What seemed like a premature announcement from Egmont that it was closing its US office at the end of January after giving their “attempts to sell” the unit only four months now has further clarity. Lerner Publishing has acquired Egmont USA’s list of nearly 100 titles, and will fold those titles into its existing imprints including Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda La, Darby Creek, and Millbrook Press as of April 30. Egmont USA will publish the eight remaining titles on their 2015 winter list which will be distributed by Random House until April 30, at which time Lerner will take over publication and distribution of all Egmont frontlist and backlist titles. According to the release, Lerner approached Egmont with an offer after the closure announcement in January.
Egmont USA publisher and managing director Andrea Cascardi and sales & marketing director Margaret Coffee will remain until April 30 to oversee the transition. Alix Reid, former vp, editorial director at Harper Children’s Books, will be acting as Lerner’s editor at large on an interim basis and will oversee many of the Egmont titles while Lerner continues to search for an editorial director of Carolrhoda Books, based in their Minneapolis office.
Egmont Publishing International ceo Rob McMenemy said in the announcement: “I am delighted to be able to confirm that we have found a home for our authors with one of the US’s largest independently owned children’s publishers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our authors and agents for their support during this transition.” Lerner Publishing Group ceo Adam Lerner added: “The Egmont USA acquisition demonstrates our continued commitment our highly acclaimed trade program. Egmont’s dedication to quality shows in their list of award-winning and bestselling books and we look forward to reaching out to Egmont authors and welcoming them to the Lerner Publishing Group family.”
In personnel news, Aislinn Belton has joined the Crown Publishing Group’s managing editorial department as managing editor for the Crown, Hogarth, Broadway, Tim Duggan Books, Crown Archetype, and Three Rivers Press imprints. Previously she was an assistant managing editor at Penguin.