Foreign rights assistant

Department: Foreign Rights

Reporting To: Senior Fiction Rights Manager

Salary: £27,000 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: Full Time (35 hours per week)

Location: Vauxhall, London (Hybrid Post Probation)

Looking to start a career in publishing? Support the team that sells translation rights worldwide, helping books reach new languages and international readers.

Walker Books UK is part of the vibrant international Group that includes Candlewick Press, Holiday House and Peachtree in the USA and Walker Books Australia. Renowned for its truly original publishing and outstanding quality, the Walker Books Group is home to a wide range of children's and young adult books. Award-winning authors and illustrators for the group include Angie Thomas, Sydney Smith, M.T. Anderson, Patrick Ness and Jon Klassen. We are also enormously proud to publish beloved family brands including Lucy Cousin’s Maisy, Michael Rosen’s We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram’s Guess How Much I Love You and Martin Handford’s Where’s Wally?

This is a unique and varied entry-level opportunity for a self-motivated individual looking to work in Children’s Publishing and launch their career in Foreign Rights. Within this role, you will provide administrative support to a busy and dynamic international Foreign Rights team selling translation rights worldwide. You will be involved in a broad range of tasks and projects, using your initiative and multitasking skills to support the administrative needs of the Foreign Rights team as well as liaising closely with internal teams such as editorial, design, production, legal, publicity / marketing and IT in a fast-paced environment. This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Walker Books Group on débuts, award-winning and best-selling children’s books with customers from all around the world across our picture books, non-fiction, novelty and fiction lists.

Key responsibilities

• Assist account managers in post-sale fulfilment across assigned territories:

  - Facilitate the publication of foreign-language editions of Walker Books Group titles, from confirmation of order to shipping.

  - Track progress of sales and print runs, communicating with clients as needed and keeping databases updated.

  - Liaise with editorial, design, production, legal, publicity / marketing and IT departments.

• Provide administrative support, with tasks including scheduling meetings, managing correspondence and maintaining client records.
• Manage the department’s supply of finished copies across assigned territories including updating and organising the Foreign Rights archive.
• Conduct market research and stay informed about industry trends and developments.
• Help coordinate book fair attendance, sales trips and other industry events.
• Subject to further role development, attend book fairs and customer meetings abroad.
• Ad-hoc tasks as required.

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list and does not necessarily include all the duties the job holder may have to perform. This job description may be amended to meet changing needs of the business.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate evidence of the following skills and/or experience:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and confidence in communicating with other departments as well as foreign publishers.
• Excellent time-management, organisational and administrative skills.
• The ability to use initiative and work calmly under pressure with a ‘can-do’ / proactive approach to problem-solving.
• The ability to prioritise tasks given specific deadlines, juggling multiple projects without close supervision and with meticulous attention to detail.
• Highly self-motivated with the ability to work independently while also an appreciation of working with, and making a positive contribution to, a busy and dynamic team.
• An understanding of the importance of a sales support role in relation to customer service and business development.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft office applications, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Mathematical and analytical skills are advantageous, as well as a high standard of written English.

Desirable

• An interest in and understanding of foreign cultures. Foreign language skills would be advantageous but not essential.
• Demonstrated interest in the publishing industry would be advantageous, but no prior experience is necessary to apply for the role.

Why join Walker Books?

We offer:

• A supportive working environment where all voices are respected and creativity is not hierarchical
• Hybrid work (at least two days in the office per week) once you have successfully passed probation
• 22 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (with annual leave increasing with length of service up to 27 days)
• Enhanced Pension Scheme
• Health Insurance and Health Cash Plan
• Life Assurance
• Summer Hours
• Remote working for up to two weeks per year
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Plus, other great benefits!

All children deserve to see themselves, their families, and their communities represented in the books they read. As children’s book publishers, it is our goal to ensure that the books and content we publish authentically and joyfully reflect the world around us. As an employer, we are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive working environment where everyone is included, valued, and empowered to do their best and most creative work. As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome candidates from all backgrounds without regard to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, sex, or any other characteristic protected by law and those not yet protected by law.

If you have any queries about this role or require any reasonable adjustments for your application or throughout the recruitment process, please let our team know by contacting us at recruitment@walker.co.uk.

Please note we reserve the right to close vacancies before the closing date where we have received sufficient applications. We recommend submitting your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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.