Commissioning editor

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

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

Work at the heart of a newly launched imprint, commissioning commercial non-fiction and developing new ideas.

Headline was founded in 1986 with a single promise at its heart: to publish the books people want to read. Sometimes, the simplest ideas are best.

Headline has spent over three decades creating bestsellers. Our passion for the commercial means we are home to some of the UK’s biggest-selling authors and that we can continue to invest in new talent with stellar sales potential. The Tallis Street list – formerly the Welbeck Narrative non-fiction list – publishes a range of genres, including popular and military history, personal development, sport and true crime. Tallis Street was rebranded and launched in the summer of 2026, with a clear mission to publish books where the action is. Our authors include Paul McKenna, Robert Verkaik, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, Megan Coles and Otto English.

The Headline Non-Fiction team is a close-knit, ambitious group of editors with a reputation for outstanding author care and a mission to make our list as profitable as possible. Here’s what some of the team say about working at Headline:

‘Working at Headline inspires me every day. We're a dynamic team where new ideas are encouraged, and our depth of experience and creativity means we can make the best books happen. Join us!’

Zoë Blanc, Senior Commissioning Editor, Non-Fiction

‘Headline Non-Fiction is a friendly and ambitious team with a shared passion for publishing great books. If you’re looking for a job where every day is different, this is the place for you!’

Bianca Bexton, Editorial Director, Headline Press

What you'll be doing

Are you a successful, ambitious, and experienced non-fiction editor or commissioner looking for your next step? The Tallis Street imprint is seeking a Commissioning Editor to be the driving force behind the list and acquire across a range of subject areas.

With the support of the Headline Non-Fiction team, you will commission for the Tallis Street imprint. You will be someone who can spot the next personal development podcast star, business maverick, or exciting commercial historian, or perhaps you have several brilliant new IP ideas and need to find the perfect authors to write them. This is a unique opportunity for the successful candidate to have a direct hand in building a long-term strategy for this newly minted imprint of the Headline Publishing Group.

We are looking for a creative self-starter who can make a tangible impact on our non-fiction publishing, adding breadth and depth to the list.

Within your cover letter, please give details of one specific book you would like to commission. It could be a sports memoir, a smart-thinking podcast, a trivia book, or a business, popular history or military idea.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an ideas-focused commissioner with expertise in the male-skewing end of the non-fiction market to help build our newly rebranded list and commission across a broad range of areas including true crime, popular history, business, sport, personal development, memoir, gift, humour and pop culture. We are looking for someone who is motivated by success, has a strong commercial eye, a reputation for editorial excellence, a strong network of agent contacts and the creativity to develop and execute IP ideas of their own. IP development is a core priority for Headline, and we are excited to hear your ideas and help you find the right authors to deliver them.

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
• Dental 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
• An active range of staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing, Women in Techand 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.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, you can let us know at the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application. We’ll make sure you’re supported throughout the process.

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 https://btbs.org/grants

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.