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Senior Commissioning Editor/Editorial Director

  • Hachette UK
  • Full Time
  • London
  • £38,000 - £45,000 dependent on experience
Hachette UK

Job Description

Who we are and what we do

Wildfire Books is a boutique imprint of Headline Publishing Group that launched in 2016. Our aim is to publish forward-thinking, agenda-setting fiction and non-fiction that spark conversation and spread like wildfire - books, as we like to say, that have a bit of soul. The results speak for themselves: in a few short years, our books have been nominated for the Women's Prize, International Booker Prize, the Orwell Prize, Baillie Gifford Prize, National Book Award, Carnegie Medal, Book of the Year at the Nibbies, McKitterick Prize, National Book Critics Circle, Pulitzer Prize, CWA Daggers, and more. We're proud to have had many Sunday Times bestsellers too.

What you'll be doing

We are looking for an energetic commissioning editor to take on the mantle of publishing Wildfire's commercial fiction. Our list features a range of brilliant, unique and dynamic storytellers - including the likes of Harriet Tyce, Chris Hammer, Jennifer Saint, James Oswald, M L Rio and Asia McKay. Reporting to the Publishing Director, the successful candidate will commission and publish commercial fiction titles across all genres, including crime & thriller, book club, general fiction, historical and more. You will take ownership of your titles, seeing them through from acquisition to publication and beyond, while delivering best-in-class author care. At Wildfire we also have a successful IP development programme, and we're looking for someone with the creativity and entrepreneurial drive to continue to build upon this. Here's what our team say about working at Wildfire:

Philip Connor - Editorial Director (non-fiction):

"I can't recommend working at Wildfire enough. My 3 years here have been the perfect balance of an entrepreneurial editorial department backed up by one of the most dynamic teams in publishing. Everyone is invited to contribute creatively, offering room to grow and develop. It's a special place and I love working here."

Ella Gordon - Editorial Director (literary fiction):

"I've been lucky enough to spend my entire career (almost 9 years!) at Wildfire, having started right at its inception as Editorial Assistant and worked my way up to my current position of Editorial Director. It's great to work on a team where everyone's voice is valued equally, where creativity and innovation is encouraged and we all pitch in together to help the imprint grow. It's a dynamic that's challenging, stimulating and full of opportunities for development — I highly recommend applying!"

Who we are looking for

We're looking for someone with commissioning experience, particularly in the crime & thriller area. You'll be full of creative energy, thriving on working with brilliant authors and amazing ideas. A few other qualities will also be really important:

  • You'll be brimming with commercial fiction market awareness
  • You'll be energised by building innovative publication campaigns - working with our sales, marketing and PR teams
  • You'll love coming up with ideas for new projects
  • You'll have great relationships with literary agents and scouts
  • You'll want to work in a close-knit and supportive team
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!

The role will be based at our London office, Carmelite House, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

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

Good luck with your application