Puffin Books, Philippa Milnes-Smith has announced her move to the literary agency LAW. She joins as a director specializing in all aspects of children's publishing and media.
Milnes-Smith has both strong editorial and management experience and sees her new job as the ideal way of combining the two. "In an increasingly complex commercial environment, creative people and ideas need the best possible management," she said. Milnes-Smith has already sold an eight-book preschool concept series by new author Penny Little to Hodder.
For LAW, Milnes-Smith brings the expertise they need to make the move into the children's market, which they have been planning for some time. As newly appointed head of business development for The Copyrights Group Ltd., following consultancy work during the interim, Milnes-Smith brings new business to LAW which will remain specifically under her control.
Francesca Dow, who was named managing director at Puffin on October 26, takes up her post on January 28. Orchard has yet to find a new publisher to replace Dow, who began her publishing career at Collins before joining Judith Elliott's then-new Orchard list in 1988. When Elliott left in 1993, Dow took over as editorial director. The company will be run in the interim by art director Jemima Lumley. Watts Group managing director Marlene Johnson said, "Losing Francesca is an enormous blow. We're proud of what we've done at Orchard and we'll take time to find the person who can continue to build on the vision that sets us apart."
