Editor, Laurence King Gift (12 month FTC)

Laurence King is one of the world’s leading publishers of books, gifts and games on the creative arts and popular culture. We work with some of the world’s best illustrators, designers, artists and photographers to create beautifully produced products that are acclaimed for their inventiveness, beautiful design and authoritative texts. Our gift department produces a wide range of non-book products as part of the Orion division, from jigsaw puzzles and playing cards to reference card decks, memory games and board games.

At Orion, we believe every story matters. Open, agile, passionate and innovative, our mission is to bring the best publishing to the greatest variety of people. Ambitious to continually raise the bar, we believe good stories can come from anywhere and so encourage and value contributions from everybody here. Orion 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.

Do you love puzzles, games and analogue fun? This is your chance to join a team making some of the most beautiful, innovative and successful gifts and games around! Do you love finding surprising ways to engage your audience? Do you think the best way to learn is by having fun? This is an exciting opportunity to join a small team developing and delivering Laurence King Publishing’s growing gift list of card decks, board games, jigsaw puzzles and more. If you have editorial experience working in illustrated books and are looking for a new challenge, or if you’re coming from a product development or game design background, we’d love to hear from you.

You will be managing gift projects from initial concept stage to finished product, bringing passion and attention to detail to each title and ensuring that they are delivered on time and on budget. You’ll need to work independently to project manage 16–20 titles per year. This role will involve copy‑editing and proofreading; making corrections in InDesign; checking proofs and plotters; managing freelancers; working with in‑house graphic designers and other stakeholders; preparing illustration briefs; checking artworks; attending trade fairs and game testing. You will also be required to update internal systems and create sales materials, writing copy where necessary. It is a flexible role with a strong project management focus, but also a wide scope for creativity in shaping products through their development.

We are looking for a creative and flexible editor or project manager, with a background in either illustrated publishing or gifts, games and product development, to manage a packed and varied publishing programme.

• Key attributes:
• Passionate about gifts and games
• Keen eye for detail
• Proven editorial experience in illustrated publishing
• Excellent organizational and project management skills

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)
• 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
• An active range of staff‑led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing, Women in Tech and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

The role will be based at our London office, with a blend of in‑office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

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. We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, you can let us know at the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application. We’ll make sure you’re supported throughout the process.

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.