Donna Bray and Alessandra Balzer are senior vice presidents and co-publishers of the Balzer + Bray imprint, now at Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.
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| Donna Bray | |
Donna Bray: We're back, Alessandra! It's exciting to officially relaunch Balzer + Bray at our new home at Macmillan.
Alessandra Balzer: Starting over is daunting, but it's also been energizing to rebuild our publishing program. It's forced us to think deeply about what kind of books we want to put out for children and teens.
Bray: One thing that has always guided us is our trust in the talent of our creators. We have been incredibly lucky to work with some of the best humans and most brilliant authors and illustrators around.
Balzer: Speaking of... it feels serendipitous to have Sara Pennypacker and Jasmine Warga on our debut list.
Bray: Our relationships with Sara and Jasmine are emblematic of what we strive for--to build careers long-term. And we have some new folks joining us in winter 2026, as well: Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White, Brigette Barrager, and Lars Kenseth.
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| Alessandra Balzer | |
Balzer: I love that our debut list has a nice blend of literary and commercial projects, since that mix is one of the hallmarks of our imprint. (That and co-dependence.)
Bray: We've made it work for us!
The new books inspire conversations and reflect a wide breadth of experiences, which is what we are always looking for.
Balzer: But above all, we're drawn to books that make us feel. We have stories that will move readers to tears--notably Christian Robinson's Dad--and some that are sweet and funny and just a blast to read out loud.
Bray: At the other end of the spectrum, there are the ones that have us on the edge of our seats: we have a spooky middle-grade, and two YA titles in different genres that are propulsive and emotional.
Balzer: It's also been exciting to experiment in ways we haven't before. Like the new adult college series that we can't talk about yet...
Bray: Definitely our spiciest offering! But in the meantime, we have so many we can talk about.
Balzer: And with that, why don't we let the books and authors speak for themselves?