Lerner Publishing Group
Lerner Publishing Group, based in Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota since its founding in 1959, is one of the largest independently owned children's book publishers in the United States. With more than 5,000 titles in print, Lerner Publishing Group offers nonfiction and fiction books for grades K-12.
Founded
1959
Harry Lerner, CEO
self-distributed (US)
Thomas Allen & Son (Canada)[1]
Walker Books (Australia)
[2]
Bounce Sales & Marketing (UK)[3]
History[edit]
Lerner was founded in 1959 by Harry Lerner. The company started as a one-room office in the old Lumber Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis. Lerner's sister-in-law, Marguerite Rush Lerner, M.D., asked him to publish her stories about childhood diseases. These became the Medical Books for Children series (1959). The company has expanded to encompass four offices: the main Lerner building, Lerner Distribution Center, and Muscle Bound Bindery, all located in Minneapolis, and a New York office located in the Empire State Building. In 1963, Lerner was the first publisher to print original art featuring multi-racial children, and has continued a tradition of innovation.
Imprints[edit]
Millbrook Press[edit]
Millbrook was a Connecticut-based publisher founded in 1989 by the French publisher Groupe de la Cite. Millbrook was sold to a group led by management in 1994.[4] Lerner acquired Millbrook Press in 2004. Millbrook publishes under three sub-imprints: Millbrook, Copper Beech, and Twenty-First Century. Millbrook prints books for both the consumer and school markets.[1] Millbrook's trade imprint, Roaring Brook Press, was sold separately to Holtzbrinck Publishers.[5]
Carolrhoda Books[edit]
Carolrhoda Books was begun in 1969, named after Carolrhoda Locketz, a close friend of Sharon Lerner who died after serving in the Peace Corps. Carolrhoda publishes about 20 titles annually: picture books, fiction, and single-title nonfiction for trade and library editions.
The Sharon Lerner Scholarship[edit]
The Sharon Lerner Scholarship is a four-week scholarship, begun in 1983, to honor Sharon Lerner, art director and founder of Carolrhoda Books. The scholarship is intended to promote understanding and cooperation between international publishers of children's books.[2]