Barnes Robinson promoted to Puffin publisher amid string of changes

Anna Barnes Robinson has been promoted to publisher of picture books and preschool brands at Puffin, amid a series of changes and promotions at Penguin Random House Children's. 

Publishing director Amanda Punter said the changes are "designed to ensure we continue to be the number one destination for fresh and exciting storytelling from a range of voices that really speak to modern families around the world". She added: "We’ve seen the pandemic detrimentally affect children’s literacy in the UK and beyond, and that the word gap starts from well before school age, which gives even more purpose to Puffin’s mission to spark the imagination of every child, everywhere, and turn the very youngest children into readers for life."

Barnes Robinson (pictured) will report to Punter and will lead the picture books and preschool brand team into a new phase, following Lara Hancock’s departure to Bloomsbury. Barnes Robinson will work with art directors Keren Greenfeld and Liz Catchpole.

Joe Marriott is promoted to publisher, picture books, reporting to Barnes Robinson. Marriott's new role will be particularly focused on acquisition and profile-led projects, and he will continue to seek out new picture book talent, following recent acquisitions such as Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola’s Waterstones Prize-winning debut Look Up! and his long-term work to grow Tom Fletcher’s preschool publishing. 

Ygraine Cadlock, editorial director for preschool brands, will also report to Barnes Robinson, and will take on more strategic responsibility for Puffin’s preschool brand publishing including Peter Rabbit, The Snowman and the World of Eric Carle. Cadlock will also be responsible for building new brands, with a focus on acquiring more profile-led projects for the list. She will be supported by Liv Edwards, who is promoted to senior commissioning editor and Louise Rickwood, promoted to editor.

Andrea Macdonald, editorial director, picture books, will likewise report to Barnes Robinson and continue to look after Puffin's heritage brands, including Shirley Hughes and Anthony Browne, as well as acquiring books from internationally successful long-time authors and future stars such as Ed Vere, Zadie Smith/Nick Laird, Al Rodin and Nadia Shireen. Sarah McCrum, editorial director, custom, will now report to Barnes Robinson.

In the 6+ team Emily Lunn, recently promoted to senior commissioning editor, will now report to Ruth Knowles, publisher for 6+ fiction, non-fiction and licensing. This will combine Puffin’s illustrated non-fiction experience, with recent bestsellers such as One Hundred Reasons to Hope, BBC Earth and A Year on Adam’s Farm under Knowles' strategic leadership. The publisher said this will enable Puffin to further build on its non-fiction successes such as Adam Kay and Bill Bryson. Knowles will continue to report to Punter. 

Also in the 6+ fiction, non-fiction and licensing team, Jane Griffiths has been appointed as editorial director, with primary responsibility for Puffin’s Roald Dahl publishing. She will also be acquiring commercial fiction for 6+ readers and supporting Knowles in refining and executing Puffin's growth strategy for key authors and areas of the 6+ list. Also in this team, Sara Jafari is promoted to editor having made some important acquisitions including Black Joy and Priscilla Mante’s accessible middle-grade series The Dream Team.