11th March 2025


publisher’s recent financial performance. In 2024, value sales increased 25% through Nielsen BookScan UK’s Total Consumer Market to £650,000 – driven in part by its new picture- book list led by Katie Cotton and Polly Whybrow – and there was 34% topline growth across all operations. Broom expands: “Behind that 34% headline


number is a real effort to push sales internation- ally, with the US being a big part of that.” Last summer, Anette Dal Jensen joined from Macmillan in the newly created role of US sales and business development director to oversee the company’s growing partnership with Abrams, which includes a newly launched distribution arm. Williams says: “We work closely with their publishing and sales teams on every book that we put out there to make sure that it's market appropriate. We have an editor and a marketer based in the US. Jen and I go twice a year to pitch our own books to all the key buyers. So we’ve really invested in our growth there, and it’s starting to pay off. “We’ve managed to double our revenue in


1 Company Spotlight


Proudly independent: Magic Cat Publishing plans for the future


Motherhood and a strength derived from hard-won publishing wisdom find Rachel Williams and Jenny Broom gathering momentum with Magic Cat. Caroline Carpenter reports


‘I


f a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder… he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery


of the world we live in.” This quote from American marine biologist, writer and conservationist Rachel Carson has been a guiding principle for Rachel Williams and Jenny Broom ( 1) since they founded multi-award-winning independent children’s publisher Magic Cat five years ago. Setting up shortly after becoming mothers,


the pair had previously worked together at Big Picture Press and then as co-founders of Quarto imprint Wide-Eyed Editions on hits including the Little People, Big Dreams series and Animalium. From a founding team of three (they brought


Quarto’s Nicola Price on board as art director), Magic Cat has now evolved into a 28-strong workforce ( 2). This growth is mirrored in the


28


the US year-on-year, taking us to £1.5m sales there, and we’ve more than doubled our sales in Australia and New Zealand as well, going from £188,000 to £418,000 year-on-year,” says Broom. “We’ve also managed to grow foreign rights by 20%, so it’s a multifaceted sales push around the world to keep us growing at the rate that we are.” The pair feel this international approach is


a great calling card to attract ambitious authors and illustrators to their list rather than a Big Five publisher. “We only publish a small number of books a year [50 in 2025], but we’re now able to offer a global syndicated release across all English language territories.” It is no wonder that this success has been


recognised by the industry, with Magic Cat picking up both the CPI Independent Publisher of the Year Award at the Independent Publishing Awards and the Small Press of the Year Award at The British Book Awards (a category it has now outgrown as its turnover has exceeded £5m) in the past 12 months. These accolades are “extremely meaningful” to the duo. Broom explains: “It was validation of the enormous work that had gone in, but also spurred us on to reach higher and aim for the next level. Our ambition is completely unfettered now as a result of that award. There was a palpable gear shift in terms of who we could approach.” One exciting example of this is its upcoming


board-book series with bestselling chef Jamie Oliver introducing pre-schoolers to food (full details will be announced at Bologna Children’s Book Fair). It is part of the press’ big push on pre-school this year. Magic Cat is expanding into illustrated first readers and chapter books too, kicking off with Kristyna Litten’s Ivy and Bearlock Holmes detective series. When it comes to branching out, the goal for Williams is to “create the market, rather than follow it”. Broom says: "We’ve been very strategic in the


London Book Fair


Company Spotlight


ALAN HOWARD


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