Editorial restructure for Hodder as Webb takes 'step back'

Hodder & Stoughton is restructuring, dividing both its fiction and non-fiction publishing teams into two publishing units each, because non-fiction publishing director Rowena Webb is taking a "step back from management to focus on acquiring and publishing the books she loves."

The changes include a host of promotions across Hodder & Stoughton Non-Fiction (Hodder Non-Fiction, Hodder Lifestyle and Yellow Kite), Hodder & Stoughton Fiction (Hodder Crime and Thriller, Hodder General Fiction) and Coronet, and will be effective from 1st January 2017.

In Hodder & Stoughton Non-Fiction, Drummond Moir, currently associate publisher for Hodder's literary imprint Sceptre, is promoted to publisher for Hodder Non-Fiction. He will move over from Sceptre to lead a team publishing entertainment and narrative non-fiction. Moir, who has published Frederik Backman, Kevin Powers and Rolf Dobelli, will continue to publish his current authors on the Sceptre list as well as leading the growth of Hodder's general non-fiction publishing.

Liz Gough is promoted to the role of publisher for Hodder Lifestyle and Yellow Kite. Gough’s team in Hodder Lifestyle and Yellow Kite will bring together all Hodder's cookery, lifestyle and health publishing while continuing to grow the Yellow Kite imprint.

Both Moir and Gough will report to Carolyn Mays, managing director of Hodder & Stoughton. 

Editorial director Briony Gowlett, who brought both Joe Sugg and Joey Essex to Hodder, has been promoted to publisher, reporting to Moir. Her brief is to create and implement a new publishing strategy for media-related titles.

In Hodder & Stoughton Fiction, Ruth Tross, editorial director for crime imprint Mulholland, is promoted to publisher for Hodder Crime & Thriller, and Hodder editorial director Kate Howard is promoted to publisher for Hodder General Fiction. Both Tross and Howard will report directly to Mays.

Tross, whose authors include Vaseem Khan and Sabine Durrant, was credited by Mays for her "keen eye for a winner". "She will build on our reputation for outstanding publishing in this area as well as acquiring and building the careers of new authors," said Mays.

Howard, whose authors include Gavin Extence and Laini Taylor, expands her brief to lead Hodder’s general fiction. She and her team is charged with substantially strengthening Hodder's publishing, particularly in women’s fiction and reading group.

At Coronet, Charlotte Hardman is promoted to publisher for Coronet Entertainment, reporting to Coronet publisher Mark Booth.

Hardman's range of publishing was described by Mays as "astonishing", credited for her work as the editor of Lynda Bellingham’s There’s Something I’ve Been Dying to Tell You (2014) and this year on vlogger launch The Sidemen.

Of Webb, Mays commented: “Rowena has commissioned many of Hodder’s greatest non-fiction successes, perhaps most notably James Bowen’s A Street Cat Named Bob. In addition, she has led Hodder’s non-fiction publishing with considerable flair, creating extraordinary strength and depth in the list as well as huge success with massive bestsellers by authors such as Alex Ferguson and Miranda Hart. We are all enormously grateful to her and immensely excited about the prospect of her return to full commissioning strength.

“I am delighted that we have been able to make these internal promotions from within our highly talented editorial team a key part of our restructure. They are inspiring colleagues and we are all excited about their plans for the future.” 

Changes were announced to Hodder's publicity team last month following the decision of publicity directors Karen Geary and Kerry Hood to reduce their working hours and Sceptre publicity director Nikki Barrow to leave. Responsibility for running the department was passed to Eleni Lawrence.