Pan Macmillan

We are thrilled to celebrate Selina Brown, founder and CEO of the Black British Book Festival, who has been awarded the inaugural Queen’s Reading Room Medal, and been named the UK’s National Reading Hero. 👑 As headline sponsors and proud supporters of the Black British Book Festival for the past four years, everyone at Pan Macmillan offers their warmest congratulations to Selina for this incredibly well-deserved recognition. Selina has been awarded this historic honour in recognition of her tireless work in establishing Europe's largest celebration of Black literature - the Black British Book Festival - as well as her Reading for Smiles programme, which introduces inclusive stories into primary schools in underserved areas. 📖 Reflecting on the award, Selina Brown shared what the milestone means to her: ‘The medal recognises an outstanding contribution to literature and reading in this country. To be the first person to receive it is something I take seriously. But this moment is part of something much bigger than me. My granny — the first storyteller I ever knew — came to this country from Jamaica in the 1950s as part of the Windrush generation. She carried stories, memory and history with her, which I loved listening to. I come from people who were once denied the right to read and from a people of excellence who used the power of words to build and shape culture. This work has never just been about a festival. It’s about making sure Black British stories are treated as essential.’ Our ongoing partnership with the Black British Book Festival is a source of great pride for Pan Macmillan. We are pleased to support vital community initiatives such as the Croydon Black Book Library, which makes Black literature more accessible to local families year-round, as well as the Writers on the Rise programme, a ten-week mentorship initiative that connects emerging Black British writers with our experienced editors. 🤝 In October 2025, Pan Macmillan announced a pioneering community-led publishing collaboration with the BBBF. The collaboration is an evolution of Pan Macmillan’s four year relationship with the festival and will champion and amplify new talent. This new model will take a fundamentally different approach, combining our editorial expertise with the BBBF's community reach. Today though we are celebrating the brilliant Selina Brown, and the well-earned recognition in receiving this award. Congratulations Selina! 🎉 Read more about Selina's achievement on our website: https://lnkd.in/exwTRbik

The new advert for the National Year of Reading 2026 is here, and Pan Macmillan are so proud to support the amazing #GoAllIn campaign! 🎉 This vital campaign, brought to you by National Literacy Trust and Fold7, shows that whatever you’re into, reading lets you Go All In on your passions. Whether it’s football, music, baking, family-time, sci-fi, or... anything, if you’re into it, read into it. David Hayman, Director of the National Year of Reading 2026, said: “This campaign kicks off a range of exciting activations for the National Year of Reading… all of which will bring the joy of reading back to millions. This ad campaign focuses on fun, relevance and accessibility – not lecturing people about why reading matters – but instead showing how it connects to the things we already love.” 📚 We have a fantastic National Year of Reading hub on our website, linked in the comments, with monthly book picks and other resources to help us all Go All In on reading this year. You can also follow @go_all_in_2026 on instagram or visit www.goallin.org.uk to discover more about the National Year of Reading 2026, the UK-wide campaign designed to help more people rediscover the joys of reading. #NationalYearOfReading2026 #GoAllIn2026

Macmillan Publishers International Limited (MPIL) - comprising Pan Macmillan UK, Priddy Books, Macmillan Learning UK, and Macmillan Distribution Limited (MDL) - released its 2026 Gender Pay Gap Report on 23rd March. The company’s data reveals a significant gender pay gap in favour of women, alongside a historic reduction in the mean bonus gap. The latest snapshot reveals that MPIL’s mean gender pay gap is 17% in favour of women, a two-percentage-point increase from the previous year. This gap is driven by robust female representation at the senior level, with women comprising 71% of the top pay quartile. Conversely, men represent 54% of the lowest-paid quartile, a figure largely attributed to the high concentration of male employees in warehouse roles at the Swansea distribution centre. Notably, the mean bonus gender pay gap has seen a significant reduction, falling from 51% in 2024 to 2.5% in 2026 - the lowest since reporting began in 2017. The company also conducted an underlying analysis to account for the impact of salary sacrifice schemes. Excluding these voluntary deductions, the mean gender pay gap remains significant at 16% in favour of women. This confirms that our current pay structure remains the consistent trend, independent of individual benefit choices. Beyond these figures, Pan Macmillan continues to be a leader in workplace equity. Last year, Pan Macmillan was named "Best for Mothers" at the 2025 Working Families Awards. Building on this momentum, Pan Macmillan recently qualified as a Spring Back Premium Returnity™ Partner - the highest tier of recognition for organisations providing an outstanding environment for parents returning to the workforce. Briony Grogan, Director of People & Culture at Pan Macmillan, said: “We are proud to be building a progressive, vibrant home for talent - a place where everyone, regardless of their background, life choices or career path, has the space to thrive." To read the report in full, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/ekT25rDA To read the story in full, visit our news page: https://lnkd.in/eYjxKtmt

We are thrilled that Pan Macmillan has been named a finalist in the 2026 UK & Ireland Inspiring Workplaces Awards, in association with Prezzee! 🎉 These awards honour organisations that put their people first, 'creating cultures rooted in trust, purpose and belonging'. We are incredibly proud to be recognised alongside such a diverse cross-section of companies dedicated to empowering their teams to thrive, not least to also see our US sister company Macmillan shortlisted in the North America awards.💪 As Matt Manners, founder of The Inspiring Workplaces Group, noted on today's announcement: ‘They are demonstrating that when organisations prioritise trust, inclusion, wellbeing and purpose, they don’t just support their people, they strengthen performance, resilience and long-term impact.’ A huge thank you to everyone across our teams who helps make Pan Macmillan such a supportive and inspiring place to work every day, working in alignment with our core values of community, curiosity and integrity. We are looking forward to the final results at the awards dinner on 21 May! 🌟 #InspiringWorkplacesAwards #Finalist #PeopleFirst #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceCulture #UK #Awards #HRAwards

Pan Macmillan today welcomes the UK government’s decision to scrap a proposed copyright exception for AI training, calling it a "positive step forward" for authors and the wider creative community. The government’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence report, published today (March 18th), confirms a move away from previous proposals that would have allowed AI developers to train their models on creative works without seeking permission or providing compensation. This shift follows months of intensive advocacy from across the publishing and creative sectors. Pan Macmillan has played a key part in this effort, working closely with industry bodies to ensure the protection of intellectual property. As active members of the Creative Rights in AI Coalition (CRAIC) and The Publishers Association (PA) AI Taskforce, the publisher has consistently lobbied against any softening of the current copyright regime. Sara Lloyd, Global AI Lead at Pan Macmillan, who has led the company’s direct advocacy through regular meetings with MPs and Peers, commented: "This is significant news and a testament to the work of the Publishers Association’s (PA) AI Taskforce, the Creative Rights in AI Coalition (CRAIC) and The Society of Authors - as well as our brilliant authors, who have lent their support to our campaigning. We are proud of the role Pan Macmillan has played in advocating for this outcome through our direct engagement with policymakers and our contributions to the government's consultation. “While there is still a long road ahead as the government embarks on further research and consultation, this is a positive step towards ensuring that human creativity is valued and protected in the age of AI." Pan Macmillan remains committed to supporting its creators and will continue to coordinate with industry partners to ensure robust, long-term copyright protections remain a government priority. Read the story in full on our website: https://lnkd.in/eAS-yJ-m #Copyright #AIInPublishing #SupportCreatives

At last week’s The London Book Fair, Mike Harpley joined a panel discussion titled ‘Custodians of Trust in an Era of Misinformation’, chaired by the The Publishers Association’s Director of Policy & Public Affairs, Caroline Cummins. During this panel, he called for stronger legislation to protect whistleblowers such as Sarah Wynn-Williams, the author of Careless People, the best-seller for which he was editor. Mike highlighted the 'surreal situation' Wynn-Williams has faced since the book's publication. Because of an arbitration order obtained by Meta, she is currently barred from making disparaging comments about the tech giant. Mike used the platform to question the use of NDAs and non-disparagement agreements, arguing that it is not in the public interest for companies like Meta to silence people on such crucial topics, particularly with the growing influence of AI. He pointed out that the very documents used to inform Careless People were later submitted as evidence when Sarah Wynn-Williams testified before the US Senate in April 2025 regarding Meta's content censorship. To read more on this story visit this link to The Bookseller: https://lnkd.in/e9fva4x3 #CarelessPeople #Meta #Publishing #LBF26 #PublishingNews

The London Book Fair is one of the biggest book fairs in the world, and every March publishers and agents from across the globe descend on London to catch up, develop their relationships, and buy and sell rights. We asked Mairead Loftus, Rights Manager at Pan Macmillan, to guide us through what a day at LBF looks like for her!  It’s Mairead's job to sell translation rights in the books on our adult publishing list. This was her tenth LBF (including two pandemic-induced virtual fairs), so we thought it a fitting time to share a day in the book fair life of a rights professional. #PublishingRights #BookDeals #LBF26 #ADayInTheLife

Flowers and chocolates are a lovely gesture, but we believe motherhood deserves meaningful support at every stage, every day. We are so proud to hold the title of Best for Mothers at the Working Families Best Practice awards - with the judges commenting Pan Macmillan felt like “a dream company to work for”. We are proud to offer a range of support for all parents. From dedicated Returnity coaching with SpringBack to fully paid parental leave of 26 weeks irrespective of gender or path to parenthood, our aim is for Pan Macmillan to be a place where all parents can build a rich and rewarding career, alongside family life. So this Mother’s Day we are celebrating all the mothers across Pan Macmillan and beyond and all that they do. You can read the full employer case study here: https://lnkd.in/eGNke5uA #MothersDay #Parenthood #WorkingFamilies #Motherhood #ParentalSupport

What a fantastic week at the London Book Fair 2026! A huge thank you to the organisers and everyone who visited us at Kensington Olympia; it was an incredible few days of meetings and conversation. 🤝 We were also proud to participate in a wide range of insightful sessions as part of the conference. Here is a look back at our highlights over the last three days! 📢 Tuesday 10th March - Beyond the Gatekeepers: Eishar Brar took part in a session on reaching new readers and communities. - Don’t Steal This Book: We were proud to support Ed Newton-Rex and The Publishers Association as they launched the #DontStealThisBook campaign. - National Year of Reading: We wrapped up the day on the Main Stage celebrating with some of our fantastic ambassadors. - John of John: A wonderful evening celebrating the new Douglas Stuart title at Leighton House. Wednesday 11th March - Keynote: Joanna Prior took to the Main Stage to speak on why the literacy crisis is a bigger threat than AI. -Trust in publishing: Mike Harpley shared his expertise on the Publishers Association panel regarding trust in the era of misinformation. Thursday 12th March - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Publishing: Jodie Williams provided informative takeaways on barriers and breakthroughs in the industry. - Career Clinic: We were pleased to support the bookcareers.com clinic with Kayelle Danyluk and Susan Rice (Assoc CIPD) It was a privilege to be part of LBF26, and we’re already looking forward to the next one! 🥂 #LBF26 #LondonBookFair #Publishing #NationalYearOfReading #PanMacmillan

Today saw Garrett Carr, the brilliant author of The Boy from the Sea, join us virtually from Belfast for a book club organised by our Mind the Gap network. 🌊 Mind the Gap is the newest of our internal networks, and has been created to provide support and champion Pan Macmillan people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and provide a platform for advocacy, development and community. Garrett answered a range of questions from the group covering everything from how his understanding of class was shaped far later than one might expect, to the impact the theme of social mobility played when creating the plot of his moving debut novel. 📖 Our network book clubs are amazing opportunities to connect with the fantastic authors we publish, and continue to help provide us with insights and anecdotes (and cupcakes!) 🧁 Thank you to Garrett Carr for joining us today, and we wish him luck for the upcoming British Book Awards where The Boy from the Sea is shortlisted in the Debut category! 🤞