Karen Lotz is joining W.W. Norton as director, children's books and strategic development, a newly created position. She will develop and oversee a children's book initiative that spans Norton's current program for young readers and the company's distribution business. The goals of this initiative include expanding and broadening the offering of children's books created in-house as well as widening market opportunities for Norton's client publishers. (Norton distribution clients with significant children's and YA offerings include Thames & Hudson, Tilbury House, The Experiment, Abbeville Press, Fantagraphics Books, and Akashic Books.)
Lotz also will develop her own list of children's titles and will acquire select adult titles for Norton Trade. In 2018, Norton founded Norton Young Readers, which, headed by Simon Boughton, publishes 25 titles a year, including illustrated books for young children and titles for middle-grade readers and teens.
From 1999 to 2023, Lotz was president and founding U.S. publisher of Candlewick Press, which started primarily as a distribution arm and then became a full publisher. During her tenure, Candlewick published many award-winning books, added the imprints MIT Kids and MITeen with MIT University Press, launched bilingual publishing, and introduced British children's imprints into the U.S., including Templar Press, Big Picture Press, and Nosy Crow. From 2010 to 2023, she was group managing director at Walker Books, Candlewick's parent company. Before joining Walker, Lotz was president and publisher at Dutton Children's Books.
She was also a founding board member of the Library of Congress Literacy Awards, including as chair of the David M. Rubenstein Prize committee. Her own children's books were published by Penguin and, since stepping down from Candlewick, she has been working on a cultural biography of President Jimmy Carter under a master's program in creative writing at Northeastern University London.
Norton chair and president Julia Reidhead said, "Karen Lotz has distinguished herself throughout her career as one of those rare individuals who brings both outstanding strategic leadership and tremendous creative talent to her work. As publishers who strive to build readers for life, from the earliest years through high school, college, and on into adulthood, we at W.W. Norton are thrilled to have her join and strengthen our efforts."
Norton Trade Group director Brendan Curry said, "Anyone who follows children's publishing knows that Karen Lotz has achieved remarkable success--most notably in bringing new, varied, and excellent reading opportunities to young people embarking on the adventure of books. Karen's creator-centric approach and strategic acumen match Norton's publishing philosophy exactly, and we are delighted to welcome her to the Norton family."
Lotz commented, "W.W. Norton exemplifies the very best of what defines independent publishing, demonstrating excellence, thoughtfulness, creativity, and humanity in all that they do--I could not be more excited to join this incredible company. The chance to contribute to the amazing management team's legacy-building, inclusive vision of what publishing for young people can and should be is a dream come true."