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Rachel Williams and Jenny Broom will launch a new children's publishing house, Magic Cat, in Spring 2020.
Launching with ten titles, Magic Cat will publish gift and non-fiction titles for readers aged 0-12. Partnering with Amanda Wood, founding publisher at Templar, they will also join forces with Wang Yihua’s team at The Ronshin Group in China.
In North America, Magic Cat will publish as an imprint of Abrams Children’s Books, while in China, Magic Cat will launch as a new imprint of The Ronshin Group. The list will be distributed in the UK by Abrams and Chronicle books, and in ANZ by Walker Australia.
Williams and Broom, who are both mums to young children, have worked together for nearly ten years and plan to make this venture family focused.
"We met at Templar and were inspired by Amanda Wood and we had been dreaming for years of starting a female owned business where creativity is at the heart of it," said Williams
Magic Cat will operate out of its office at Second Home, London Fields, which boasts an on-site nursery, and will publish its first title in the UK in March 2020.
"We will also be focusing on natural history, science and empowerment, as well as books for parents that are focused on bedtime reading," said Williams. "We are both mums and we are very close to our audience and chose the office because of the nursery. The publishing industry has come a long way but women are often still penalised in lots of ways for having children. We will be very family focused with flexible working and use of the nursery. The best ideas for books come from spending time with kids."
Explaining the indie's name, Magic Cat and its logo featuring a beckoning cat, Williams said: "We wanted to find something that was a symbol of our gratitude and cats have long been symbols of good fortune in China, which we now have a partner with. Our business is about the magic that happens when women come together to make books."
Both mums to young children, Williams and Broom cite ‘baby brain’ as their competitive advantage. “We are in a period of our lives in which we are being inspired by our children every day. It is crucial that we make the most of this opportunity and harness its creative potential,” said Broom.
Magic Cat marks the pair's third creative venture together –working on previous imprints Big Picture Press at Templar and Wide Eyed Editions at Quarto, and the best-selling series Little People Big Dreams, which they commissioned for the Frances Lincoln Children’s Books imprint, pioneering a renaissance in illustrated children’s non-fiction - but their first with independent backing.
Williams added the new company will “reflect what we do best: create profit with beautiful books that inspire care for our world.”
Broom and Williams will be showcasing Magic Cat’s launch list and selling rights at Frankfurt Book Fair. Enquiries to marketing@magiccatpublishing.co.uk.