Waterstones' Cox joins Hodder as editorial director

Waterstones' head of books Melissa Cox is joining Hodder & Stoughton as editorial director. 

Cox, reporting to associate publisher Kate Howard, will acquire and commission a range of titles across genres, starting 3rd October.

Cox joined Waterstones in 2007 as a children’s bookseller before being promoted to head of range, then head of books at the chain. She has also helped to judge numerous literary prizes and was named as one of The Bookseller's "Rising Stars" in 2013, making The Bookseller 100 list in 2015.  

A spokesperson for Hodder said: "She will bring all her experience, her passion for books and her knowledge of the industry to develop a varied list, finding diverse voices in different places and publishing them in new as well as established ways."

Carolyn Mays, managing director of Hodder & Stoughton, added: "Melissa Cox is one of the most perceptive and exciting talents in the book industry. She will bring a different kind of spirit, energy and dynamism to our successful fiction team, which is already admired for its creativity and passion."

Howard said Cox had proven she had an "amazing eye for quality books that capture the public imagination".

"She has a brilliant commercial instinct and I know she'll do amazing things as she comes over to the publishing side of the business and brings her unique spark to Hodder,” Howard added.

Meanwhile editor Ruth Tross, whose debut authors include Vaseem Khan and Rob McCarthy on the Mulholland crime list, has been promoted to editorial director at Hodder. Tross is credited as being "determined, creative and calm – and relentless in pursuit of the best outcome for her authors". She will continue to comission crime and suspense writers for the Mulholland and Hodder lists.

Mays said: "As well as being the editor of the summer’s most talked-about poolside read, Lie with Me, Ruth Tross is one of our most talented young editors, and I am delighted that her new role recognises this and will enable her to develop her excellent publishing skills and eye for new writers to an even greater extent.

"Hodder’s fiction team is highly regarded for its ability to create bestsellers at the very highest level as well as launching new names and growing talent, with 43 Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers and 5 Number Ones in the last two years. Ruth’s promotion and Melissa’s appointment will give our publishing a dynamic fresh perspective and new vigour which will both build on the existing strengths of the list while adding exciting new dimensions to it.