Editorial Assistant, Basic Books Group

Hachette Book Group•New York, NY

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Basic Books Group, a division of Hachette Book Group, is dedicated to publishing serious nonfiction works by expert authors to make the world smarter. The group comprises Basic Books, Seal Press, PublicAffairs, Bold Type Books, Basic Venture, and Basic Liberty. They are seeking an Editorial Assistant to provide support to the Publisher and other members of the editorial department. This is an entry-level position within the editorial department, offering opportunities for learning and professional growth.

Requirements

Have excellent written and verbal communication skills in addition to solid computer skills.
Deliver timely, accurate work and demonstrate good follow-up and follow-through.
Have demonstrated ability to work effectively within a team setting and with colleagues at every level of seniority.
Be passionate about nonfiction books and curious and open-minded about a range of nonfiction subject areas and serious ideas.
Be self-directed and able to work independently.
Be highly organized, capable of multi-tasking, and detail oriented.
Be passionate about the creative process and sharing ideas.
Demonstrate imagination, creativity, and original thinking.
Have a bachelor’s degree.
Be proficient with email, calendar management, and file management tools, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Demonstrate understanding of and appreciation for the ideas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities

Interact professionally with authors and literary agents, as well as internal departments within Basic Books Group and HBG, including design, publicity, marketing, production, and sales.
Prepare materials for and traffic editorial projects through all stages of the editorial process from acquisition through finished book and beyond.
Enter title data into proprietary database systems and maintain data throughout publishing process.
Draft and circulate contract forms.
Draft descriptive copy and fact sheets that will be used to explain books to the sales and marketing departments.
Attend and prepare materials for editorial meetings, as well as marketing and sales meetings as required.
Review book proposals from literary agents.
Research book sales using internal and external databases.
Participate in brainstorming meetings and share ideas for books.
Assist in ongoing departmental projects, such as book prize submissions, maintenance of rights lists, updates and metadata optimization for backlist books, etc.
Perform other administrative duties, including scheduling, photocopying, handling mail, filing, directing/responding to inquiries, ordering office supplies, maintaining book archives, miscellaneous research projects, etc.