Transworld's Gonda joins Canongate amid string of promotions

Helena Gonda is joining Canongate as senior commissioning editor, with the publisher also making a string of promotions.

Gonda takes over the role in the non-fiction department from Hannah Knowles, who is moving to Faber. Gonda previously worked at Transworld, where she acquired titles including: The Authority Gap; Block, Delete, Move On; The Sober Girl Society Handbook; BFF?; and The Wild Track, for both Doubleday and Bantam Press.

She was one of the original founders of the The FLIP and has handed over the reins to new leadership this year. She will report to associate publisher and commercial director Jenny Fry, joining the company on 14th March. 

"I have loved my time at Transworld, working with some incredible authors and a brilliant bunch of colleagues," Gonda said. "But I am excited for this next chapter at Canongate, a publisher I have long admired for their its and innovative approach. I’m excited to begin work with some great existing authors and to expand its non-fiction offering."

Elsewhere, Melissa Tombere will move from the Creative Active internship role of rights and editorial assistant to a full-time role as editorial assistant, in the Edinburgh office.

Aa’Ishah Hawton will be promoted from assistant editor to editor from 1st March. She will be commissioning fiction, having worked on Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness, Patience Agbabi’s The Circle Breakers and Elin Cullhed’s Euphoria, translated by Jennifer Hayashida. Hawton will report to Gonda. 

"I’m incredibly excited to take this next step and be commissioning at Canongate," Hawton said. "It’s been a joy to work on such a range of brilliant and bold books, and I can’t wait to bring even more fantastic authors to our list."

Fry said: "I’m so happy for Aa’Ishah. This is a big and important step in her career and I’m over the moon that she gets to do it here, at Canongate. At the same time, we’re very lucky to be bringing someone of Helena’s calibre on board, as we look to carry on building year-on-year success."