Welch steps down as publishing director of Sceptre after 35 years at Hodder

Carole Welch is stepping down from her role as publishing director of Sceptre and will leave Hodder & Stoughton on 14th October after 35 years at the company.

Welch initially joined the Hodder & Stoughton publicity department, becoming publicity manager before moving to Sceptre as a senior editor in 1989 when it was Hodder’s paperback literary imprint.

She then oversaw its development into a publisher of original fiction and non-fiction and was appointed publishing director in 2005.

Authors she has published include David Mitchell, Andrew Miller, Siri Hustvedt, Melvyn Bragg, Aamina Ahmad, Sjón, Michael Chabon, Marguerite Duras, Thomas Keneally, Bahaa Taher and Fiona McFarlane.

During Welch’s tenure, she and Sceptre have won Imprint and Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards and been shortlisted twice since. Welch was also shortlisted for the inaugural Kym Scott Walwyn award and served on the board of the Women’s Prize for Fiction from 2002 to 2016.

Welch said: “I count myself very fortunate to have spent many rewarding years at the helm of Sceptre, working alongside a whole raft of talented, collegiate, dedicated colleagues on the kind of literature I care about. Most of all, it’s been a privilege and a pleasure publishing so many authors who are not only exceptionally talented but have also been a delight to work with, in several cases over decades.

“I’m proud of their numerous achievements and I’d like to thank them all for the faith they placed in me, their loyalty and friendship. I’d also like to thank Carolyn Mays for her steadfast and supportive leadership, and Nick Sayers for taking me on as an editor in the first place.

“Now it’s time to pass on the baton and for the next phase in Sceptre’s development. I wish my terrific team every success, while I look forward to new adventures in the publishing world."

Carolyn Mays, m.d of Hodder & Stoughton, said: “I’ve had the privilege of working with Carole for a great number of years and throughout that time have admired her impeccable literary taste and the immensely high standards she sets for herself, as well as her clarity, pragmatism and sense of humour. I’ll miss her enormously, but she leaves a fabulous team behind and I’m looking forward to what comes next for Sceptre.”

Katie Espiner, who became c.e.o of Hodder & Stoughton in January after the departure of Jamie Hodder-Williams, said: “Carole has done a magnificent job leading Sceptre, building an incredible list of prize-winning and bestselling writers and nurturing their careers over many decades. We all wish her the very best for the future and for the next stage of her career.”