Senior Fiction Commissioning Editor — Shape Bestsellers

Wildfire Books is a boutique imprint of Headline Publishing Group that launched in 2016. Our aim is to publish forward‑thinking, agenda‑setting fiction and non‑fiction that sparks conversation and spreads like wildfire – books, as we like to say, that have a bit of soul. The results speak for themselves: we’re proud to have had many Sunday Times bestsellers and our books have been nominated for various prestigious awards. Our fiction list comprises everything from must‑read crime and thriller novels to big‑scale historical fiction, imaginative concept‑led narratives and immersive translated fiction from around the globe.

We are looking for an energetic senior commissioning editor to build and manage an exciting and eclectic fiction list and make it their own. Reporting to the editorial director, you will focus on acquiring general commercial fiction for the book club/reading group space, but with a wide remit to acquire distinctive, high‑quality fiction across genres (including but not limited to uplit, horror, historical, romance, women’s fiction, fantasy and crime and thriller) as well as fiction in translation. Supported by our brilliant publishing team, your job will be to find the bestsellers of the future, manage relationships with those authors and help them develop their careers, and project manage each publication with a keen eye on finding the widest possible audience.

We’re looking for someone with commissioning experience as well as a strong sense of their own distinct taste and clear vision of what they’d like to publish. You’ll be full of creative energy, thriving on working with brilliant authors and amazing ideas. A few other qualities will also be important:

• You’ll be brimming with awareness of what the fiction market is looking for.
• You’ll be a confident communicator, able to pitch a book in a way that hooks a reader, but also present yourself as a perfect partner for authors and agents.
• You’ll be energised by building and spearheading innovative publication campaigns – working closely with our sales, marketing and PR teams.
• You’ll love coming up with ideas for new, trend‑led projects.
• You’ll have great relationships with literary agents and scouts.
• You’ll want to work in a close‑knit and supportive team.

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, 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!

This role can be based at our London office, or at any of our regional offices in Sheffield or Edinburgh, 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.