Commissioning editor, literary studies & creative writing, Bloomsbury Academic - 12 month fixed term

Location: London

Develop a growing academic list while commissioning new books for the global higher-education market.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names.

We are seeking an academic Commissioning Editor to cover a maternity leave and to continue the consistent growth enjoyed in recent years. You will expand our publishing in some of the aforementioned areas across a range of product lines (textbooks, monographs and reference). The role will report to our Senior Publisher for STS, Digital and Medical Humanities, Literary Studies.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the development of Bloomsbury’s award-winning academic division. Our Literary Studies and Creative Writing lists is well-established and publishes across the global higher-education markets. With particular strengths in the fields of genre fiction, creative writing studies, and contemporary literature, the list publishes a diverse portfolio from research monographs to student introductions and handbooks.

The role

• Works with line manager to meet acquisition and delivery targets across Literary Studies and Creative Writing lists
• Sets and executes Creative Writing list strategy
• Researches new product lines and markets for Books
• Works with line manager to ensure that the lists meet key business goals: global growth plans, revenue, budgets, no. of projects, product mix, profit etc.
• Acts as a spokesperson for the list and the Bloomsbury Academic Division, representing its key values, objectives and policies

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Familiarity with the lists’ subject areas a definite advantage but not essential
• Proven relevant experience in academic publishing
• Knowledge of academic publishing trends and developments, for example in Open Access publishing
• Proactive, confident self-starter and a collaborative team player
• Creative and commercial approach to list development, management and commissioning
• Strong analytic skills and a competent user of publishing software systems
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in writing and verbally
• Positive outlook, strong problem-solving, organisational and time-management skills
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Highly organized and with the ability to develop and maintain business relationships
• Places a high value on quality of content, author care, company reputation and sustained customer relationships

Additional Information

This position is a full-time 12-month fixed-term position starting as soon as possible.

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: Wednesday and Thursday

How to Apply

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via our website detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role.

For best results, please use a desktop to apply, as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal.

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 30 minutes earlier in the week
• Work Anywhere Fortnight - For two weeks of any calendar year. The minimum period for Working Anywhere is one week, the maximum period is two weeks.
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• Peppy Health App
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme

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

For additional benefits see careers page

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.

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.