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Press Officer

HarperCollins Publishers

Role closes - 11:59pm, 13th Dec 2020 GMT (Europe/London)

Permanent

Avon is a division of HarperCollins, one of the UK’s most prolific, diverse and innovative multi-platform publishers. Specialising in commercial, high-volume fiction, Avon publishes a wide range of titles across crime, women’s fiction, historical and saga, for a predominantly female readership. Selling through both the high street and the supermarkets, Avon is a leader in trend-setting commercial fiction, with million-copy bestsellers such as C.L. Taylor and Scott Mariani to its name.

Avon is looking for a self-starting Press Officer who can demonstrate both energy and drive, and the capability to manage our exciting list, working in conjunction with the division’s Marketing Manager. As Press Officer you will develop and implement integrated, innovative and targeted campaigns, liaising with external contacts as well as Avon’s internal marketing team, creating campaigns which reach all areas of the market and are known for their creativity and innovation. As Press Officer, you will be responsible for delivering campaigns to budget and for constantly reviewing systems and working practices both in-house and externally. The Press Officer will be a key representative for Avon at all times, acting on behalf of the division at industry and author events.

Day-to-day tasks:

  • Create publicity and event plans for all authors on the Avon list, demonstrating how each campaign links with the overall strategy for that particular book, as well as marketing and sales activities.

  • To be a key contact for all Avon authors, supporting their publicity and maintaining regular contact.

  • To develop and implement an author-focused publicity strategy across the Avon list, ensuring visibility for authors in a wide variety of publications and industry events.

  • Generate and foster review and feature coverage across relevant media, ensuring it is communicated to internal and external stakeholders in full and on a regular basis.

  • To link in with the corporate PR and Comms Director and their team, ensuring representation at weekly meetings.

  • To work closely with Avon’s marketing team, feeding in to social media strategies, blogger communications, ‘creative mailings’, and website/blog/newsletter updates.

  • To work on budgets in conjunction with the Marketing Manager and Marketing Director, and initiate in-house reports.

  • Maintain an in-depth knowledge of publishing and the market place, including competitor activity, regularly sharing this with the team.

  • Attendance at events and festivals as Avon’s key publicity contact, and a willingness to work evenings and weekends as required.

  • Writing creative, focused, and targeted press information, including press releases, AIs, blogs, newsletters and communications material in conjunction with the Marketing Manager which ensures Avon books stand out from the crowd

  • Maintain relationships with trade press and oversee acquisition and divisional announcements.

  • Regular communication with both authors and agents, ensuing they feel part of the whole process.

Experience and skills:

  • Experience of working in publicity/PR

  • Proven media relationships and a wide-ranging contact list

  • Be able to demonstrate real business successes

  • A publishing background is desirable but not essential

  • Experience and/or knowledge of working on commercial fiction is desirable but not essential

  • Ability to develop creative and innovative campaigns

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

  • Computer skills: Word, Excel, PowerPoint

  • Experience of design programmes such as Photoshop, InDesign or Canva would be advantageous to the role (not essential).

  • Enjoys a challenge

  • Dynamic team member

  • Flexible – able to work the occasional evenings and weekends as required

  • Passionate about books and commercial fiction

Press Officer

HarperCollins, London
Full-time, Permanent
Publisher
Publicity, Marketing
Reference: 
Press Officer

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