Custom Publishing is a small, dynamic publishing department within HarperCollins that creates innovative, illustrated frontlist titles for gift and reference, as well as creative re-casts of HC’s rich heritage backlist. With a focus on non-fiction titles, our range is broad, from MBS to puzzle books, cocktail guides to natural history; our successes include Prosecco Made Me Do It, C.S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom, The Little Book of Bees, The Healing Remedies Sourcebook, and Unicornucopia.

The role

The Senior Editor will co-generate projects, co-manage the life cycle of the projects within the Custom Publishing list – from commissioning, concept and pitch development, through editorial stages to delivery to the customer – working across all imprints. The successful candidate will also assist in overseeing the Custom Publishing front list and back list, assist in pitching ideas, and liaise with customers. Key to the position is the ability to create, develop, and adapt projects to meet the commercial needs of specific global markets and customers (primarily US and UK).

Key responsibilities:

• Manage the commissioning and progress of a portion of Custom’s list

• Work closely with customers, sales, production, editorial, rights, and design to see projects through to completion and delivery.

• Perform in-house editorial work as required.

• Pitch originated content/customer led projects to in-house divisional editorial teams and liaise with sales

• Assist sales in pitching to customers

• Create and manage the production of sales materials for the projects

• Work closely with the team to tailor the projects to the customer or region

• Maintain a strong network of freelance designers, developmental editors, authors, and illustrators

• Maintain a strong network of internal resources within production and divisional editorial teams

• Manage Plan G (Filemaker database)

• Generate new ideas and manage the front list

• Commission authors, illustrators, designers, etc to produce work

• Co-manage back-list (reprints and reissues), including liaising with customers, production, and freelancers for corrections and redesigns/updates

Experience required for the role:

• Significant editorial management experience with black and white, colour, and books-plus projects

• Significant editorial experience of copy-editing, proofreading, proof-checking, etc

• Experience managing projects/series on their own

• Experience in commissioning

• Experience in adapting existing content for new channels, formats, and customers

• First-hand knowledge of US and UK market

• Experience of dealing with Americanization (and occasionally Anglicisation)
  of content.

Experience of:

• Producing illustrated titles across range of subjects and formats

• Working with co-editions

• Adapting existing content to make it suitable for new formats and markets

• Dealing with different markets

• Technical knowledge (ensuring files are co-editionable, etc)

• Being sensitive to the global market in selecting imagery and text

Skills required

A proactive, creative team player with a ‘go-getting’ attitude, the ability to be adaptive, and flexibility and competency to work within tight timelines and budget constraints, combined with a broad range of editorial and project-management experience within publishing. The ability to establish and maintain good rapport with internal and external contacts is crucial.

• Ability to deliver great products within specified schedules and budgets

• People-management and negotiating skills

• Production knowledge to ensure high-quality, attractive, and profitable books

• Communication – Able to clearly present ideas and solutions to internal and external customers and freelancers

• Innovation and creativity – Develop original and customer-targeted projects

• Organisational skills

• Relationship management

If your experience and skill set is a close match to the above, we would love to hear from you. Please send through your application using the 'Apply' button, today!