21st March 2025


1 Company Spotlight


MCB’s Alison Ruane: ‘What motivates me is getting a child to read a book’


Macmillan Children’s Books’ Alison Ruane reflects on her first few months as MD as she shares her priorities and plans with Caroline Carpenter


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lison Ruane ( 1) loved reading throughout her upbringing in Leicestershire, but never considered that she could be involved in creating books


herself: “I didn't know anyone who worked in any kind of creative industry at all.” After studying English literature at the University of Sheffield, she was determined to prove frustrating comments about the irrelevance of arts degrees wrong and eyed up a career in book publishing. “I had no idea how to get into it, but I fixated on it,” said Ruane. This led to her saving up to enrol on a six-month, post- graduate introduction-to-publishing course at West Herts College in Watford, followed by a first job in the industry as a marketing executive at Collins Education. But she was “very much attracted to the glamour of trade publishing”, and soon joined


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Penguin Books as marketing manager, developing campaigns for Ladybird Books, before moving to HarperCollins Children's Books, where she stayed for 14 years undertak- ing roles in marketing, brand strategy and as associate publisher of the division (acting as deputy to former executive publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh). Ruane joined Macmillan Children’s Books (MCB) as communications director in May 2020, before stepping up to become managing director last August follow- ing Belinda Ioni Rasmussen’s departure to Walker Books. Reflecting on her career to date, she says:


“The bulk of it has been really thinking about children, families, educators, gatekeepers and how to engage them with what we’re publishing. I feel really motivated by the idea of getting a child interested in a book. There's nothing better to me.” She adds: “Also, when


Bologna Children’s Book Fair


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