MAIN NEWS HEADLINES
January 15 – January 22, 2008 Edition
Anderson Named Publisher
Simon & Schuster Children’s
NEW YORK (Authorlink News, January 12, 2009)-Jon Anderson has been named Executive Vice President and Publisher of Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing Division, effective January 21st. The announcement was made today by Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc., to whom Mr. Anderson will report.
Mr. Anderson joins Simon & Schuster from Running Press Book Publishers, a division of the Perseus Books Group, where he has been President and Publisher since 2004.
“I’m thrilled that a publishing executive as talented and versatile as Jon Anderson will be joining Simon & Schuster to lead our Children’s Publishing Division,” said Carolyn Reidy. “He is a truly original thinker who brings great creativity, financial and business acumen, and managerial skill to all his publishing endeavors, and he is the right person to build upon our rich legacy in children’s publishing. He is knowledgeable and experienced in every type of publishing in our Children’s Division, and we look forward to his leadership for this vital and important part of our overall business.”
“Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has a stellar list of authors and illustrators who illuminate both its frontlist and backlist publishing, a vibrant teen and middle grade program, irresistible novelties, and top-notch licenses,” said Jon Anderson. “They are a talented team of passionate children’s publishing professionals, with a great tradition of publishing well in every category, and I look forward to working with them to expand on their considerable success to date.”
During his tenure at Running Press, Mr. Anderson consistently led the publisher to increased growth in both revenues and profit. He was responsible for the expansion of the publisher’s children’s program to
include middle grade and young adult fiction, including the New York Times bestselling Cathy’s Book, for which he helped create and directed an innovative, integrated multi-partner marketing campaign. He also devised the re-imagined edition of Marlo Thomas’s Free to Be.You and Me, a current New York Times bestseller, and developed a program of evergreen licenses including Hello Kitty, John Deere, and Peanuts. Running Press adult bestsellers under his supervision include Skinny Bitch and its sequels, the Sneaky Chef franchise, as well as renewed prominence and success for Running Press’s popular Miniature Editions.
Prior to Running Press, Mr. Anderson was at Penguin Putnam, Inc., where he was Vice President and Publisher of Price, Stern, Sloan and DreamWorks. During his time there, he was responsible for the start-up and ongoing publishing efforts of the successful DreamWorks line, which he managed for all divisions of Penguin worldwide. Before joining Penguin, Mr. Anderson was a merchandise manager and buyer at Barnes & Noble for various categories, including children’s books, mass market, and humor. He began his career at B. Dalton Booksellers, where he worked in retail and as a buyer.
In addition to his work as a publishing executive, Mr. Anderson is the acclaimed author of over twenty-five children’s books under the pseudonym William Boniface, with cumulative sales of more than two million copies, including The Adventures of Max the Minnow, selected by Oprah’s Book Club as a best book for children, and most recently, The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, a series of three middle-grade novels.
Mr. Anderson, 45, is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He lives in New York City.
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing is one of the leading children’s book publishers in the world. While maintaining an extensive backlist that includes numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners, the division continues to publish acclaimed and bestselling books for children of all ages. Recent award-winning and bestselling titles and series include the #1 New York Times bestseller BARACK OBAMA: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, IDENTICAL by Ellen Hopkins, PENDRAGON by D.J. MacHale, PETER PAN by Robert Sabuda, UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld, the National Book Award finalists CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson and THE UNDERNEATH by Kathi Appelt, TWEAK by Nic Sheff, Jon Scieszka’s TRUCKTOWN, beloved high-profile continuing characters including ELOISE and OLIVIA, and books based on Nickelodeon’s DORA THE EXPLORERR and SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTSR.
Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed,
electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com
