Commissioning Editor / Senior Commissioning Editor

Who we are and what we do

Hodder & Stoughton is an award-winning publisher within Hachette UK, one of the UK’s biggest publishing groups. For over 150 years, we have been one of Britain’s leading publishers of fiction and non-fiction and are renowned for passion, quality and delivering bestselling books in many different formats.

Hodderscape is our vibrant, and fast growing, science fiction, fantasy and horror imprint. Our authors include Laini Taylor, Kerri Maniscalco, Elizabeth Lim, Chloe Gong, Pierce Brown, Becky Chambers, Tad Williams and many more. We are never afraid to be out of this world, and we are looking to publish the very best commercial SFF.

What you'll be doing

Do you love science fiction and fantasy? With a huge passion for the genre, and a wealth of experience commissioning SFF under your belt, you would be building your own list at Hodderscape, working with the Publishing Director and the Hodderscape team to bring in exciting new talent, as well as publishing ongoing Sunday Times bestselling and award-winning authors and brands. You will build and manage a list of popular and bestselling authors, taking their books from pitch to publication and beyond.

You will see titles through from acquisition to publication in all formats, working with key teams to create effective publishing strategies, successful launches and build long-term sales. You’ll develop strong agent relationships and help grow Hodderscape’s presence in the fiction market. As a senior member of the team, you will help formulate Hodderscape's ongoing strategy, building strong relationships across departments, and develop clear publishing plans for new and ongoing authors, with a particular focus on D2C publishing.

Who we are looking for

You will be an experienced and safe pair of hands, with extensive commissioning experience, and a true passion for science fiction and fantasy in all its forms.

The successful candidate will have:

• love of science fiction and fantasy books, with a detailed knowledge of the market
• excellent understanding of the editorial process from start to finish
• commercially minded with a proven ability to recognise opportunities
• strong communication skills and a talent for organisation
• experience working on high specification special hardback editions
• experience in or contributing to structural and line edits
• the ability to negotiate financially viable and favourable contracts with external parties
• the ability to project manage effectively and deliver on time
• excellent administration skills
• familiar with the Biblio title management system
• experience with Microsoft Office

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 or Sheffield, 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