Q&A: Shannon Cullen, Publishing Director at Walker Books

For Work in Publishing Week 2025, we're sharing stories from people in publishing. Here we catch up with Shannon Cullen, Publishing Director at Walker Books, about her route into this leadership role, and what she looks out for when recruiting for entry-level and junior publishing roles.

What’s the story of how you found your way into publishing?

I was born in New Zealand, and I moved to London in 1999 (after a short stint

post-university as a bookseller), specifically to study publishing, which was slightly more unique back then. I did a post-graduate publishing course at what is now the London University of the Arts. I had the undeniable privilege of my aunt and uncle living in London, which allowed me to live there while paying international student fees.

Then I was very fortunate to get the first job I applied for – just before all my money ran out! – as an editorial secretary (yes, I know!) for Collins Education, working on their primary literacy list. It was a fantastic grounding for a career in children’s books, if you have to edit reading schemes or a children’s thesaurus.

Curiosity is so important. No matter what experience you arrive with, you won’t know everything, so an openness to find out about new processes and ideas is critical.

After progressing to a desk editor there, I went to Puffin as a copy editor, where I learnt a lot about the nuts and bolts of editorial, and after that moved into commissioning at Random House Children’s Books. For over a decade, eventually back at Puffin which merged into Penguin Random House (PRH), I published fiction – working with amazing authors from Stephen & Lucy Hawking, Anthony McGowan and Jeremy Strong to Zoe Sugg, Anna Perera and John Green. In 2016, I was offered the opportunity within PRH to run Ladybird, which includes trade, licensing and educational publishing; that was a real honour and such a fun time, publishing Peppa Pig and Bluey, Ladybird Readers and Ten Minutes to Bed. As well as building the publishing strategy and fostering a supportive team culture, we focused on reviving Ladybird’s brand identity to ensure it was fresh, inclusive and resonating with modern families and all children.

After nearly 19 years at PRH, I took the leap to Quarto as Group Publishing Director, for a personal and professional challenge. Quarto is an independent and very international illustrated publisher, so I learnt vast amounts as part of the global leadership team, and also from publishing children’s books directly into the US market with picture books, gift and non-fiction, including continuing the success of the bestselling LITTLE PEOPLE, Big Dreams series.

Then rather unexpectedly, the opportunity to join Walker Books came up in 2024 and it was simply too good to resist, so that’s where I am now as the Publishing Director. I manage around 50 people in the creative team across our UK publishing portfolio. Walker is a dedicated independent children’s publisher with too many wonderful books, authors and illustrators to list, but just a few include We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Maisy, Where’s Wally?, Owl Babies and Guess How Much I Love You, as well as Patrick Ness, Cassandra Clare, Louie Stowell, Ross Montgomery, Neal Shusterman, Nicola Davies, Shaun Tan, Chloe Savage and Jon Klassen . . . and that’s just the start! We also invest in supporting debut talent, so there is always an up-and-coming author or illustrator to look out for. I’m especially enamoured with Forest Xiao right now – her illustrations of babies are just perfect.

There really are no ‘stupid questions’ – it’s complicated to make a book and connect that book with the most readers, and no one has all the answers.

I am one of the advisory publishers for the Empathy Festival and Reflecting Disability, and currently Chair of the Independent Publishers Guild (IPG), which helps over 600 independent publishers do better business. Equity and inclusion has been important to me throughout my time in publishing, and I continue to push for improvements both in the industry and through supporting the books and creators we publish to ensure all children see themselves. I’ve been fortunate to have different layers of my career that have always kept me challenged and inspired.

What skill did you find most valuable during your first few months in publishing?

Curiosity is so important. No matter what experience you arrive with, you won’t know everything, so an openness to find out about new processes and ideas is critical. I remember I didn’t even know what the word ‘extent’ meant, and that was after a six-

month publishing course! So being curious and asking questions was non-negotiable.

There really are no ‘stupid questions’ – it’s complicated to make a book and connect that book with the most readers, and no one has all the answers. So be curious and remain curious.

What’s a part of the publishing process you didn’t even realise existed before you started?

Because of my publishing course I had a fairly good grounding on basic processes, but I think Foreign Rights was still a surprise. This process is such an important part of UK publishing, where our colour print runs in particular are usually too small to make them profitable on their own. So we need sales in different languages to offset the risk, and often form co-edition print runs that utilise economies of scale for everyone to print.

Being a good communicator and managing your working relationships well is going to help you. The industry is relatively small, so you are bound to work with the same people in different companies if you move around.

I’m currently managing our Foreign Rights team for a period, and this would have been an area I think I’d have loved to work in, if I wasn’t an editor. Although it helps if you speak a second language, so maybe not, as I don’t think my basic Japanese is up to scratch!

What one experience really stands out from your first year in publishing?

Um, socialising? My first year at HarperCollins coincided with part of my first year in

London, so I didn’t have loads of existing friends, which meant I was open to meeting new people. I joke now that a few of us at Collins would go to the opening of an envelope. But I’m pleased to say that not only have I made many of my great friends from my publishing career, but I am still in touch with lots of the people I met that first

year.

Having said that, you don’t need to be a social butterfly to succeed in publishing – but being a good communicator and managing your working relationships well is going to help you. The industry is relatively small, so you are bound to work with the same people in different companies if you move around. At Walker I’m working with a friend who I did my publishing course with, which is lovely.

I’m looking for someone who tells me they really want to work in children’s books – don’t sleep on your cover letter, as it’s a great way to show your personality and any unique but relevant experience that’s hiding in your CV.

What’s the best piece of unofficial advice you picked up – something no one tells you before you start?

That children’s publishing is the best area? But it really is. You get to work across more genres, and you’re often at the forefront of changes in technology, social media, population changes and inclusivity. The books are fun but can also cover big, serious topics. No one ever asks a paediatric surgeon when they’re going to start operating on adults, and I feel the same about children’s publishing – it’s the biggest privilege.

What skills and attributes do you particularly look out for when hiring people into entry-level and junior roles in your company? 

Entry roles are very competitive unfortunately, so I am looking for someone who has

shown a real passion for children’s books. Maybe they’ve volunteered at a children’s book festival or previously worked as a teaching assistant. Bookselling experience always stands out too, and at an entry level good admin or customer service experience will always come in handy.

Degrees are no longer a requirement for most roles in publishing, so I’m looking for someone who tells me they really want to work in children’s books – don’t sleep on your cover letter, as it’s a great way to show your personality and any unique but relevant experience that’s hiding in your CV.

If your career in publishing were a book title, what would it be – and why?

What a great question. Maybe Turning the Page – because I’ve always been

excited to see what the next chapter holds, and whether everything we’re doing

now is going to succeed, or personally where any career move would take me. You never know what’s on the next page, but you won’t find out how the story

ends if you don’t turn over.