Commissioning editor

Closing date: 19th January 2025

Salary: £33,000–£42,000, dependent on experience and location (+bonus +benefits)

Location: This role can be based at our London or Sheffield office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week

An exciting opportunity to publish fantasy and science fiction at one of the most successful and dynamic digital publishers in the world.

Find us brilliant new authors. Publish great books. Collaborate with a talented team. And learn all there is to know about creating digital bestsellers.

We’re looking for someone who makes a habit of improving the way things are done, and who enjoys combining smart data and creativity.

Second Sky is an imprint of Bookouture, the UK’s biggest digital publisher of commercial fiction. Bookouture has grown rapidly every year and have now sold over 80 million books to readers worldwide. To keep up this incredible rate of growth, we are looking for the best editorial talent to acquire for our dedicated SFF imprint, Second Sky. Launched in 2023, our authors include Kaylie Smith, Luanne Bennett, R.S. Moule and Marc Alan Edelheit, and we have seen success in multiple subgenres and in all formats. If you love genre fiction, want to get brilliant books in the hands of readers around the world, and are excited about digital publishing and the chance to shape a new and expanding list, we want to hear from you.

At Bookouture, editors have the freedom to acquire autonomously without hurdles to jump through, and we can go direct to designers with a creative vision. We don’t have acquisition meetings. We have access to daily sales and pre-order numbers at the click of a button. We can change covers, copy and titles overnight – and see the impact the next day. We build strong and trusting relationships with our authors, collaborating with them to ensure readers love what we publish together. Our books are published across the world, and we are as focussed on the US as the UK. We were among the first publishers to harness the power of data, and we believe we remain the best at it. We have all the advantages of being part of a big five publisher with the mindset and entrepreneurial drive of a start-up. If you think this sounds like an exciting place to work, we want to consider your application.

What you'll be doing

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated commissioning editor to join our Second Sky editorial team. 

• You will be publishing around 18 books a year, across a range of commercial SFF subgenres. 
• You will be acquiring, editing and publishing with a high level of autonomy and ensuring we are publishing the highest potential authors in the most commercial way, with an eye on the global market, excellent author care, and strong copywriting skills.

Who we're looking for

• You will have a strong sense of what science fiction and fantasy readers want, and have an eye for a great story.
• You will be a creative copywriter, a meticulous editor, and excellent with authors.
• You will have an eye for a brilliant cover design and know what makes a strong commercial package across the US and UK.
• You will use data to inform your work, and love using your analytical brain to understand what’s working and what could be done better.
• You will have a can-do attitude and a creative approach to problem-solving.
• You will be a strong communicator, capable of building good relationships and unafraid of having challenging conversations when needed.
• You will have a relentless focus on results, and on getting our books to the broadest possible readership. You will be agile and reactive, thriving on change and taking risks.
• You will be invested in diversifying our business, making our books as diverse as the range of readers we aim to reach.

You may have a background in working on science fiction and fantasy in a publishing role, but this is not essential if you can demonstrate that you have a passion for the genre and all the skills we’re looking for.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org