Puffin's Hancock to lead illustrated publishing at Bloomsbury Children's Books

Bloomsbury has appointed Lara Hancock to the newly created role of head of illustrated publishing in the children's books division, bringing together the picture book and non-fiction teams under new leadership.

Hancock's team will include picture books commissioning editor Pari Thomson and recent arrivals in non-fiction, senior commissioning editor Emily Ball and commissioning editor Sally Beets. Hancock will report to publishing director and editor-in-chief Rebecca McNally and will start on 22nd November 2021.

She joins from PRH Children’s, where she has been Puffin publisher for picture books, partnerships and illustrated non-fiction since 2017. At Puffin, Hancock has overseen brands including Beatrix Potter, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Moomins, the V&A and the BBC alongside a picture book frontlist including Tom Fletcher, Dapo Adeola, Zadie Smith and Ladbaby as well as non-fiction bestsellers from Captain Sir Tom Moore and Vashti Harrison. She previously held leadership roles at S&S and Egmont.

McNally said: "I am thrilled to welcome Lara to Bloomsbury. Her unrivalled mix of creative vision, strategic thinking and brand-building expertise make her the perfect list leader as we shift gear and apply an ambitious focus to our brilliant, growing non-fiction and picture book lists."

Hancock added: "I am absolutely delighted to be joining the outstanding team at Bloomsbury at an important and exciting time of growth. The vibrant picture book and non-fiction lists are home to a wealth of bestselling, much loved books and series, and I’m thrilled to work with Rebecca and the whole team to build on their successes and help shape the future of the list."