Commissioning editor / Senior commissioning editor

Closing date: 11th December 2023

Salary range: £37,000 - £40,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Department: Editorial

Imprints: Heligo and Black & White

Reports to: Publishing Director, Black & White and Heligo

Location: London

Working pattern: Full-time, flexible home working up to three days per week

Do you have a passion for non-fiction, especially books that power great ideas, shape culture and open minds? Do you want to come and be part of Bonnier Books UK’s influential new trade division, the Black & White Publishing Group?

We are looking for an ambitious and creative commissioning editor/senior commissioning editor to become part of our success story and publish across our Heligo and Black & White imprints in London.

Reporting to the publishing director, your role is to discover, acquire and publish 10-12 books a year that explore the world of ideas, work, leadership and culture across smart-thinking, popular science, big think and popular psychology.

You will have a proven track record of identifying trends and discovering new authors and talent, as well as a flair for shaping and developing titles into commercial propositions. You will have strong editorial and project management skills, an eye for detail and good experience of working with agents, authors, and a wide range of different in-house teams, including production, sales, publicity and marketing. You will also enjoy pitching ideas, winning over potential authors and negotiating deals. Whilst we are interested in hearing from candidates who are relatively new to commissioning, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you have successfully commissioned and published at least five titles.

Responsibilities

• Stay on top of trends and emerging issues in the commissioning areas, and put forward regular proposals for new titles to add to the Heligo and Black & White lists
• Commission and project manage a wide range of titles, making sure schedules are set up, key dates are met, budgets are adhered to, covers are briefed, Biblio is kept up to date and final files are supplied on time
• Pitch and present your titles at acquisitions and sales meetings
• Work with publicity, sales and marketing teams to successfully publish your titles
• Liaise with and manage third party contributors, including authors, agents and freelancers

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Demonstrable track record of commissioning successful titles
• Thorough understanding of the marketplace and our subject areas
• An advanced understanding of the editorial process
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills
• Self-disciplined and highly organised with a keen eye for detail
• A flexible, can-do and cooperative team player

The employer reserves the right to close the listing and stop accepting applications sooner than the original deadline. Therefore we strongly recommend applying at the earliest opportunity.

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

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