Senior Rights Manager

£35000 - £45000 per annum

Fixed term contract

London and regionally based

Who we are and what we do

Recognised as one of the world’s leading publishers of books and gifts on the creative arts, Laurence King is acclaimed for its inventiveness, design and authoritative texts. We work with some of the world’s best illustrators, designers, artists and photographers to produce books and gifts that capture the creative imagination. From the seminal A World History of Art, to Johanna Basford’s Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest and the hugely successful Bird Bingo – our aim is always to create intriguing and uniquely beautiful books and gifts.  Laurence King is an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group, a division of Hachette UK.  Earlier this year Orion won the Publisher of the Year award at the British Book Awards 2021.

At Orion, we believe that every story matters and our mission is to bring the best publishing to the greatest variety of people. You can find out more about our mission statement and values here: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/imprint/orion/page/about-orion/

What you’ll be doing

This is a fixed term parental cover working in the Orion Rights Department with responsibility for the sale of foreign language rights and co-editions in certain key markets for the Laurence King list – trade and gift books. This involves providing feedback and estimates for potential co-edition or rights sales at acquisition stage and presenting Laurence King’s forthcoming publications to international publishers, negotiating and delivering sales. You’ll work closely with the Editorial, Operations and Production teams to ensure that co-edition sales are maximised as well as managing excellent relationships with our much-valued international partners. In addition to co-editions, you will also be responsible for rights sales - files/royalty deals - in certain markets, with a particular emphasis on the extensive backlist. 

Who we are looking for

You will be confident and purposeful with a proven track record of delivering profitable co-edition and rights sales that demonstrate a thorough understanding of the commercial and creative considerations of the foreign language co-edition business and its key players. In addition to experience in illustrated trade book publishing and markets, you will ideally have sound knowledge of the international gift market. A creative, people person, the key skills required are:

• Ability to devise original and winning sales pitches and confidently present titles online and in person.
• Ability to maintain and develop strong relationships with customers.
• Consumer/market focused – a dynamic understanding of the trends and potential in the foreign language markets in order to provide rights feedback and forecasts for acquisitions and newly-commissioned Laurence King titles.
• Excellent negotiation and project management skills - ability to deliver co-edition sales, first print and reprints, on time and on budget.   
• Clear and effective communication between rights customers and Orion’s internal teams (in particular production, operations, editorial, design).
• Knowledge of Biblio would be an advantage.
• Ability to accurately budget and track sales data to ensure that monthly and annual targets are being met.
• Strong organisational skills, solution-focussed and a positive outlook.

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, 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 (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

Closing date: Tuesday 7 December 2021.