Senior Editor, Adult Commercial Fiction Job at Harry N Abrams Inc in New York

About us

Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company continues to publish critically acclaimed and bestselling works in the areas of art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative non-fiction and new works of fiction for adults; children’s books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes brilliantly designed books with the highest production values under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Abrams Image; Abrams Press; The Overlook Press; Cernunnos; Cameron + Company; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Bungie, Alain Ducasse Édition, Èditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press.

Summary:

As we expand our publishing in adult commercial fiction, we are seeking an energetic, creative, self-driven editor to join our team with a focus on licensed fiction, genre fiction, and upmarket women’s lit. Our ideal candidate is tapped into pop culture and #BookTok, is aware of trends, and reads broadly across all genres of adult fiction, with additional interest in YA and crossover lit.

This person thrives in fast-paced environments, is a clear and effective communicator, collaborates well with all types of people, and feels capable of shaping a story both at the development and line levels. This is a position that best suits personalities who genuinely enjoy thinking outside the box, although you will also need to stay organized to succeed. You should consider yourself adept at spotting talent and cultivating longstanding relationships, and you should have strong existing connections with adult literary agents.

Our new senior editor will be responsible for acquiring and editing approx. 10-12 titles per year, written by authors who speak to the commercial readership. These titles will be a mix of agented submissions and manuscripts found through non-traditional methods (ex: licensed or self-published). You should be an aggressive acquirer who is able to generate ideas for the list and anticipate trends. The ideal candidate will have experience in story-building and heavy line editing. You should feel comfortable drafting excellent copy and brainstorming plot solutions. You may also be responsible for the occasional YA novel, if bandwidth allows.

Responsibilities:

• Acquire and edits lead-level titles with bestseller potential
• Maintain a list of ~10 adult novels per year: a mix of entertainment (licensed) fiction; genre fiction (horror, rom-com, fantasy, romantasy, new adult); and upmarket, women’s lit / “book club” fiction
• Act as the spokesperson and coordinator in-house for each project, speaking clearly to the book’s potential audience and merits and keeping an open and constructive line of communication with the author and agent
• Assume responsibility for select young adult franchise titles (included in overall title count of ~10 titles per year)
• Identify holes on the list; generate and pursue ideas for filling them
• Manage and prepare P&Ls, present titles at editorial meetings and pub board, negotiate deal terms, and oversee project budgets.
• Shepherd new titles through the entire editing process: oversee book schedules and collaborate with managing editorial, design, and production teams on formatting, design, and all stages of publication.
• Prepare sales materials including fact sheets, catalogue copy, flap copy, and metadata research; participate in seasonal launch meetings and sales conference
• Work closely with publicity and marketing teams to plan promotional activities and materials for acquired titles
• Stay current in the adult publishing and adult / new adult pop culture spaces to identify trends and potential opportunities for new publications
• Act independently as the primary liaison between licensors, authors, and artists and the publishing team

Qualifications & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum 6-8 years of experience in adult fiction at a trade publisher
• A proven history of acquiring and editing multiple commercially successful projects

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong, established relationships with agents and other industry colleagues
• Demonstrated interest in adult commercial fiction and well-honed market knowledge, including awareness of design trends
• Ability to juggle multiple projects and meet tight deadlines; strong executive functioning skills
• Proficient knowledge of MS Office (specifically: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Health insurance
• Retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• Professional development opportunities

This role is based in New York, NY with a 3-day-per-week in office, hybrid work schedule - open to remote