{{Short description|International publishing company}} {{for-multi|the British former subsidiary Macmillan Press|Palgrave Macmillan|the defunct American publisher|Macmillan Inc.}} {{Use British English|date=May 2012}} {{Use dmy dates|cs1-dates=ll|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox publisher | name = Pan Macmillan | image =Macmillan.svg | image caption= Logo | status = | founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|1843}} | founders = {{ubl|[[Daniel MacMillan]]|[[Alexander MacMillan (publisher)|Alexander MacMillan]]}} | successor = | country = United Kingdom | headquarters = [[London]], United Kingdom | keypeople = {{ubl|Jon Yaged ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]], USA)<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.thebookseller.com/news/yaged-named-chief-executive-of-macmillan-as-weisberg-steps-aside |website=[[The Bookseller]] |first=Lauren |last=Brown |title=Yaged named chief executive of Macmillan as Weisberg steps aside |date=3 May 2022}}</ref> |Joanna Prior (CEO, UK)<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/09/joanna-prior-succeeds-anthony-forbes-watson-as-pan-macmillan-ceo/|title=Joanna Prior Succeeds Anthony Forbes Watson as Pan Macmillan CEO |website=[[Publishing Perspectives]] |first=Porter |last=Anderson |date=30 September 2021}}</ref>}} | publications = Books | 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=22 June 2021}}</ref> | numemployees = | nasdaq = | parent = [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] | url = {{URL|macmillan.com}} {{URL|panmacmillan.com}} }} '''Macmillan Publishers''' ('''Pan Macmillan''' in the UK and '''Macmillan Publishers''' in the US) is a British [[publishing company]] traditionally considered to be one of the [[Big Five (publishers)|"Big Five"]] English language publishers (along with [[Penguin Random House]], [[Hachette Book Group USA|Hachette]], [[HarperCollins]] and [[Simon & Schuster]]).
Founded in London in 1843 by Scottish brothers [[Daniel MacMillan|Daniel]] and [[Alexander MacMillan (publisher)|Alexander Macmillan]], the firm soon established 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 |last2=Giddens |first2=Eugene |title=Lewis Carroll's ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and ''Through the Looking-Glass'': A Publishing History |date=6 May 2016 |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 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126034906/https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/the-macmillan-jungle-book-colouring-book-free-monkey-pattern-download/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Former [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|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, Pan Macmillan and Macmillan Publishers have been wholly owned subsidiaries of [[Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] with offices in 41 countries worldwide and operations in more than 30 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 |date=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 |access-date=30 September 2016 |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 (later known as Macmillan Inc. or Macmillan US). 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 held stake in the American company before divesting it in 1951, and later re-entered the American market in 1952 under the name [[St. Martin's Press]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |url= https://static.macmillan.com/static/macmillan/the-macmillan-story/9781250223296_The_Macmillan_Story.pdf |title=The Macmillan Story |date=2017 |page=65}}</ref>
[[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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Oberman |first=Mira |date=12 June 2002 |title=CDG sells off book list |newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]] |url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cdg-sells-off-book-list/article22619293/ |access-date=1 June 2024}}</ref>
[[Harold Macmillan]], grandson of company co-founder Daniel, became [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] (10 January 1957 – 18 October 1963). Earlier, he had been with the family firm as a junior partner from 1920 to 1940 (when he became a junior minister, as [[Under-secretary of State for the Colonies]]), and working with Macmillan Publishers again from 1945 to 1951 while he was also in the opposition in Parliament. After retiring from politics in 1964, he became chairman of the company until 1974, when he handed on the chairmanship to his son [[Maurice Macmillan]].<ref>'Who's Who' 1981 edition page 1678</ref> The latter, having been [[Paymaster General]] in the defeated government of [[Edward Heath]], also left the government, but within the company took on the more honorary position of president<ref>'Who's Who' 1985 edition page 1848</ref> 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>
Macmillan became the sole owner of [[Pan Books]] in 1986, and by 1990, Pan formed with the trade division of Macmillan to form '''Pan Macmillan'''.
===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 Inc. properties and trademarks).<ref name="pw">{{cite news |last1=Milliot |first1=Jim |date=9 October 2007 |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=17 October 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly}}</ref> 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=17 October 2018 |work=Publishers Weekly |date=30 December 2011}}</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=17 October 2018 |work=PublishersWeekly.com |date=5 October 2007}}</ref>
By 2009, some estimates put [[e-book]]s at 3 – 5 percent 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=11 February 2010 |date=28 October 2009}}</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 |first1=Motoko |last1=Rich |first2=Brad |last2=Stone |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=11 February 2010 |date=31 January 2010}}</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.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} In April 2012, the United States Department of Justice filed ''[[United States v. Apple (2012)|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 |date=11 April 2012 |access-date=1 June 2014 |last1=Mui |first1=Ylan Q. |last2=Tsukayama |first2=Hayley}}</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 |date=25 March 2014 |access-date=1 June 2014 |last=Molina |first=Brett}}</ref>
In 2012, parent company Holtzbrinck reorganized; Macmillan's consumer publishing operations in the US 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=21 July 2019 |date=18 June 2012 |url= https://www.tor.com/2012/06/17/reorganization-at-verlagsgruppe-georg-von-holtzbrinck/}}</ref>
In 2018, Pan Macmillan announced it would move from its current location in King's Cross to a "larger and distinctive" new eight-storey headquarters in London's Clerkenwell.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pan Mac in 2019 move to Clerkenwell |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pan-mac-moves-clerkenwell-841696 |date=July 31, 2018|first=Heloise |last=Wood |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}}</ref>
In November 2019, Macmillan Publishers 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 2020, Pan Macmillan was named Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards for the third time in six years.
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 |date=17 September 2020 |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=13 April 2021 |website=The Independent}}</ref>
In September 2021, it was announced that Joanna Prior would succeed Anthony Forbes-Watson as CEO of Pan Macmillan in the UK, described by ''Publishing Perspectives'' magazine as "a major move for women in book publishing leadership."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Porter |date=2021-09-30 |title=Joanna Prior Succeeds Anthony Forbes Watson as Pan Macmillan CEO |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/09/joanna-prior-succeeds-anthony-forbes-watson-as-pan-macmillan-ceo/ |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Publishing Perspectives |language=en-US}}</ref> In an interview with ''The Bookseller'' magazine in October 2023, Prior said “Women have proved they are more than capable of running publishing companies. I feel it is entirely right and appropriate that these senior seats should be taken by women. I hope to bring the women up behind me.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joanna Prior outlines her vision for Pan Macmillan after two decades at Penguin |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/features/joanna-prior-outlines-her-vision-for-pan-macmillan |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=The Bookseller |date=October 13, 2023|first=Philip |last=Jones |language=En}}</ref>
In 2022, it was announced that Jon Yaged would become CEO of Macmillan Publishers in the US, replacing Don Weisberg.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Porter |date=2022-05-04 |title=Jon Yaged Named Macmillan's Next US CEO, to Succeed Don Weisberg |url=https://publishingperspectives.com/2022/05/jon-yaged-named-macmillans-next-us-ceo-to-succeed-don-weisberg/ |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Publishing Perspectives |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2023, Pan Macmillan acquired business books publisher Harriman House.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pan Macmillan acquires business books publisher Harriman House |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/pan-macmillan-acquires-business-books-publisher-harriman-house |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=The Bookseller |date=September 5, 2023|first=Lauren |last=Brown |language=En}}</ref> Harriman House was founded by Philip Jenks and Stephen Eckett in 1992.
In May 2026, major publishers including Macmillan sued [[Meta Platforms]], alleging that Meta used their books and journal articles, without their permission, to train [[Llama (language model)|Llama]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Major publishers sue Meta for copyright infringement over AI training |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/major-publishers-sue-meta-copyright-infringement-over-ai-training-6101466 |access-date=2026-05-06 |website=CNA |language=en}}</ref>
==Divisions==
===American publishing divisions with imprints=== {{columns-list|colwidth=20em| *Celadon Books *[[Farrar, Straus and Giroux]] **FSG Originals **[[Hill & Wang]] **MCD **North Point Press **Auwa Books **[[Picador (imprint)|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]]|date=9 June 2016}}</ref> **[[Henry Holt and Company]] **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 Books]] – 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|website=Publishrs Weekly|first=Alex |last=Green |date=May 31, 2018}}</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 **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|first=Rachel |last=Deahl |website=Publishers Weekly|date=October 12, 2016}}</ref> **Saturday Books<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/95306-saturday-books-imprint-with-new-adult-focus-to-launch-next-fall-at-macmillan.html|title=Saturday Books, Imprint with New Adult Focus, to Launch Next Fall at Macmillan|first=John|last=Maher|website=Publishers Weekly|date=June 17, 2024}}</ref> *Tor Publishing Group **Bramble **Forge **Nightfire **Starscape **[[Tor Books]] **Tor Teen **Tordotcom Publishing **[[Reactor (magazine)]] (formerly Tor.com) }}
===Other American divisions=== *Macmillan Publishers Services, formerly Von Holtzbrinck Publishers Services, distribution unit for independent publishers:<ref name="pw" /> **[[Bloomsbury USA]] **[[The College Board]] **[[Drawn & Quarterly]] **[[Entangled Publishing]] **[[Graywolf Press]] **[[Guinness World Records]] **Macmillan UK **Page Street
===Pan Macmillan British imprints=== {{columns-list|colwidth=20em|*Bluebird *Campbell *FirstInk *Harriman House *Kingfisher *Macmillan *Macmillan Business *Macmillan's Children's Books *Macmillan Collector's Library *Mantle *One Boat *[[Pan Books]] *[[Picador (imprint)|Picador]] *RocketFox *Tor *Two Hoots }}
==See also== *[[List of largest book publishers of the United Kingdom]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Macmillan |volume= 17 |page= 264}} *{{cite book |last= Harkness |first= Sarah |year= 2024 |title= Literature for the People |location= London |publisher= Macmillan |type= Hardcover |isbn= 9781035008933}} *{{Cite book |editor-last= James |editor-first= Elizabeth |year= 2002 |title= Macmillan: A Publishing Tradition |publisher= [[Palgrave Macmillan]] |isbn= 0-333-73517-X}} *{{Cite book |last= Morgan |first= Charles |year= 1944 |title= The House of Macmillan (1843–1943) |location= London |publisher= Macmillan |isbn= 9781199630568}}
==External links== * [http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS032-001960392 The Macmillan Archive] at the [[British Library]] {{Commons category|Macmillan Publishers Ltd.}} * {{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], Macmillan, 2026 * {{Open Library publisher|Macmillan}}
{{Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group}} {{Big6 publishers USA}} {{Harold Macmillan}} {{Portal bar|Companies|Books|United Kingdom}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Macmillan Publishers books| ]] [[Category:1843 establishments in England]] [[Category:1843 establishments in Scotland]] [[Category:1999 mergers and acquisitions]] [[Category:Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:British companies established in 1843]] [[Category:Holtzbrinck Publishing Group]] [[Category:Publishing companies based in London]] [[Category:Publishing companies established in 1843]]