Associate Acquisitions Editor - HPERD
Description: (View Short Job Description)
JOB SUMMARY
The Associate Acquisitions Editor is responsible for providing support to the HPERD Division Director and to begin independently acquiring suites of products that are appropriate for the editorial mission of the division. The focus will be on keeping new editions of successful textbooks on schedule. S/he will also, as directed, conceptualize new books, review unsolicited manuscripts, and identify, recruit, and contract experts to write books or develop electronic products in the specified subject areas of responsibility. The Associate Acquisitions Editor will help guide selected contracted projects through a review process, work with authors to help develop and organize projects, review submitted manuscripts, transmit projects to the Editorial department, and oversee projects through their editorial and production development, and examine sales of the product at least once a year.
DUTIES
- Contribute to the editorial direction of the HPERD Division
- Research and prepare reports that will assist the division director in developing and updating the strategic plan and recommending areas in which to broaden the editorial scope or market base for the Division.
- Undertake specific and special projects as directed by the Division Director.
- Prepare and submit a monthly report to the Division Director.
- Research potential projects and their markets and assist the division director in identifying and recruiting authors who can provide content that will sell successfully.
- Maintain a high awareness of trends in the specific areas of interest assigned, including preparing and maintaining interest area analysis reports for each interest area that is assigned. [This might be a good place to specify what subject areas the Assoc AcqEd would be responsible for.]
- Keep abreast of competing publications and other informational products.
- Under the direction of the Division Director, assist in the preparation of internal proposals for new projects.
- Review unsolicited manuscripts as assigned by the Division Director and provide the Division Director a recommendation as to which are worthy of follow-up.
- Prepare responses to authors regarding their manuscripts.
- Provide recommendations to the Division Director in accordance with the Division's strategic plan as to potential authors to pursue by attending select conferences and by reading books and monitoring relevant publications.
- Counsel authors in their preparation of acquisition materials.
- Screen and recruit authors more independently as performance and priorities dictate, including soliciting authors to prepare manuscripts on specified topics.
- Prepare projects for review/approval and, if applicable, contracting.
- Obtain external or internal reviews for projects prior to the Acquisition Committee meeting.
- Take an inventory of the project's strengths and weaknesses and prepare an analysis of the project.
- Consult and communicate effectively with internal staff to gather and share information that will lead to an effective acquisition analysis.
- Discuss general contract terms with authors before the Acuisition Committee meeting to ensure the author understands his or her responsibilities and the various products proposed for the content suite, and that that author will work within the company’s range.
- Present the project to the Division Director and revise according to feedback.
- Prepare acquisition materials accurately and completely, including identifying delivery formats, estimating sales projections accurately, and estimating development and packaging costs accurately.
- Present projects to the Acquisitions Committee as experience and performance permits.
- When projects are approved, present the terms approved to the author and negotiate contracts with guidance from the division director.
- Prepare contract terms clearly so the division administrative assistant can efficiently put them into the contract template.
- Develop Division projects
- Review the manuscript.
- Obtain external reviews for projects prior to or concurrent with transmitting the project to the Editorial Department.
- Approve manuscripts before transmitting them to the Editorial Department.
- Prepare and obtain Division Director’s approval of an Editorial Transmittal Forms to provide specific instructions to the Developmental Editor about the content changes to be made and the physical specifications of the products in the content suite.
- Work with the Developmental or Managing Editor throughout the editorial process to make ongoing judgments to shape the product.
- Oversee schedules and budget under the guidance of the Division Director.
- Set the budget for the Division’s products in accordance with the Acquisitions Committee and Division Director's input.
- Set the schedule for specific projects in accordance with the plans for the Division and the projected editorial schedule. This includes planning out schedules prior to contracting the projects, in order to set optimal schedules for given products.
- . Monitor the budget and schedule throughout its development and respond to questions by Editorial and Production relative to these two areas.
- Contribute to the packaging and marketing of products. Consult the Division Director with cover, title, and sub-title suggestions prior to the pre-ITMP cover meeting.
- Prepare ITMP meeting materials, including the preliminary copy package for each project acquired.
- Review and provide feedback on sample pages.
- Attend cover meetings.
- Initiate and plan revisions of successful books and electronic products.
- Monitor the sales of products that have been published in the content areas assigned by the Division Director.
- Research the target market and competing products of successful HPERD products so that good recommendations are made about which books are revised, and also what new product types or approaches are included in the revision plan (e.g., e-books, ancillaries, multimedia, etc.)
- Propose revisions to the Division Director, consult authors of such products, and prepare them for Acquisitions Committee review as appropriate.
- Represent the company.
- Be an ambassador for HK as a representative at conferences, exhibits, and meetings.
- Be cordial and responsive in telephone, written, and face-to-face contacts.
- Represent the division in the absence of the Division Director when asked to do so.
The Associate Acquisitions Editor has no direct supervision responsibilities, but does oversee schedules, budgets, and quality of work of editorial, production, and marketing staff for products to be published that were contracted by or assigned to the Associate Acquisitions Editor. This oversight shall be done in consultation with the Division Director, and will increase as s/he gains experience in the position.
The Associate Acquisitions Editor must have excellent written and oral communication skills. S/he must be able to give and receive directions. S/he must be skillful in negotiations and have a network of contacts in the physical activity field
The Associate Acquisitions Editor requires a comprehensive knowledge of the product development field with strong analytical skills to evaluate potential projects for publication. The Associate Acquisitions Editor must also have an excellent working knowledge of the health, physical education, recreation, and dance fields and the motivation to learn more. In addition, the Associate Acquisitions Editor must have excellent knowledge of the markets for each product considered for publication. The Associate Acquisitions Editor must be able to manage multiple tasks, identify new products and electronic information delivery systems, review unsolicited products and electronic information products, and review and shape other products in Editorial and Production. The Associate Acquisitions Editor must be able to conceptualize new publications, and then help package them for maximum use and clarity.
The Associate Acquisitions Editor must be able to operate a computer keyboard and telephone and be able to travel to represent the company. S/he must be able to set up/tear down a trade booth, lift boxes of books occasionally weighing about 20 to 30 pounds (on average) and stand for long periods of time while operating a trade booth.
A typical office environment in a temperature-controlled workspace. Periodic travel to conferences, exhibits, and meetings is required.
REQUIREMENTS
Degree required that is related either to the publishing profession or to the health, physical education, recreation, or dance professions.
Evidence of writing and/or editorial work which demonstrate the ability to organize and present information effectively.
Experience in reviewing publications in the health, physical education, recreation, and dance fields.
Breadth of knowledge of the publication development field, including print, digital, video, and software production.
Knowledge of and a strong interest in the health, physical education, recreation, and dance fields.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Excellent analytical skills.
This position will have access to customer credit card data and must comply with all policies and procedures designed to keep that data from being compromised.
This position will have access to customer credit card data and must comply with all policies and procedures designed to keep that data from being compromised.
