Senior Commissioning Editor / Editorial Director, Transworld Crime & Thriller (12-month FTC)

This is an excellent opportunity to take a pivotal role in Bantam’s Crime & Thriller list, at a key time in its growth. We’re looking for someone who will seize the chance to make an impact quickly, working with an existing stable of authors and acquiring and publishing new ones, as well as assisting the C&T leadership with elements of strategy. You may already be in a senior editorial role and eager to work at one of the most successful commercial publishers in the industry, or an experienced commissioner ready to take the next step.

This is a 12-month FTC opportunity to start in May/June 2025, covering a period of parental leave. We’re open to considering an appointment at either Senior Commissioning Editor or Editorial Director level.

For internal interest, this appointment could be a secondment opportunity.

About Bantam

Bantam Fiction is the commercial fiction imprint of Transworld and publisher of some of the UK’s bestselling and most-loved crime & thriller authors. From market-leading brands such as Lee Child, Dan Brown, Shari Lapena, Paula Hawkins, Tess Gerritsen and Stuart MacBride, to new and growing voices such as The Cleaner by Mary Watson, Murder at Holly House by Denzil Meyrick, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera and No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara, Bantam has an unparalleled reputation for launching blockbuster debuts and building the biggest fiction brands in the market.

Key responsibilities:

• Acquire and publish across the spectrum of crime & thriller.
• Evaluate the viability and profitability of potential acquisitions and handle negotiations.
• Build strong relationships with existing authors and agents quickly, bringing strong and dynamic vision to their publishing from the start.
• Demonstrate commercial acumen by identifying opportunities for growth across the list, including staying informed about market trends and competitor activities.
• Collaborate with Sales, Rights, Marketing, and Publicity teams for successful publications.
• Oversee the internal book process, including editing, briefing covers, scheduling, liaising with Copyeditorial, Production etc.
• Write and update high-quality copy and metadata to ensure a book’s success.
• Contribute to establishing the strategic direction of the list alongside the whole team.

What you’ll bring: 

• Strong prior experience in successfully and profitably acquiring and publishing commercial fiction.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the commercial fiction market.
• A commercial mindset with the ability to think strategically and with vision about potential acquisitions.
• Strong internal and external relationship management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of people and influence others.
• A good mix of strong creative and analytical skills.
• A confident negotiator who is not afraid to constructively challenge when required.
• Delivery-focused with experience in managing projects; strong personal organization and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• A self-starter who thinks entrepreneurially.
• Resilient and able to work under pressure.
• Confident in your own judgment.
• A strong team player with interpersonal sensitivity.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Sunday 23rd March 2024.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be between 500 and 1000 words.

We expect interviews to start taking place week commencing 31st March.

Salary

Up to £50,000, dependent on how your skills and experiences align to either role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

• Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance
• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks
• Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme, free and discounted books

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. At Vintage, we consider what environment enables the best work for individuals, teams and the company. Vintage colleagues work from our Embassy Gardens office on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, once team and divisional considerations have been taken into account, have the flexibility to choose where to work on other days of the week.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The recruitment process

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 278280