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Editorial Director/Publishing Director

Competitive salary

London

Who we are and what we do

Weidenfeld & Nicolson, part of the Orion Publishing Group, is one of the most prestigious and dynamic literary imprints in British and international publishing, home to a wide range of literary fiction and non-fiction, modern classics, prizewinning debuts and worldwide bestsellers. Our passion for extraordinary writing dates back to our two founders, Lord Weidenfeld and Nigel Nicolson, who were responsible for introducing some of the twentieth-century’s most remarkable voices – Vladimir Nabokov, Isaiah Berlin, Eric Hobsbawm, and Nicolson’s own parents Sir Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West – to a wide readership. They launched their publishing house in 1949 with the idea of building bridges and opening minds through exceptional works of literature: we have been carrying on their legacy ever since.

Our authors include Antony Beevor, Clare Chambers, Richard Coles, Naoise Dolan, Nathan Englander, Gillian Flynn, Antonia Fraser, Emily Fridlund, A. A. Gill, Bettany Hughes, Greg Jenner, Claire Lombardo, Meg Mason, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Tea Obreht, Deborah Orr, Michael Palin, Keith Richards, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Adam Rutherford, Philippe Sands, Bernhard Schlink, Alice Walker, Jacqueline Woodson and Malala Yousafzai.

What you’ll be doing

It is an exciting time for Weidenfeld & Nicolson and as we seek to reignite the spirit of the early years of the imprint, we are renewing our focus on the serious non-fiction list. Reporting to the imprint’s Publisher, you will take on responsibility for the strategic growth of a specialist non-fiction list, expanding and strengthening our publishing in the core areas of popular science, current affairs, smart thinking, tech, geopolitics, economics and soft business. Working at a senior level within our team of highly motivated editors, you will commission c.12 titles a year and will deliver sales growth, profitability and bestsellers.

Who we are looking for

You will be strategic, collaborative and ambitious with strong commercial awareness and a genuine passion for serious non-fiction and the core acquisition categories highlighted above. They will be comfortable working with a wide range of authors including intellectuals, scholars and journalists and will have strong networking and entrepreneurial skills. You will have an extensive list of contacts – across the publishing industry, media and academia.  

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset and our benefits reflect this. In addition to 25 days annual leave days per year plus bank holidays, we have an extensive list of benefits that include: a wide-ranging training library, development programmes including mentoring, Cycle to Work vouchers, Private Medical Insurance, eye care vouchers, up to 70% off book purchases, a charity book shelf, two volunteer days per year to use at your charity of choice, many employee networks to join, summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months!), season ticket loans, rent deposit loans, generous pension schemes and much more!

This role can be based at our London office, or at any of our new regional offices in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield or Bristol, with a blend of in-office (three days) and homeworking (two 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

Closing date: Friday 22 October 2021.

Editorial Director/Publishing Director

Hachette UK, London
Full-time, Permanent
Publisher
Administration, Editor, Publishing, Communications, Business Development, Editorial
Reference: 
Editorial Director/Publishing Director
Salary description: 
Competitive

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