A History of Margaret K. McElderry Books

This twelvemonth marks the 50th day of Margaret K. McElderry Books, the archetypal eponymous children’s imprint. This would beryllium a milestone by immoderate conceivable measure, but it is each the much awesome erstwhile we see that the imprint mightiness ne'er person been started had its laminitis not changed the scenery of children’s literature — or, indeed, if she had not been pivotal to it being considered lit successful the archetypal place.

Who Was Margaret K. McElderry?

Margaret Knox McElderry led a beingness arsenic eventful and colorful arsenic that of a literate heroine. Born successful Pittsburgh connected June 10, 1912, she went to Mount Holyoke College and followed it up by attending the Carnegie Library School successful Pittsburgh. This wasn’t due to the fact that of a heavy involvement successful librarianship, but owed to a assemblage counsellor telling her that she had thing to connection the publishing industry. She got a occupation successful the children’s section of the New York Public Library, a play of clip that Publishers Weekly called “foundational” for her aboriginal arsenic a publisher.

McElderry’s emotion of stories developed early, portion listening to the people tales her parent liked to archer portion gardening. It ne'er went away: connected the contrary, she resorted to it during the hardest, scariest times of her life. Among these, boarding a freighter from New York to London successful 1944 stands out. McElderry, connected her mode to taking a occupation astatine the Office of War Intelligence, entertained her chap passengers by telling children’s stories aloud. Her person Susan Cooper, writer of the Dark Rising series, said that she believed that children’s stories were the precise champion stories.

After World War II ended, she returned to New York and joined the archetypal children’s section astatine Harcourt Brace & World. She was instrumental successful turning children’s lit “from a prewar cottage manufacture to today’s billion-dollar business.” She edited respective books that would spell connected to go Newbery and Caldecott winners.

McElderry joined Storer D. Lunt, a erstwhile president of steadfast W.W. Norton. The matrimony lasted until his decease a decennary later. She died successful 2011, leaving down a plethora of grieving friends and colleagues.

Margaret K. McElderry Books: The Beginning

In a stunningly shortsighted (and frankly ageist) move, William Jovanovich fired McElderry successful 1972 with this parting shot: “the question of the aboriginal has passed you by.” She moved connected to Atheneum, wherever she started Margaret K. McElderry Books, the precise archetypal eponymous children’s imprint. She proved Jovanovich spectacularly wrong: successful the past 50 years, her imprint has sold implicit 80 cardinal books.

McElderry firmly and famously believed that children were the bedrock of publishing: “If you don’t drawback them young,” she said, “you won’t person immoderate big readers.” As a result, her imprint primitively focused connected mediate people and representation books. She wasn’t acrophobic of taking risks, arsenic she had already proven successful 1950 erstwhile she published The Two Reds by Mr. Lipkind and Mr. Mordvinoff. Although the communicative is astir a redheaded lad and a reddish cat, the rubric unsocial frightened booksellers capable that galore refused to merchantability it, acrophobic that it would beryllium astir Communism.

Margaret K. McElderry Books began the careers of aggregate award-winning authors and illustrators. Her sensation and imaginativeness were legendary, nary uncertainty aided by her acquisition arsenic a children’s librarian. As Cooper enactment it, “her penetration arsenic a steadfast came from intelligence, experience, and instinct.” Indeed, her imaginativeness is partially liable for launching the careers of authors and illustrators similar Margaret Mahy, Cassandra Clare, Irene Haas, and more.

Throughout the years, Margaret K. McElderry Books’ genitor steadfast changed hands a fig of times. Atheneum was acquired by Scribner, which was acquired MacMillan, which was past acquired by Simon & Schuster successful 1994. Margaret K. McElderry Books is presently a boutique imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Division.

The Imprint Now

Although its laminitis has present passed, Margaret K. McElderry Books shows nary signs of slowing down. It publishes astir 30 to 35 books a year, with its catalog having expanded to see YA, poetry, and nonfiction. More importantly, it continues to travel its laminitis daring spirit: Vice President and Editorial Director Karen Wojtyla told Publishers Weekly that “we’re successful a regressive time. With books progressively being challenged, it’s incumbent upon america to combat for kids and their close to work thing and everything.”