Pfeffer, who was president of Harcourt Trade before leaving for Pearson Education in 2001, talks about his return to trade publishing, as senior v-p and publisher, S&S Children's Publishing.
Q: You were chief creative officer at Pearson Education; what exactly did you do?
A: The beauty of this position is that it invented itself as it went along. There never was a job description. I was entrusted by Peter Jovanovich and Marjorie Scardino to do whatever it takes to make Pearson Education books and products as stimulating, engaging and functional as we could imagine them to be.
Here are things that I did:
I often asked questions. They usually started with "What if...?" Shortly thereafter I'd be known to ask "Why not?"
The design departments from the imprints across all the Pearson, Inc. companies became a unified community. We overcame typical corporate obstacles, and design is now recognized as a strategic entity.
Dorling Kindersley and Pearson Education are partners and co-publishers in new programs. These products are selling remarkably well in markets around the world. They range from K-6 reading programs to college textbooks.
Q: What have you learned at Pearson that's applicable to the trade market?
A: Trade literature is the center of it all. Reading programs, social studies, science, even math utilize literature--trade content--to teach, inform, stimulate, educate and make real the concepts of these subject areas. I believe we can get in step with the textbook publishers and ascertain subject areas and topics that align with the curriculum as well as plan ahead for forthcoming adoptions and the opportunities associated with these schedules.
I am sensitized to the challenges that teachers and librarians face in the classrooms and how a good story can help bring about understanding.
I've also learned what can't be included in most educational programs. And there lie the opportunities and challenges for trade children's publishers. And here's what I admire greatly about S&S. They don't wince in addressing topics and subjects that kids need to have available to them. In educational publishing you just can't get into controversy. No sexuality, crime, drugs, racism and all other "isms." The big trade houses need to know what kids need to know or want to know. And we have to be as creative and inventive as possible to connect the kids to the content.
Q: Why did you want to return to trade publishing, and to children's books specifically?
A: Pure love.
Q: What do you think has changed about the children's market since you last worked on the trade side?
A: All good things, such as greater selectivity and discretion in picture books. We all knew we were flooding the market with too many titles and too few "face-out" spots on the shelves. We're more precise in our decisions and marketing objectives.
There is tremendous excitement in publishing middle grade and teen titles. This is a sensational turnaround. These titles used to be misfits on many lists; now the kids themselves have declared this to be a robust market.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish at S&S?
A: I've been entrusted to run a pretty big piece of the action at S&S Children's. I want to be recognized by my colleagues as someone who does what it takes to bring out the best books by the best talent with a staff that loves what they're doing as much as I do.
