Rights executive

Reporting to: Rights Director

Build your career in publishing rights, coordinating international sales and co-edition projects, with a particular focus on the US market.

Nosy Crow is a multi-award-winning, independent children’s publishing company. We began publishing child-focused, parent-friendly children’s books in January 2011 with the aim of creating books that encourage children to read for pleasure. We’re one of the country’s fastest growing publishing companies: we’re currently the 12th biggest publisher of children’s books in the UK.

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly organised, proactive and commercially minded Rights Executive to join our eight-person Rights team, with a particular focus on supporting and coordinating our US rights business. This is a varied and fast-paced role combining meticulous database management, sales coordination, international co-edition administration and customer relationship management.

The successful candidate will be a confident communicator and a meticulous planner, able to anticipate requirements, take ownership of complex workflows and ensure that customers receive accurate, timely and professional support.

The role offers opportunities for international travel (to Bologna and Frankfurt Book Fairs, with other travel dependent on experience), direct customer engagement and the potential to develop independent sales responsibilities over time.

Key Responsibilities

• US Rights and Co-Edition Sales: Maintain a comprehensive US rights and co-edition database, ensure accurate record keeping, track key dates and deadlines, prepare customer quotations, and coordinate the timely distribution of relevant sales materials.
• TV, Film & Merchandise Licensing: Coordinate marketing and sales materials to promote titles for TV, Film & Merchandise licensing opportunities, maintain a comprehensive database of activity, ensure accurate record keeping, track key dates and deadlines.
• International Co-edition Management: Coordinate co-edition reprints, rights renewals and associated workflows across Northern European and East Asian markets, liaising with customers and internal teams to ensure projects progress smoothly and required deadlines are met.
• International Sales and Customer Engagement: Attend Frankfurt and Bologna book fairs, as well as meetings throughout the year, pitching titles and meeting customers across East Asia, Northern Europe, US, and TV, Film & Merchandise sectors, whilst ensuring timely follow-up.
• Cross-departmental Collaboration: Work closely with Production, Creative and Marketing teams to develop and coordinate sales materials, manage customer requirements and ensure the smooth delivery of international projects.
• Process Improvement: Proactively identify opportunities to improve systems, streamline workflows and increase efficiency and accuracy across rights operations.
• Professional Development: Develop commercial knowledge and customer relationships, with the potential to develop independent sales responsibilities over time.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Rights, Export or Sales Assistant experience for 1 year +
• Exceptional forward planning and deadline management – hold the ability to anticipate requirements, prioritise competing demands and meet relevant deadlines
• A high degree of autonomy and initiative – have the confidence to take ownership, anticipate challenges and pro-actively resolve issues
• Meticulous database and information management - demonstrate exceptional attention to detail and accurate record keeping
• Outstanding organisational skills and follow-through – demonstrate a methodical, process-driven approach and the ability to manage multiple workstreams through to completion
• Co-edition publishing experience – hold a solid understanding of production processes, schedules and complexities
• Strong communication and relationship management skills – have the confidence to build strong relationships and pitch titles persuasively
• Numerical confidence and contractual awareness – demonstrate the ability to work accurately with pricing, contracts and commercial terminology
• A calm, adaptable and solutions-focused approach – demonstrate the ability to thrive under pressure and meet demanding deadlines

Highly Desirable Skills and Experience

• Additional language skills - particularly those relevant to Northern European or East Asian markets
• Experience using Biblio
• A strong visual eye – have experience producing attractive, commercially effective sales materials

Company Benefits:

• Pension scheme
• Christmas closure
• Summer hours
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Income Protection
• Critical Illness cover
• Group Life Assurance
• Enhanced parental leave
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Season ticket loans
• Eye care vouchers
• Up to 80% off RRP for Nosy Crow book purchases
• Emergency loans
• Free fruit and snacks in the office
• Moving day leave
• Charitable/socially beneficial leave
• Remote working anywhere in the world for up to 2 weeks per year
• The successful candidate will have the right to live and work in the UK.

To apply, please send your CV, accompanied by a covering letter of no more than 500 words outlining why you think you would be the perfect candidate for this exciting opportunity, to Paula Cutler telling us where you heard about the job.

We ask that when submitting your covering letter, you authentically outline why you believe you are the perfect candidate for the advertised role, without the use of AI tools. We want to see your creativity shine through and gain an insight into who you are and what you can offer Nosy Crow. Using your own voice is the best way to express how you meet our selection criteria.

Please let us know, if you are comfortable doing so, whether or not there are any reasonable adjustments that we should consider that would help during the recruitment process.

Nosy Crow is a Disability Confident, committed equal opportunities employer. We believe that employing a diverse workforce is an important factor in success and make recruiting decisions based on applicants’ experience and skills. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of race, age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marriage or civil partnership.

Applications are treated with due confidentiality.

Nosy Crow is a member of the Living Wage foundation.

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.