Head of Communications

 Unbound is a uniquely innovative, award-winning and rapidly growing publishing platform. We bring a community of book lovers together with a diverse range of creative talent from established literary names to bloggers, journalists, YouTube stars, designers and artists. All our titles are crowdfunded by an audience passionate about making them available to the general reader.

Overview

Reporting to John Mitchinson, co-founder and Publisher of Unbound, the successful candidate will be expected to be one of the ‘faces’ of Unbound, championing the Unbound brand, values and place in the publishing universe and beyond. The successful candidate will be expected to develop strategies to find readers as well as attracting and retaining authors. It’s a chance to work with an exciting list of authors that includes Tom Cox, Jackie Morris, Jonathan Meades, Musa Okwonga, Alice Jolly, Patrick McCabe and Kate Lister.

As a publisher which ‘lives’ online and has the big strategic advantage of a direct-to-reader platform, Unbound should be one of the industry leaders in moving away from traditional media towards effective online influencing. The Head of Communications will lead on creating new ideas and opportunities for Unbound authors.

Unbound are a small and passionate team. We are looking for an adaptable, proactive individual who is happy to roll up their sleeves and take a collaborative approach to all tasks undertaken. We are committed to making book publishing a more diverse and representative industry so we would particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority candidates.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Produce communication plans for key titles from acquisition through to funding, publication and beyond, including:

  • TV and radio interviews

  • Reviews in newspapers and magazines

  • Features in newspapers and magazines

  • Appearances at literary festivals

  • Bookshop events and tours

  • Book-oriented blogs, podcasts, webinars, and other online events

• Directly manage the implementation of the external communication plan for the key titles.
• Co-ordinate other departments to deliver the agreed communication plans
• Set the standards of author care throughout the business
• Lead on all external communications for non-book related events
• Line management of 1 employee (Publicity Executive)

Key Skills Required

• Minimum 5 years publishing experience with at least 2 years in a senior management role
• Highly articulate, both verbally and in writing
• Sociable, friendly and charismatic – good with people
• Widely read and able to talk with authority about books and issues related to publishing
• An online influencer with a good network of peers and other influencers
• Proactive in terms of developing creative ideas for how to position and communicate the particular qualities of a book
• An active and positive online presence, conspicuous in support of Unbound books and authors
• A confident and effective public speaker
• Strong team player who motivates other to achieve common goals

Salary: from £45k per annum.

To apply send an email including your CV to jobs@unbound.co.uk entitled ‘Head of Communications’.

Closing Date: 30th April 2021