Acquisitions Editor – Bloomsbury Academic (U.S.)
This role involves acquiring and managing a wide range of music and sound studies titles, including research monographs, reference books, general interest and trade titles. The editor works within the Bloomsbury Academic division, contributing to the strategic direction of the music and sound studies publishing program.
Main Purpose of the Role
- Provides the strategic direction and is commercially responsible for the list within Bloomsbury’s music and sound studies publishing program in conjunction with the direct line manager.
- Plays a key role in managing the music digital resource product working in collaboration with project teams, including acquisition and coordination of ongoing editorial content.
- Researches new product lines and markets for print and digital products.
- May identify, manage, and secure new book and digital resource publishing partnerships.
- Ensures that the list meets key business goals: global growth plans, revenue, budgets, number of projects, product mix, profit.
- Acts as a spokesperson for the list and the Bloomsbury Academic Division, representing its key values, objectives, and policies.
Commissioning & List Management
- Identifies and pursues lucrative new opportunities (markets, product types, partnerships) within subject areas.
- Develops knowledge of music and sound studies and builds a network of talented authors within this field.
- Develops market awareness by reading relevant academic/industry publications, visiting end-users; researching and analyzing competitive environment and activity, market trends, developments and channels.
- Utilizes market awareness and understanding to inform future publishing strategy for products/lists/portfolios.
- Commissions to pre‑agreed annual turnover and product line targets.
- Commissions and assesses proposals for new projects according to an agreed number of titles and product mix (reference works, monographs, edited collections, textbooks, supplementary/trade titles, backlist revisions).
- Coordinates peer review and market research to progress proposals to approval.
- Negotiates contracts with authors and partners.
- Manages timetabling of projects under contract.
- Liaises with the Production Department to ensure that books are published to budget and schedule.
- Liaises with Marketing and Sales Departments for the effective promotion of the list and monitors sales performance.
- Attends academic conferences and represents the company at events as appropriate.
- Ensures all metadata relating to frontlist and backlist is accurately managed within the team to a high standard and according to Key Dates.
Staff Management
- May undertake direct line‑management of an Assistant Editor/Editorial Assistant/Intern and help them to meet key business objectives: Production schedule/publication targets (pipeline of product).
- Ensures direct reports adhere to editorial guidelines, procedures and best practice.
- Provides clear direction and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time‑bound) targets for direct reports to enable them to meet publishing schedule, key dates and MS handover targets.
- May contribute to wider divisional initiatives (e.g. strategic working groups).
Coordination & Administration
- Oversees the annual frontlist and keeps titles on schedule, budgeted revenue and profit targets.
- Assesses and oversees the reviewing process of all new proposals.
- Performs annual list budgeting and reforecasting duties to a high standard, keeping slippage well below the 10% tolerance threshold for titles that have slipped out of the fiscal year.
- Demonstrates good time‑management skills, including prioritisation, assessing and managing own workload, meeting deadlines.
- Manages email and inbox effectively.
- Has sound knowledge of internal systems including Biblio, Focal Point, Cognos, Office, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
- Maintains databases and systems to ensure a high level of accuracy of information.
- Works to set procedures as required.
- Processes information quickly and effectively, and prioritises subsequent actions promptly.
- Prioritises more critical activities and assignments and adjusts priorities when appropriate to meet deadlines.
- Uses time effectively and prevents irrelevant issues or distractions from interfering with work completion.
- Develops avenues of questioning to ascertain correct information and ensure understanding.
- Generates innovative solutions in work situations; tries different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.
- Manages information systems for collection, retrieval, and use of data for decision‑making.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of duties. The need for flexibility is required and the job holder is expected to carry out any other related duties that are within the employee's skills and abilities whenever reasonably instructed.
Requirements
- Relevant academic editorial experience.
- Commissioning experience (successfully working to agreed commissioning targets).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong problem‑solving abilities.
- High attention to detail.
- Collaborative and team‑oriented mindset.
- Experience of working on a range of academic book types desirable (including textbooks, monographs and reference works).
Location
We are seeking candidates located within the DC, MD, VA region or the NY tri‑state area who can work on a hybrid schedule from our Greenbelt MD or NYC office.
Benefits
- Hybrid work schedule
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- 401(k)
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