Reporting to the Publishing Director, this senior position includes the following responsibilities:

• Research, plan, develop and co-ordinate a profitable list of book and digital publishing projects in the fields of currents affairs, politics, biography/memoir and business.
• Conceptualise and commission commercially viable books for the South African book market with an emphasis on non-fiction.
• Review and assess manuscripts for merit and commercial viability.
• Develop manuscripts in conjunction with the author for greater accessibility, improved structure and logical flow.
• Liaise with authors, building author relationships and networks.
• Negotiate author contracts and manage contract terms, royalties and payments with authors and agents.
• Prepare and control project costing budgets.
• Ensure projects are published on time and to the highest quality standards.
• Commission and brief a team of freelancers on each project.
• Liaise with sales, marketing and publicity colleagues.

Minimum requirements include:

•  A relevant tertiary qualification
• Publishing experience, including commissioning and project management in book publishing.
• A love of reading and a passion for South African stories, with a specific focus on non-fiction.
• Excellent communication and editorial skills in English.
• Sound knowledge of the book market.