FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sarah MacLachlan, President of House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books, is pleased to announce that Sheila Barry will be joining Patsy Aldana at Groundwood Books for children as Co-publisher. Sheila will join the company in January 2012 and will work with Patsy and the creative team at Groundwood — Michael Solomon, Shelley Tanaka and Nan Froman — in developing the list for the future.
“Succession is one of the big questions that preoccupies independent publishers, and we think that having Sheila Barry work together with Patsy Aldana to create a seamless transition is an effective plan,” explained MacLachlan.
“When I sold Groundwood Books to the House of Anansi in 2005,” Patsy Aldana said, “it was with the conviction that we needed a committed owner who would be able to ensure our long-term survival. As I spend so much of my time on the very critical work of the National Reading Campaign and on the international work of the IBBY Foundation, I am extremely pleased to be joined by the well-loved and highly respected Sheila Barry. Groundwood will benefit greatly from this addition of a person who can engage with the new challenges facing our industry while developing and growing our high quality list.”
Sheila Barry has worked in publishing for eighteen years; for the past eight she worked as editor-in-chief at Kids Can Press. “I was lucky to work with many of Canada’s leading authors and illustrators, and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with both established and new creators at Groundwood. I am very fortunate to be working alongside Patsy. I believe that together we will be able to build on the strength and significance of Groundwood’s publishing program, and I am very much looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Scott Griffin, owner and chairman of House of Anansi, is very pleased with this new plan for Groundwood Books. “Patsy Aldana is recognized as a leader in Canadian children’s book publishing as publisher and founder of Groundwood Books. I’m happy that Sheila will be joining the team and working with Patsy to achieve a smooth succession, but I’m also thrilled that Patsy will remain an important member of the Anansi family.”
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Bridget Haines
Publicist | House of Anansi Press Inc. | Groundwood Books
bhaines@groundwoodbooks.com | T: 416-363-4343 ext. 225