Random U.K. Consolidates Two Children's Divisions

The Random House Group has announced the creation of Random House Children's Books, a new publishing division bringing together children's publishing from Random House and Transworld. Random House Children's Books includes the long standing imprints Jonathan Cape, Hutchinson and Bodley Head, as well as the more recently established Doubleday list and the newly acquired David Fickling Books. Each of these lists will retain its own identity and all of them will feed the two existing paperback imprints, Red Fox and Corgi Children's Books.

Philippa Dickinson, who has overseen the developing relationship between the two companies over the past year, will head the new division as managing director and Gill Evans will be deputy managing director and head of publishing.

The list of bestselling international authors and illustrators now published by one division includes Philip Pullman, Jacqueline Wilson, Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs, Anthony Browne, Shirley Hughes, Aidan Chambers, Roald Dahl and Debi Gliori.

Gail Rebuck, Random House Group chairman and chief executive, said, "This move emphasizes Random House's commitment to its children's publishing as an area for future growth. The new division has been created in recognition of the unique demands of the children's marketplace and will enable us to take full and competitive advantage of the strength of our children's publishing in the U.K. and, through our associate companies, overseas."

The new division will be based at the Transworld offices in Ealing beginning late this fall, where it will be supported by a dedicated children's sales, marketing, rights, publicity, production and design staff.