CHILDREN'S BOOK PUBLISHERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: NEW MODELS FOR A NEW MARKETPLACE

Abstract

This paper considers publishers of children's literary fiction in the UK between 1995 and 2004. Using a combination of statistical analysis and interviews, it explores the different ways in which independent publishing houses and media conglomerates compete in a rapidly changing marketplace. While shifts in the commercial climate since 1995 appear to have favoured large media groups, their advantages of scale often come with commensurate costs. The second section of the paper looks in depth at two newly established publishers, David Fickling Books and The Chicken House. It concludes that as children's book publishing continues to transform itself, new models for publishers are needed; that of smaller entities working independently within the construct of larger ones, or alternatively, that of larger conglomerates seeking ways to break down their operations into more purposeful and responsive units.