After 10 years, Chip Gibson is stepping down as president and publisher of Random House Children's Books. Effective immediately, his successor is Barbara Marcus, who worked for 22 years at Scholastic, most recently as president of children's book publishing and distribution. Since 2005, she has been a consultant and advisor to several major book publishers and international media companies. Her arrival at Random House is a kind of return: her first job after college was at Bantam.
At Scholastic, among many other accomplishments, she directed the acquisition of the Harry Potter series and the publication of the first six books in the series. She helped expand the company and was involved in other bestselling titles, including series such as the Baby-Sitters Club, Goosebumps, the Magic School Bus and I Spy as well as books by Cornelia Funk, David Kirk and Norman Bridwell.
During her career, she has also supported a variety of charitable organizations for literacy, the welfare of children and education.
In a letter to staff about the changes, Random House chairman and CEO Markus Dohle called Marcus "one of the most qualified, and sought-after, children's books leaders in our industry, as revered for her publishing track record as she is for her great heart and team-building--values that align with the Random House culture."
Chip Gibson has worked at Random House for more than 30 years, starting at Crown right after college, rising from inventory clerk eventually to president and publisher in 1996. In 2002, he became president and publisher of the children's books division, a position he was originally going to hold for three years.
Dohle praised Gibson, saying, "Together with his colleagues, Chip has transformed the workplace culture at Children's and impacted young readers everywhere--not just with their beloved books but also with their genuine commitment to philanthropy and community service."
The division, he added, has "substantially increased revenues and profits under his leadership, which has emphasized author and illustrator development, breakout sales and marketing programs, and served as home to an incomparable roster of longstanding and emerging authors." Major titles have included Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones series and Lauren Kate's Fallen. In the last three years, division titles have won either a Newbery or Caldecott. He has helped grow the audience for established franchises while launching new imprints, experimenting with new business models, going digital and reinvigorating such brands as the Princeton Review and Prima Games.
Considering all that, perhaps it's not surprisingly that Dohle said Gibson plans to take an extended break from work.
