S&S appoints Connal as editorial director

Simon & Schuster UK has appointed Claudia Connal as editorial director of non-fiction.

Reporting to non-fiction publishing director Iain MacGregor, Connal will commission titles in wellbeing and mind, body and spirit as well as general non-fiction narrative.

Connal will join Simon & Schuster in May, from Little, Brown, where she is currently non-fiction editorial director. Connal has been with Piatkus for six years and also works on the Little, Brown literary non-fiction programme. She has worked with authors such as Patrick Holford and Professor Mark Williams of Mindfulness as well as publishing titles such as Dr Eben Alexander's Proof of Heaven and The Map of Heaven.

MacGregor said: "We are extremely pleased to recruit onto our non-fiction team such a highly experienced and well-respected commissioning editor. Mind body spirit and literary narrative are strong and burgeoning areas on our list, and Claudia will add considerably to their success as we grow our business both domestically and internationally. We can't wait for her to start."

Connal said: “I am thrilled to be joining Simon & Schuster. The non-fiction list continues to go from strength to strength and I'm excited to be working with such a dynamic team. I have loved my time at Little, Brown and will miss all the lovely authors and colleagues I have worked with but I'm looking forward to helping shape the wellbeing and mind body spirit list at Simon & Schuster."