Skip to main content

Editorial Director, Commercial Fiction - Viking

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, creative Editorial Director to shape the future of a dynamic commercial fiction imprint as part of the growing Viking team.

We’re looking for someone with a track record of commissioning, editing and publishing high-quality bestsellers, who will contribute to the continued success of Viking Fiction and create new opportunities for growth. Reporting to the Publisher for Commercial Fiction, this role will build and develop both new and established industry contacts and seek out new publishing opportunities.

The launch of the commercial fiction list at Viking made a dramatic impact on the industry. Within three years of its first acquisitions, the team had celebrated trailblazing digital successes, instant Sunday Times bestsellers and two prize-winners. Over the next three years, the list’s reputation as a dynamic home for debut authors was cemented with the launch of the multi-million bestselling, record-breaking series by Richard Osman. The Viking fiction list includes Tana French, Beth Underdown, Jane Corry, Cara Hunter, Josie Silver, Emily Henry, Hanna Jameson, Lizzy Dent and Simon Lelic.
 

We are looking for someone with proven knowledge of all kinds of commercial fiction and with demonstrable experience in publishing crime and thriller, historical fiction and commercial/literary crossover. You will have experience of articulating a clear, convincing vision for your books, giving authors excellent care and working as a team player with a wide range of colleagues to publish books that reach a broad and diverse audience. You will be self-motivated, reliable and unflappable, with excellent knowledge of markets, audiences and retailers, and be able to develop excellent relationships both internally and across the industry. You will be able to make things happen, and with flair.

This is the perfect role for someone looking to take the next step in their publishing career, balancing your acquiring prowess with leading strategic direction. If this sounds like you, please apply with your CV and covering letter along with a short pitch with your initial thoughts on how you would develop the commercial fiction list OR a short pitch about which three authors you think would be the perfect addition to the list and why (500-1,000 words max), no later than 11:59pm on Thursday 7th July.

What you can expect from us:

Salary: £45,000 - £55,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits

Our employees are the heart of our business. We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our employees, some of which are:

•   27 days paid holiday entitlement in year one (plus bank holidays), increasing a day each year up to 30 days
•    Medical cover
•    Life assurance
•    Cycle to Work scheme
•    Discounted gym membership
•    Generous pension scheme
•    Summer working hours (role dependent) 
•    Volunteering policy and charity matching
•    Employee Assistance programme
•    Mentoring programme
•    Extended gender neutral parental leave
•    Access to books and eBooks across Penguin Random House UK
•    Each site has trained mental health first aiders 
•    We plant a tree for every new employee to our business

Our creativity is inspired by different perspectives, so we want our culture to be one of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and where differences are celebrated.

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we’re part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview. We want to make sure disabled applicants can be their best at each step of the recruitment journey. If you need adjustments during the application process, we encourage you to get in touch with us at http://PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your adjustment request. Find out more about our approach here: www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/applying-for-roles-with-a-disability

We partner with The Book Trade Charity, who provide financial assistance for people looking to get into the publishing industry; you can find more information and talk directly here: http://booktradeentrysupport.org/

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Editorial Director, Commercial Fiction - Viking

Full-time, Permanent
Publisher
Administration, Commissioning Editor, Editor, Publishing, Communications, Business Development, Editorial
Reference: 
Editorial Director, Commercial Fiction - Viking
Salary description: 
£45,000 - £55,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits

Share this job now

We are looking for someone with proven knowledge of all kinds of commercial fiction and with demonstrable experience in publishing crime and thriller, historical fiction and commercial/literary crossover.