PR Director (12 month FTC)

Who we are and what we do

With over 150 years of ground-breaking publishing from book lovers, original thinkers and market leaders, our unwavering mission has been to publish the most compelling voices in every genre. We continue to find new ground, new audiences and new voices with every title we publish. We are passionate readers and believe in the power of words to change lives.

Hodder & Stoughton is a division of Hachette, one of the largest publishing groups in the UK, with 11 publishing divisions and over 60 imprints. Everyone here is proud to be in the business of opening doors and minds.

What you\’ll be doing

The successful candidate will work on a broad range of commercial brand fiction, non-fiction, lifestyle and literary publicity campaigns, reporting to the Deputy Comms Director, as part of a brilliant, collaborative team. This role will also incorporate imprint strategy, comms and longer-term author brand plans.

Tasks expected of this role:

• Create, implement and measure innovative publicity campaigns to grow sales, raise author/book profile and brand awareness
• Analyse the impact of publicity on sales working with sales, marketing and editorial
• Work on new business pitches when required
• Develop and maintain relationships with all areas of the media to secure positive coverage for new titles
• Maximise opportunities for author/contributor events and attend events as required, including on evenings and weekends as reasonably required for the role
• Deliver high quality of author/contributor care at all times
• Liaise closely with editorial, sales and marketing to ensure fully integrated campaigns
• Deliver presentations of publicity plans at internal meetings
• Pitch books and authors to media contacts and event organisers
• Budget management for own campaigns, including freelance resource where relevant
• Communication of all publicity activity to authors, agents and contributors
• Maintain records and databases
• Keep up-to-date with developments in the industry, share experiences and ideas for improvements
• Collaborating with other publicists on campaigns, brands and cross-company events
• Understand digital media, community and influencer outreach
• Appreciation of audio promotion and reaching readers in this space
• Help attract, manage and develop talented team members
• Deliver imprint, brand and backlist work, as well as book by book campaigns

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate will:

• Have a proven track record of delivering impactful publicity campaigns and exceptional author care
• Enjoy working on a broad range of titles, including commercial brand fiction, non-fiction, lifestyle and some literary titles
• Report to an experienced Deputy Comms Director, as part of a brilliant, collaborative team
• Be a proactive self-starter, used to managing own workload according to budgets and campaign categories
• Extensive experience in publicity, ideally within publishing and in specific publishing areas
• Used to working in a fast-paced, dynamic work place
• Have a flexible attitude and enjoying collaborating with other team members and departments
• Have great media, event and online relationships
• Be adaptable and personable with authors and agents
• Be commercially astute and care about reaching readers
• Have excellent verbal, written communication and pitching skills
• Be a team player
• Have people management experience

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years\’ service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years\’ (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, includingGender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

This role can be based at our London or Sheffield office, 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

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