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Commissioning Editor, Children’s Fiction

The opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join the Bloomsbury Children's fiction team in an exciting commissioning role. The chosen candidate will be working on a list packed with bestselling and award-winning books for readers from the age of five to young adult, and helping to create the successes of the future. This role involves acquiring new titles in line with our fiction strategy, project managing and editing those and other titles, and working collaboratively with authors, illustrators and colleagues across the business. This role reports to one of our two Fiction Editorial Directors.

The role

• Acquiring outstanding new fiction, across the age range from 5 to YA
• Editing and project managing around 10-15 titles per year
• Working closely and creatively with your authors to ensure that they are well supported
• Taking responsibility for every stage of the editorial process from acquisition through to publication, ensuring that your titles are running to critical path and to budget
• Liaising with Sales, Rights, Marketing and Publicity to champion your books and ensuring that deadlines for sales materials and copy are met
• Working closely with Design and Managing Editors to ensure your books are briefed and delivered to the highest standard, on time and on budget
• Writing top-notch-selling copy, ensuring metadata is current and commercially appropriate

Knowledge, skills and experience

We are seeking:

• An exceptional editor with broad experience of editing children’s and YA fiction across the age ranges, ideally with some experience of commissioning
• Strong commercial awareness of the children’s and YA fiction market
• A proven track record of great author care
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• A skilled structural editor, able to work across a range of genres, age groups and writing styles to support authors to deliver their best work
• Top-notch project management skills, including a thorough understanding of schedules and costings, good organisation and meticulous attention to detail
• A team player, able to galvanise cross-departmental support for books and authors, and to take a proactive role within the fiction editorial team, being a supportive colleague and champion of the fiction list as a whole

Additional information
The role is a full-time and permanent position. The role is based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred). Allocated office days for this role are: Monday and Tuesday.

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by Monday 21st August.

Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Working Pattern

• hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)

Holidays

• 25 days holiday
• 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Other Benefits:

Two paid Personal Wellness Days

Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier in the week

Season Ticket Loan

Sharesave Scheme

In-house Doctor

Eyecare Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom (BAME), Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers) and 21 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.