Associate Editor, Random House Children's Books

Job Description

Penguin Random House, the leading Publishing house globally, is on a mission to ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone. Random House Children's Books is a growing business and we're excited to add to our new Brand team!

As the newest Associate Editor, you'll work on growing brands and book series for young children. Joining a collaborative and creative editorial team focused primarily on the development of existing Random House brands, you'll work closely with the Editorial Director and another Editor. Among a variety of projects, you'll acquire and edit books for ages 0-9, including chapter books (Stepping Stones) and readers (Step Into Reading), with potential for board, picture books, and young graphic novels as well.

We are looking for someone who is excited to focus on illustrated formats, stay on market trends, and innovate and distinguish the Random House Brand list with creative ideas and thoughtful bookmaking. Existing brands you may be working on include: Step Into Reading, Stepping Stones, Magic Tree House, Richard Scarry, Uni the Unicorn, and others. We are passionate about creating books that kids adore and see themselves in! If you love children's books and are an energetic self-starter who is eager to be part of a commercially minded and collaborative team, come join us in making books that turn kids into readers.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Edit with guidance approximately 10-15 new books per year, some of which you'll identify through new and creative avenues
• Responsible for all editorial aspects of book development, including manuscript development and editing; liaising with art directors to provide illustration; copywriting including cover, metadata, and other marketing copy as required
• Generate book ideas for preschool and early elementary ages through market analysis and identifying gaps in the market
• Maintain publishing/production schedules and meet deadlines while collaborating with multiple teams
• Participate in brainstorms and editorial meetings
• Present titles at sales meetings and across the division
• Keep abreast of the publishing field at large and children's media / interests in order to keep us up-to-date on the marketplace's demands (read trade publications and competitors' books; visit bookstores; watch children's media; etc.)

We'd love to see that you have:
• 2+ years children's books editorial experience, with a preference for (though not essential) experience working in education, licensing or book brands
• Excellent writing and copywriting skills
• Ability to think creatively and come up with ideas for expanding children's book characters and worlds
• Strong interpersonal skills, in order to collaborate with authors and illustrators, as well as colleagues within Editorial, Design, Sales and Marketing
• Strong attention to detail while working to multiple deadlines as you're going to be integral to keeping books on track!
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office across the usual suspects, Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as Teams – we're comfortable in the virtual environment and would love you to be as well
• Spanish language fluency a plus, though not a necessity, as there is opportunity to work on books in Spanish

As the newest member of the editorial team, not only will you have an opportunity to join a globally recognized business, you'll also be working within a successful and fun-loving team that's going from strength to strength and where you'll have a lot of autonomy to make great books! To be considered, apply now, submitting a cover letter and resume, and showcase your skills!

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-g384p5-3-133-159-224-42 in your application.