DESK EDITOR – BLOOMSBURY CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The opportunity

The busy editorial team at Bloomsbury Children’s Books needs a meticulous, highly organised, eagle-eyed desk editor who shares our commitment to publishing the very best books for children. Working on the fiction list across the age ranges, you will support our managing editor and special projects editor on the copy-editing, proofreading and checking of books of all shapes and sizes, from colour illustrated extravaganzas to verse novels, early readers to YA tomes, and big box sets to eBook files. You will need excellent copy-editing skills, an organised brain and a genuine passion for children’s books.

The role:

• Working closely with the managing editor and the special projects editor to ensure efficient progress of titles through to final files
• Desk editing frontlist titles:
  • Copy-editing, proofreading and anglicising selected texts in-house to the highest standard
  • Briefing titles to production
  • Liaising with commissioning editors, freelancers and authors, and collating comments and corrections
  • Checking illustrations against text and illustration positioning
  • Checking layouts, proofs, revises, plotters and digital files
  • Meticulously checking cover layouts and cover proofs, and ensuring that they are correct, contain up-to-date information and follow house style
  • Ensuring that files go to production on schedule and within budget
• Maintaining schedules in Biblio and ensuring that critical-path dates are achieved
• Attending progress meetings to ensure that all colleagues are properly informed of project status
• Taking selected titles through the reprint process, including taking in amends and ensuring that imprint information is up to date
• Providing editorial input on various marketing/publicity/rights materials to ensure that they meet Bloomsbury’s editorial standards:
  • Copy-editing, checking and correcting AIs, activity packs and other promotional materials
  • Copy-editing and checking catalogues, rights guides and press releases
  • Monitoring circulation of marketing materials
• Completing administrative tasks such as freelance-costs records and invoice coding

 Skills, knowledge, experience:

• Two years’ minimum experience in an editorial role, preferably in children’s or educational publishing
• Excellent copy-editing, proofreading and anglicising skills
• Organised, methodical and able to work well under pressure, anticipating and solving problems and managing multiple projects on own initiative and with strict deadlines
• Meticulous attention to detail – in text, design and illustrations
• Understands both colour and mono production processes, including experience of working on highly integrated titles, and with excellent understanding of typesetting and typography
• Good interpersonal skills – able to maintain excellent communication with key teams in-house (editorial, design, production, marketing) and externally (authors, freelancers)
• Knowledge of the Harry Potter books an advantage
• Some experience of working in Biblio an advantage

This role is based at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London W1B 3DP.

To apply, please email your CV and covering letter to workwithus@bloomsbury.com. The covering letter should include evidence of how you meet the requirements outlined in the ‘skills, knowledge and experience’ above and your salary expectations.

Please note in the subject line of your email: Desk Editor, Children’s Books BS1308

The closing date for this role is 13.08.2018.