Commissioning editor / senior commissioning editor

Closing date: 12th February 2025

Salary: £35,000-40,000 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.

We're seeking a dynamic, creative, commercial commissioning editor / senior commissioning editor to run the Robinson imprint’s How To list.

Little, Brown's identity is personified by our innovative, dynamic and free-thinking people. Across our thirteen imprints, you won't find a wider range of titles anywhere in UK publishing. We pride ourselves on quality and diversity. A repeat recipient of the Publisher of the Year award, we're one of the most successful and dynamic publishers in the UK.

Robinson is a leading non-fiction imprint home to million-copy bestsellers, must-reads and books that make things happen. Its How To list offers practical, inspiring, bestselling guides to just about anything that anyone might want to do, from writing a wedding speech to learning to read music, and from training your dog to managing your money. Each book is written by an expert you can trust, to inspire as well as instruct. Recent stand-out titles include How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Adam Spivey and Cory Althoff’s The Self-taught Programmer.

What you'll be doing

• This is a unique opportunity to run your own list, setting the creative and commercial vision for the future of How To. 
• The role offers the opportunity to acquire titles across an exceptionally broad range of categories in the lifestyle and entertainment space from gift and puzzle to colouring to cookery, pet care, gardening, health and parenting, creative writing, property investment and business guides.
• You will also support the publishing director on Robinson’s narrative list – home to extraordinary stories across pop culture, nature, true crime, memoir and big ideas. 
• For the right candidate, the role also offers the opportunity to acquire for the Piatkus Non-Fiction’s practical business and personal success list.

Who we are looking for

• If you're an ambitious commissioner with a fresh approach and broad taste in lifestyle and entertainment commercial non-fiction, this role could be for you. 
• We’re looking for someone who is strong at steering books editorially (with exemplary author care and attention to detail), but also someone capable of motivating the teams around them (e.g. campaigns) and drive commercial success. 
• You will have strong relationships within the industry and be proactive in seeking out new projects, both via literary agents, direct approaches and IP.

Within your cover letter, please give details of specific book ideas or areas of the market you’d like to commission into for the How To list.

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