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{{short description|International publishing company}}
{{for multi|the British former subsidiary Macmillan Press|Palgrave Macmillan|the defunct American publisher|Macmillan Inc.}}
{{Use British English}}
{{Use dmy dates}}
{{Infobox publisher
| name = Macmillan Publishers
| image = Macmillan_Publishers_Logo_2020.png|alt=Macmillan Publishers
| parent = [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]]
| status =
| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|1843}}
| founders = {{ubl|[[Daniel MacMillan]]|[[Alexander MacMillan (publisher)|Alexander MacMillan]]}}
| successor =
| country = United Kingdom
| headquarters = [[Equitable Building (New York City)|Equitable Building]]<br />[[New York City]], United States
| keypeople = Don Weisberg ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/books/macmillan-john-sargent.html|title=Macmillan C.E.O. John Sargent Is Departing|newspaper=The New York Times|last1=Alter|first1=Alexandra}}</ref><br>Jon Yaged ([[President_(corporate_title)|President]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/85407-yaged-named-president-of-macmillan-trade-besser-to-head-kids-group.html|title=Yaged Named President of Macmillan Trade}}</ref>
| publications = Books, [[academic journal]]s, magazines
| topics =
| genre =
| imprints =
| revenue = $1.4 billion<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.reedsy.com/largest-book-publishers/|title=The Largest Book Publishers in 2021 |access-date=2021-06-22}}</ref>
| numemployees =
| nasdaq =
| url = {{URL|macmillan.com}}
}}
'''Macmillan Publishers''' (occasionally known as '''the Macmillan Group'''; formally '''Macmillan Publishers Ltd''' and '''Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC''') is a British [[publishing company]] traditionally considered to be one of the [[Big Five (publishers)|'Big Five']] English language publishers. Founded in [[London]] in 1843 by Scottish brothers [[Daniel MacMillan|Daniel]] and [[Alexander MacMillan (publisher)|Alexander MacMillan]], the firm would soon establish itself as a leading publisher in Britain. It published two of the best-known works of Victorian era children's literature, [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'' (1865) and [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' (1894).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Jaques|first1=Zoe|title=Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''Through the Looking-Glass'': A Publishing History|last2=Giddens|first2=Eugene|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-317-10552-7|doi=10.4324/9781315592275|page=16}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Macmillan Jungle Book Colouring Book Free Monkey Pattern Download |url=https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/the-macmillan-jungle-book-colouring-book-free-monkey-pattern-download/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=WH Smith}}</ref>

Former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], [[Harold Macmillan]], grandson of co-founder Daniel, was chairman of the company from 1964 until his death in December 1986. Since 1999, Macmillan has been a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] with offices in 41 countries worldwide and operations in more than thirty others.

==History==
[[File:Lewis Carroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-10.jpg|thumb|upright|Macmillan logo for ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]'', published in London on 26 November 1865]]
Macmillan was founded in London in 1843 by [[Daniel MacMillan|Daniel]] and [[Alexander MacMillan (publisher)|Alexander MacMillan]], two brothers from the [[Isle of Arran]], Scotland. Daniel was the business brain, while Alexander laid the literary foundations, publishing such notable authors as [[Charles Kingsley]] (1855), [[Thomas Hughes]] (1859), [[Francis Turner Palgrave]] (1861), [[Christina Rossetti]] (1862), [[Matthew Arnold]] (1865) and [[Lewis Carroll]] (1865), with the latter first meeting Alexander in London on 19 October 1863.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cohen|first=Morton N.|author-link=Morton N. Cohen|url=https://archive.org/details/lewiscarroll00mort|url-access=registration|title=Lewis Carroll: A Biography|year=1996|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|page=126|isbn=9780679745624 }}</ref> [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson]] joined the list in 1884, [[Thomas Hardy]] in 1886 and [[Rudyard Kipling]] in 1890.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/about|title=About Pan Macmillan|publisher=Pan Macmillan UK|access-date=2016-09-30|archive-date=16 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161016082319/https://www.panmacmillan.com/about|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Other major writers published by Macmillan included [[W. B. Yeats]], [[Rabindranath Tagore]], [[Nirad C. Chaudhuri]], [[Seán O'Casey]], [[John Maynard Keynes]], [[Charles Langbridge Morgan|Charles Morgan]], [[Hugh Walpole]], [[Margaret Mitchell]], [[C. P. Snow]], [[Rumer Godden]] and [[Ram Sharan Sharma]].

Beyond literature, the company created such enduring titles as ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' (1869), the ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' (1877) and [[Robert Harry Inglis Palgrave|Sir Robert Harry Inglis Palgrave]]'s ''Dictionary of Political Economy'' (1894–99).

[[File:MacMillan and Co logo 1880.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.15|This logo appeared in [[Leslie Stephen|Leslie Stephen's]] biography of [[Alexander Pope]], published by Macmillan & Co in London in 1880]]
[[George Edward Brett]] opened the first Macmillan office in the United States in 1869 and Macmillan sold its U.S. operations to the Brett family, [[George Platt Brett, Sr.]] and [[George Platt Brett]], Jr. in 1896, resulting in the creation of an American company, [[Macmillan Publishers (United States)|Macmillan Publishing]], also called the Macmillan Company. Even with the split of the American company from its parent company in England, George Brett, Jr. and Harold Macmillan remained close personal friends. Macmillan Publishers re-entered the American market in 1954 under the name [[St. Martin's Press]].

[[Macmillan of Canada]] was founded in 1905; [[Maclean-Hunter]] acquired the company in 1973. Following numerous mergers, Macmillan Canada dissolved in 2002 after [[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Co.]] acquired it.{{Citation needed}}

After retiring from politics in 1964, former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]], [[Harold Macmillan]], grandson of co-founder Daniel, became chairman of the company, serving until his death in December 1986.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[BBC]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/macmillan_harold.shtml|title=Harold Macmillan (1894–1986)}}</ref>
He had been with the family firm as a junior partner from 1920 to 1940 (when he became a junior minister), and from 1945 to 1951 while he was in the opposition in Parliament.

The German [[Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group|Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] purchased the company in 1999.<ref name="pw">{{cite news |last1=Milliot |first1=Jim |title=Holtzbrinck's U.S. Arm Now Macmillan |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/612-holtzbrinck-s-u-s-arm-now-macmillan.html |access-date=October 17, 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly |language=en}}</ref>

===21st century===

[[File:ASA conference 2008 - 14.JPG|thumb|2008 conference booth]]
[[Pearson PLC|Pearson]] acquired the Macmillan name in America in 1998, following its purchase of the [[Simon & Schuster]] educational and professional group (which included various Macmillan properties).<ref name="pw" /> Holtzbrinck purchased it from them in 2001.<ref>''Bookseller'', [http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4655423-1.html Allbusiness.com]</ref> McGraw-Hill continues to market its pre-kindergarten through elementary school titles under its Macmillan/McGraw-Hill brand. The US operations of Holtzbrinck Publishing changed its name to Macmillan in October 2007.<ref name="pw" /><ref name="pw0">{{cite news |title=News Briefs: Macmillan Rebrands Higher Education Division |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/50021-news-briefs.html |access-date=October 17, 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly |language=en}}</ref> Its audio publishing imprint changed its name from Audio Renaissance to Macmillan Audio, while its distribution arm was renamed from Von Holtzbrinck Publishers Services to Macmillan Publishers Services.<ref name="pw" /> Pan Macmillan purchased Kingfisher, a British children's publisher, from [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Houghton Mifflin]] in October 2007. Roaring Brook Press publisher Simon Boughton would oversee Kingfisher's US business.<ref name="pw1">{{cite news |title=News Briefs: Macmillan Buys Kingfisher |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20071008/9999-news-briefs.html |access-date=October 17, 2018 |work=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}</ref>

By some estimates, as of 2009, [[e-book]]s account for three to five per cent of total book sales, and are the fastest growing segment of the market.<ref name="nyt091029">{{cite news|title=Macmillan Lowers E-Book Payments for Authors |url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/macmillan-lowers-e-book-payments-for-authors/ |first=Motoko|last=Rich |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2010-02-11 }}</ref> According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', Macmillan and other major publishers "fear that massive discounting [of e-books] by retailers including [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], [[Barnes & Noble]] and [[Sony Connect|Sony]] could ultimately devalue what consumers are willing to pay for books." In response, the publisher introduced a new [[Standard form contract|boilerplate contract]] for its authors that established a royalty of 20 per cent of net proceeds on e-book sales, a rate five per cent lower than most other major publishers.<ref name="nyt091029"/> Following the announcement of the [[Apple iPad]] on 27 January 2010—a product that comes with access to the [[iBookstore]]—Macmillan gave Amazon.com two options: continue to sell e-books based on a price of the retailer's choice (the "[[wholesale]] model"), with the e-book edition released several months after the hardcover edition is released, or switch to the [[Agency (law)|agency]] model introduced to the industry by Apple, in which both are released simultaneously and the price is set by the publisher. In the latter case, Amazon.com would receive a 30 per cent [[Commission (remuneration)|commission]].<ref name="nyt100131">{{cite news|title=Publisher Wins Fight With Amazon Over E-Books |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/technology/companies/01amazonweb.html |author=Motoko Rich and Brad Stone |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date= 2010-02-11 }}</ref> Amazon responded by pulling all Macmillan books, both electronic and physical, from their website (although affiliates selling the books were still listed). On 31 January 2010, Amazon chose the agency model preferred by Macmillan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_tfp_ef_tft_tp?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx2MEGQWTNGIMHV&displayType=tagsDetail |title=Macmillan E-books |publisher=[[Amazon.com]] |work=Kindle Community |author=The Amazon Kindle team |access-date=2010-02-11}}</ref> In April 2012, the United States Department of Justice filed ''[[United States v. Apple Inc.]]'', naming [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], Macmillan, and four other major publishers as defendants. The suit alleged that they conspired to fix prices for [[e-books]], and weaken [[Amazon.com]]'s position in the market, in violation of [[United States antitrust law|antitrust law]].<ref name="washington post DOJ sues">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/justice-department-files-suit-against-apple-publishers-report-says/2012/04/11/gIQAzyXSAT_story.html |title=Justice Department sues Apple, publishers over e-book prices |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2014-06-01 |author=Mui, Ylan Q. and Hayley Tsukayama}}</ref> In December 2013, a federal judge approved a settlement of the antitrust claims, in which Macmillan and the other publishers paid into a fund that provided credits to customers who had overpaid for books due to the price-fixing.<ref name="usatoday settlements rolling out">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/03/25/amazon-settlements-ebooks/6869033/ |title=E-book price fixing settlements rolling out |work=USA Today |access-date=2014-06-01 |author=Molina, Brett}}</ref>

In 2010, Macmillan Education submitted to an investigation on grounds of [[fraudulent]] practices.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/7683139/Macmillan-admits-to-bribery-over-World-Bank-Sudan-aid-deal.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/7683139/Macmillan-admits-to-bribery-over-World-Bank-Sudan-aid-deal.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Macmillan admits to bribery over World Bank Sudan aid deal|website=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2016-03-17}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Macmillan division admitted to [[bribery]] in an attempt to secure a contract for an education project in [[Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (2005–11)|southern Sudan]].<ref name=":0" /> As a direct result of the investigation, sanctions were applied by the [[World Bank Group]], namely a 6-year [[debarment]] (reduced from 8 years due to an early acknowledgment of misconduct by the company) declaring the company ineligible to be awarded Bank-financed contracts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2010/04/30/the-world-bank-group-debars-macmillan-limited-for-corruption-in-world-bank-supported-education-project-in-southern-sudan|title=The World Bank Group Debars Macmillan Limited for Corruption in World Bank-supported Education Project in Southern Sudan|website=World Bank|language=en|access-date=2016-03-17}}</ref>

In December 2011, Bedford, Freeman, and Worth Publishing Group, Macmillan's higher education group, changed its name to Macmillan Higher Education while retaining the Bedford, Freeman, and Worth name for its k–12 educational unit.<ref name="pw0" /> Also, that month, Brian Napack resigned as Macmillan president while staying on for transitional purposes.<ref>{{cite news |title=News Briefs: Napack Resigns As Macmillan President |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/50021-news-briefs.html |access-date=October 17, 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly |language=en}}</ref>

In 2012, parent company Holtzbrinck reorganized; Macmillan's consumer publishing operations were now led by [[John Turner Sargent]] from [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web| last = Tor.com| title = Reorganization at Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck| work = Tor.com| access-date = 2019-07-21| date = 2012-06-18| url = https://www.tor.com/2012/06/17/reorganization-at-verlagsgruppe-georg-von-holtzbrinck/}}</ref>

In May 2015, London-based Macmillan Science and Education merged with Berlin-based Springer Science+Business Media to form [[Springer Nature]], jointly controlled by [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] and [[BC Partners]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/nature-publisher-to-merge-with-springer/2017985.article |title=Nature publisher to merge with Springer |publisher=Times Higher Education |access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Completed merger forms 'Springer Nature' |url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/completed-merger-forms-springer-nature |author=Caroline Carpenter |publisher=The Bookseller |access-date=July 8, 2015}}</ref>

In January 2019, Toronto, Canada-based online writing community [[Wattpad]] announced an agreement with Macmillan [sic, Springer Nature America] for handling sales and distribution in the U.S. for its new publishing division Wattpad Books, alongside rival Penguin Random House that will handle the U.K. and India market, and Raincoast Books for the Canadian market.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/1/23/wattpad-launches-wattpad-books-a-new-publishing-division-to-bring-diverse-data-backed-stories-to-book-lovers-everywhere|title=Wattpad Launches Wattpad Books, a New Publishing Division to Bring Diverse, Data-Backed Stories to Book-Lovers Everywhere|website=Wattpad HQ|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-14|archive-date=7 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107084420/https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/1/23/wattpad-launches-wattpad-books-a-new-publishing-division-to-bring-diverse-data-backed-stories-to-book-lovers-everywhere|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/8/8/penguin-random-house-uk-collaborates-with-wattpad-books-to-bring-global-wattpad-hits-to-readers-in-the-uk|title=Penguin Random House UK collaborates with Wattpad Books to bring global Wattpad hits to readers in the UK|website=Wattpad HQ|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-14|archive-date=7 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107084422/https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/8/8/penguin-random-house-uk-collaborates-with-wattpad-books-to-bring-global-wattpad-hits-to-readers-in-the-uk|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/7/8/penguin-random-house-india-partners-with-wattpad-to-showcase-exclusive-content-and-innovative-promotions|title=Penguin Random House India Partners with Wattpad to Showcase Exclusive Content and Innovative Promotions|website=Wattpad HQ|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-14|archive-date=7 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107084438/https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/7/8/penguin-random-house-india-partners-with-wattpad-to-showcase-exclusive-content-and-innovative-promotions|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2019, Macmillan announced that libraries would be able to buy only one copy of e-books for the first eight weeks after publication, in an effort to boost sales by creating long waits for borrowers at large library systems. This prompted complaints and some libraries boycotted the company; the policy was reversed in March 2020.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/18/818004783/publisher-macmillan-backs-off-policy-restricting-e-book-sales-to-libraries Publisher Macmillan Backs Off Policy Restricting E-Book Sales To Libraries]</ref>

In September 2020, Macmillan announced that CEO John Sargent will be leaving at the end of the year due to "a disagreement regarding the direction of Macmillan." According to Holtzbrinck spokesperson Erin Coffey, the decision was made by Stefan von Holtzbrinck, CEO of the [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group|Holtzbrinck group]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Macmillan CEO forced out over 'direction' of company|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/wires/us/macmillan-ceo-forced-out-over-direction-of-company-b472127.html|access-date=2021-04-13|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref>

==Divisions==

===US publishing divisions with imprints===
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*Celadon Books
*[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]]
**FSG Originals
**Hill and Wang
**MCD
**North Point Press
**Picador
*Flatiron Books
**Flatiron Books
**Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book
*[[Henry Holt and Company]]
**Andy Cohen Books<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andy-cohen-launch-his-own-901112|title=Andy Cohen to Launch His Own Book Imprint|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>
**Henry Holt & Co.
**Metropolitan Books
*Macmillan Audio – formerly Audio Renaissance<ref name="pw" />
*Macmillan Children's Publishing Group
**Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
**Feiwel and Friends
**First Second – Graphic novels
**Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
**Imprint<ref>[https://us.macmillan.com/author/imprint Imprints' official page].</ref>
**Neon Squid Books<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/85968-macmillan-children-s-to-add-neon-squid-nonfiction-imprint.html|title=BookExpo 2018: Macmillan Kids' Imprint, Odd Dot, Makes Its Debut}}</ref>
**Odd Dot<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/76947-macmillan-kids-imprint-odd-dot-makes-its-debut.html|title=Macmillan Children's to Add Neon Squid Nonfiction Imprint}}</ref>
**Priddy Books
**Roaring Brook Press<ref>{{Cite web| title = Holtzbrinck to Buy Roaring Brook Press| work = PublishersWeekly.com| access-date = 2018-02-20| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20040405/24005-holtzbrinck-to-buy-roaring-brook-press.html}}</ref>
**Square Fish
**Swoon Reads
*St. Martin's Publishing Group
**Castle Point Books
**Griffin
**Minotaur
**St. Martin's Essentials
**St. Martin's Press
**Wednesday Books<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/71734-smp-launching-crossover-imprint-wednesday-books.html|title=SMP Launching Crossover Imprint, Wednesday Books}}</ref>
*Tom Doherty Associates
**Bramble
**Forge
**Nightfire
**Starscape
**[[Tor Books]]
**Tor Teen
**Tordotcom
}}

===Other US divisions===
*Macmillan Publishers Services, formerly Von Holtzbrinck Publishers Services, distribution unit for independent publishers:<ref name="pw" />
**[[Bloomsbury USA]]
**[[Drawn & Quarterly]]
**Entangled Publishing
**[[Graywolf Press]]
**[[Guinness World Records]]
**Kingfisher<ref name="pw1"/>
**Page Street
**Papercutz
**Review of Reviews

===Pan Macmillan UK imprints===
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*Bello
*Bluebird
*Campbell
*Kingfisher
*Macmillan's Children's Books
*Macmillan Collector's Library
*Mantle
*[[Pan Books]]
*Macmillan
*Picador
*Tor
*Two Hoots
}}

==See also==
*[[List of largest UK book publishers]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Macmillan|volume=17|page=264}}
*{{Cite book |editor-last=James |editor-first=Elizabeth |title=Macmillan: A Publishing Tradition |publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] |year=2002 |isbn=0-333-73517-X}}
*{{Cite book |last=Morgan |first=Charles |title=The House of Macmillan (1843–1943) |publisher=Macmillan |year=1944 |isbn=978-1199630568}}

==External links==

* [http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS032-001960392 The Macmillan Archive] at the [[British Library]]
* {{Official website|http://us.macmillan.com/}}
* {{FadedPage|id=20131203|name=Macmillan Catalogue, January 1893}}
* [https://read.macmillan.com/lp/the-macmillan-story/ The Macmillan Story: Bringing authors and readers together since 1843]

{{Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group}}
{{Big6 publishers USA}}
{{Harold Macmillan}}

[[Category:Macmillan Publishers books| ]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Publishing companies based in London]]
[[Category:Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]]
[[Category:1843 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1843]]
[[Category:1999 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:British companies established in 1843]]

Macmillan Publishers - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 10:13, 14 August 2023