Commissioning editor / senior commissioning editor

Closing date: 26th February 2025

Salary: £32,000 - £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.

Are you a brilliant editor with a passion for science fiction, fantasy and horror?

Hodder & Stoughton is an award-winning publisher within Hachette UK, one of the UK’s biggest publishing groups. For over 150 years, we have been one of Britain’s leading publishers of fiction and non-fiction and are renowned for passion, quality and delivering bestselling books in many different formats.

Hodderscape is our vibrant, and fast growing, science fiction, fantasy and horror imprint. Our authors include Laini Taylor, Kerri Maniscalco, Elizabeth Lim, Chloe Gong, Pierce Brown, Becky Chambers, Tad Williams and many more. We are never afraid to be out of this world, and we are looking to publish the very best commercial SFF.

With huge passion for the genre, you will be building your own list of highly commercial fantasy books, in alignment with the Hodderscape strategy, as well as publishing ongoing authors. You will see titles through from acquisition to publication in all formats, working with key teams to create effective publishing strategies, successful launches and build long-term sales.

You’ll develop strong agent relationships and help grow Hodderscape’s presence in the fiction market. You might be a brilliant editor who already has some commissioning success under your belt and is ready for a bold new step, or you might be a hugely experienced commissioner who is ready to build their own list. 

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will have:

• passion for science fiction and fantasy books, both young adult and adult, with a detailed knowledge of the market
• excellent understanding of the editorial process from start to finish
• commercially minded with a proven ability to recognise opportunities
• strong communication skills and a talent for organisation
• experience working on high-specification special hardback editions
• experience in or contributing to structural and line edits
• the ability to negotiate financially viable and favourable contracts with external parties
• the ability to project manage effectively and deliver on time
• excellent administration skills
• familiar with the Biblio title management system
• experience with Microsoft Office

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.

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

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