Puffin Books: Difference between revisions
Created page with "thumb|Current Puffin Books logo.<ref>https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/puffin</ref> [page is still being edited] Puffin Books, also known as Puffin, is a prestigious publisher that specializes in children's literature. They focus on publishing children's classics in addition to new fiction and nonfiction, their catalog ranging from picture books to teen novels.<ref name=":0">Puffin. “Overview.” ''Penguin Books'', 2 June 2021, [https://..." |
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Revision as of 20:29, 9 October 2025
[page is still being edited] Puffin Books, also known as Puffin, is a prestigious publisher that specializes in children's literature. They focus on publishing children's classics in addition to new fiction and nonfiction, their catalog ranging from picture books to teen novels.[2]
Mission statement
Puffin Books aims to make reading accessible for all children by offering a wide range of inexpensive books.[3] By making books more accessible, they hope to inspire young children "to feel they can be and do anything."[4]
History of Puffin
Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, came up with the idea for Puffin Books in 1939 when an editor named Noel Carrington pitched the idea of publishing a series of non-fiction children's books.[5] Lane was inspired and agreed to publish them. Thus, Puffin was born, and ts first picture books were published just a year later. These nonfiction books focused on helping children understand the world around them during World War II, and were also more accessible than most other children's books at the time.[6]
In addition to nonfiction, Puffin began to publish fiction and fantasy titles in the 1950s, including the very popular children's classics The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. By the time the first editor, Eleanor Graham, retired in 1961, Puffin had 151 titles in print.[5]
1960s-1970s
Kaye Weber became the editor for Puffin after Graham's retirement in 1961. She quickly grew Puffin's list of titles to 1,213 in just eight years and also established a new line of picture books, Picture Puffins, which had major success in the 1970s with the publication of titles such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Weber also launched a book club, the Puffin Club, in 1967, with the hopes of turning more children into avid readers.
Puffin expanded to the USA in 1978 when the company acquired Viking Kestrel and their paperback line, Seafarer Books.[2]
1980s-1990s
The 1980s was a time of massive growth for Puffin Books. During this time, the company developed largely into what it is today. They took advantage of film tie-in publishing and created links with major film studios like Disney.[5] They also reprinted Puffin UK titles and acquired new titles for paperback publication. In 1998, Puffin Books merged with two more publishing companies: New American Library and Dutton. Puffin's backlist of titles had massively expanded, so they never had to worry about running out of things to publish. During this time, Puffin Books also collaborated with Puffin UK to publish a new Puffin Classics series.
In 1996, Puffin's parent company, Penguin Books, merged with Putnam Berkley Group. This meant that Puffin Books had now acquired all of the titles from PaperStar, Putnam's children's literature imprint. This final merger for Puffin Books established the imprint as one of the top children's publishers. [2]
Ownership
Puffin Books operates under Penguin Young Readers, which is a division of Penguin Random House. Penguin Random House is fully owned by the private media company Bertlesmann. Bertlesmann is a for-profit company that is owned mostly by foundations, but 19.1 percent of it is owned by the Mohn family.[7]
Company size
Penguin Random House is a massive company with about 9,500 employees across all of its various imprints.[8] The exact amount that work for Penguin Young Readers, and Puffin Books specifically, is unknown.
Publishing Profile
Catalog
Puffin Books publishes a wide variety of paperback and hardcover books for children, middle grade, and teen audiences. The genres they publish include, but are not limited to, fantasy, mystery, nonfiction, and science fiction. They specialize in children's classics, and have a Puffin Classics series and a Puffin in Bloom series. Puffin Classics are typically more affordable paperback editions of classics that feature a wide variety of titles, while Puffin in Bloom has very few titles, and are expensive hardcover editions that are geared towards collectors.
Staff
The information of the employees who work for Puffin Books is not publicized, but because Puffin operates under Penguin Young Readers, the managing staff for the division are listed below.
President[10]
The president of the Penguin Young Readers division is Jennifer Loja. She joined the division in 2009.
Executive Vice President and Associate Publisher[11]
The Executive Vice President of the division is Jocelyn Schmidt. She also works as the Associate Publisher and oversees the list of titles for Penguin Young Readers. She joined the division in 2005.
Vice President and Executive Director of Brand & Content Development Strategy[12]
The Vice President and Executive Director of Brand & Content for Penguin Young Readers is Stephanie Sabol. She is in charge of the business strategy for the brands under the division, and is the main contact for authors, agents, and estates of these brands. Sabol joined the division in 2004.
- ↑ https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/puffin
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Puffin. “Overview.” Penguin Books, 2 June 2021, www.penguin.com/puffin-overview/.
- ↑ Maclaren, Deborah . “Stunning Special Clothbound Classics for Puffin’s 85th Anniversary.” Love Reading 4 Kids, 7 Aug. 2025, www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/blog/many-happy-returns-to-puffin-85-years-young-this-year-6881.
- ↑ Puffin Schools. “FAQs.” Puffin Schools, 13 July 2021, www.puffinschools.co.uk/faqs/.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Puffin Club. “A Puffin History.” Puffin Club, puffinclub.co.uk/a-puffin-history.
- ↑ Stella & Rose's Books. “Puffin Picture Books.” Stella & Rose's Books, 29 Oct. 2014, www.stellabooks.com/article/puffin-picture-books.
- ↑ Bertlesmann. “Shareholder Structure.” Bertelsmann SE & Co KGaA, www.bertelsmann.com/company/shareholder-structure/.
- ↑ “Penguin Random House - People.” LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com/company/penguin-random-house-publishing/people/.
- ↑ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529579/the-puffin-in-bloom-4-book-collection-by-various/
- ↑ Penguin Books. “Jennifer Loja.” Penguin Books, 25 June 2021, www.penguin.com/jennifer-loja-president/.
- ↑ Penguin Books. “Jocelyn Schmidt.” Penguin Books, 25 June 2021, www.penguin.com/jocelyn-schmidt-vice-president-associate-publisher/.
- ↑ Penguin Books. “Stephanie Sabol.” Penguin Books, 25 June 2021, www.penguin.com/stephanie-sabol-executive-director-of-brand-and-business-management/.
