Are you a successful Fiction editor with an entrepreneurial streak?  William Collins is looking for a dynamic, experienced Fiction Editorial Director to launch and run a new fiction imprint within William Collins.    This is an exciting opportunity for a self-starting editor to curate a list of their own and complement William Collin’s strength in non-fiction publishing with a best-selling and prize-winning fiction list. 

The successful candidate will have a proven track-record in discovering and championing top authors and their work, with an eye for great storytelling and commercial relevance.   We envision the successful candidate as someone who is comfortable with up-market commercial publishing from political thrillers to historical fiction, stories which will appeal across male and female readerships.    

 You would be a senior member of the William Collins publishing team and would be instrumental in launching this new list, one that we are looking to invest in and grow in the years to come.   The precise editorial scope of the list is open for discussion, but editorial acumen, ambition and energy are key attributes we’re looking for.

Key Accountabilities:

• Nurture strong contacts with agents so we are first to consider key, commercial projects.

• Make author care a priority so we are the first choice for authors and agents.

• Develop strong awareness of market trends and competition in order to make informed decisions and to identify new publishing opportunities. Explore gaps in the market and new ways of doing things to help us be a trend setter and a market leader.

• Cost all projects accurately and negotiate the best deals possible with agents and authors.

• Ensure all deadlines are met and costs controlled.

• Share information/communicate with editorial managers, production, design, sales (home/export/special/rights) and marketing.

• Assist in successfully positioning and promoting all titles.

• Communicate key selling points of all titles to maximise sales performance.

• Contribute to overall profile and brand development.

Skills required

• Significant successful commissioning experience

• Demonstrate entrepreneurial publishing talent

• Excellent author/agent relationships

• Self-motivated worker, able to spur themselves on to achieve company goals without micro-managing

• Global thinker – someone able to think 'beyond the book' and help us develop digital, e-book and audio

• Cross-company thinker: someone who can work across News Corp when possible, to best effect

• Excellent communicator (presentations) and writer (catalogue, cover copy)

• Proven editorial skills

• Comfortable with taking responsibility and owning decisions (plumping for a book, even at a high advance)

• Organised multi-tasker, who delivers briefs, edits and so on to schedule

• Detail-orientated and cost-aware

 Benefits 

• Hybrid working model (3+ days in the office) 

• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days) 

• Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave 

• Private healthcare cover and life assurance 

• Summer Hours  

• Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24 hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal 

• Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme 

• Relocation Rent Support Loan  

• Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC 

• Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programmes 

• Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers 

• Gym membership discount 

• Onsite physiotherapy (London only) 

• Charitable donation matching and  2 volunteering days 

• We're a certified Carbon Neutral company 

• Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and discounts on books 

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts 

• Onsite prayer room 

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to recruitment@harpercollins.co.uk with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.

Please note, if you are interested in the role you would need to submit your application via Applied. We do not accept email applications.