Moa Press, an imprint of Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, appoints Clara van Wel to newly created Assistant Commissioning Editor role.

Kate Stephenson, Head of Publishing, is delighted to announce that Moa Press has appointed Clara van Wel, previously School and Library Accounts Manager at Unity Books to the newly created role of Assistant Commissioning Editor.

Clara has worked as a bookseller at both Unity Books Wellington and Unity Books Auckland. They have also worked in editorial and completed a Masters of Creative Writing through the International Institute of Modern Letters in Wellington. They hold an honours degree in English Literature from Cambridge University in the UK. As well as their editorial and bookselling experience, they have worked as a journalist for various Aotearoa outlets.

At Moa Press Clara will work across the list on fiction and non-fiction. They will be responsible for growing the non-fiction programme which most recently includes Home Again, the bestselling memoir by iconic music legend Jon Toogood, and the widely acclaimed Every Second Counts, by award-winning journalist Charlotte Glennie.

Clara will publish a carefully curated range of high-quality non-fiction with a brief to find books that are captivating, informative, and surprising. They will be accepting submissions from agented and unagented authors and will be running an open submissions period in November, with details to be announced soon.

Clara said ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be joining the Moa Press team. I’ve long been an admirer of their list and its impressive range, and I’m excited to be a part of this new phase. I’m passionate about quality nonfiction that seizes your attention and starts a conversation, and I can’t wait to get started.’

Kate Stephenson said ‘I’m thrilled to welcome Clara to Moa Press. Their years of bookselling and involvement in the industry have given them a deep understanding of books and readers, matched by a creative instinct and a real passion for writing. Clara’s appointment marks an exciting step in the growth of our local publishing programme. They have a wealth of ideas for building an ambitious, distinctive list, and I can’t wait to see the energy and flair they bring to it.’

Mel Winder, Hachette Aotearoa Managing Director, said “It is an exciting time of growth for Moa Press, and I’m really looking forward to Clara making their mark in New Zealand publishing.”

Moa Press, an imprint of Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand, is a broad-ranging adult list, publishing everything from bestselling commercial to literary fiction, fantasy, and quality non-fiction from memoir to natural history. Moa Press champions a diverse range of voices, representing a multitude of perspectives from within Aotearoa New Zealand. Launched in 2023, Moa Press was awarded Publisher of the Year in 2024.

For enquiries please email [email protected]

View and download this press release.