Usborne’s Usborne on the up

Usborne Publishing’s Nicola Usborne has been promoted to the role of deputy managing director at the London-based children’s independent publisher.

At last year’s London Book Fair, 78-year-old founder Peter Usborne discussed succession planning at the family-run firm, telling The Bookseller Daily that his daughter Nicola would eventually take over the business.

Nicola Usborne currently manages the company’s foreign imprints—mainly Usborne Verlag, with dTV in Germany, and Usborne Korea, with BIR. She previously spent 12 years working at Scholastic in New York, latterly as vice-president, and is also a BAFTA-winning producer; her most recent big-screen production was feature film “The Love Punch”, starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson, in 2013.

Peter Usborne said: “I went into children’s publishing when my wife told me she was pregnant with Nicola, and started Usborne Publishing when my son Martin was born. Publishing has always for me been an extension of being a father, and Usborne Publishing is—in every way—a family venture. So I am thrilled that Nicola will be joining me.”

Martin Usborne, who runs illustrated independent Hoxton Mini Press, will also take a role as creative consultant at the children’s company.

One of the UK’s biggest independent publishers, Usborne recorded sales of £51.99m in its latest set of audited accounts (to 31st January 2015), with an after-tax profit of £5.9m.