Ann-Janine Murtagh steps down from HarperCollins Children's Books

HarperCollins Children’s Books’ Ann-Janine Murtagh is stepping down from her role as executive publisher “to pass the baton over” and “begin a whole new chapter” of her career. 

Murtagh will leave on 15th April. She joined HarperCollins in 2007 as publisher, having previously held senior publishing roles at Random House, Penguin Children’s Books and Hachette Children’s Books. She was appointed as executive publisher in 2011. 

HarperCollins today paid tribute to Murtagh’s leadership, which saw HarperCollins Children’s Books publish “some of the UK’s bestselling children’s titles and achieved record revenue and profit growth”.  

The company said: “She worked closely with publishing legends Judith Kerr and Michael Bond, along with many of today’s most celebrated contemporary children’s writers, including Michael Morpurgo, Lauren Child, Quentin Blake and Oliver Jeffers. She is responsible for launching David Walliams, David Baddiel and Joe Wicks into the children’s book world and most recently signed a major global deal to publish Idris Elba’s first children’s books”. 

In 2015 she co-produced Mog’s Christmas Calamity as part of a TV advertising partnership with Sainsbury’s, raising £1.6 million for the Save the Children literacy campaign. Under her leadership, HarperCollins Children’s Books won Children’s Publisher of the Year three times (in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively) and published titles that achieved more than 70 weeks (non-consecutive) at overall Total Consumer Market number one and hit the top of the children’s charts for more than 200 weeks. 

In 2020 she won an international Emmy Award as an executive producer of the critically acclaimed TV adaptation of “The Tiger Who Came to Tea” screened by Channel 4 and co-produced by Lupus Films and HarperCollins Children’s Books. 

Murtagh said: “It’s been a truly wonderful adventure leading HarperCollins Children’s Books on its incredible journey of growth — and every single day has been exhilarating and exciting. I’ve been privileged to have worked with some of the most iconic names in children’s publishing and with colleagues who are peerless. But it feels absolutely the right moment for me to pass the baton over and begin a whole new chapter of my career. “I am enormously grateful to Charlie [Redmayne, HarperCollins c.e.o.] for his belief in me during my time at HarperCollins and appreciate his continued support as I embark on my next ventures. I leave behind the most fantastic team and many of the most favourite authors writing for children today. I will miss them all hugely but know they will flourish and continue to publish the very best books for children.” 

Redmayne added: “Ann-Janine is a visionary children’s publisher, and she has made an immense contribution to HarperCollins. Her incredible intellect, limitless drive, and the sheer joy with which she publishes her authors, and their books has transformed HarperCollins Children’s Books into the hugely successful and dynamic business it is today. She has been a fantastic colleague and she will be greatly missed. I wish her well with her new ventures and I know that she will always be a friend to HarperCollins.”