Best known for publishing and distributing books on the creative and visual arts, Phaidon Press has announced that Cecily Kaiser has come on board in the newly created position of publishing director, children’s books, and that Meagan Bennett has joined in the new position of art director, children’s books. Both Kaiser and Bennett are based in the publisher’s New York offices and will report to Deb Aaronson, v-p and group publisher of Phaidon. Their new roles are effective immediately.
Phaidon has previously published notable titles for children under the direction of its former commissioning editor for children’s, Rachel Williams in the U.K. (now publisher of Frances Lincoln Books) and Hélène Gallois Montbrun, senior editor, children’s books, out of Phaidon’s Paris office. Successes have included books by Tomi Ungerer and Hervé Tullet, as well as The Art Book for Children and The Silver Spoon for Children cookbook. According to Aaronson, the appointment of Kaiser and Bennett will allow for greater expansion in the children’s arena. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to leverage the Phaidon brand and grow the program for a range of ages by continuing to work with the most talented artists and authors in the world,” Kaiser said in a statement. “Like the adult Phaidon list, our books will challenge the conventions of traditional publishing, both in content and packaging.”
Prior to coming to Phaidon, Kaiser launched the Appleseed imprint at Abrams, publishing more than 60 titles in that line. And before her work at Abrams, Kaiser was at Scholastic for 10 years, first as editorial director for the book clubs and then as editorial director for the company’s Cartwheel imprint. Bennett, who is also making the move from Abrams to Phaidon, has most recently been associate art director for Appleseed and has also worked for Penguin Young Readers Group and Chronicle Books.
