JOB BOARD

Acquisitions Editor (part-time)

James Lorimer & Co

James Lorimer & Company is an independent Canadian publishing house based in downtown Toronto, with an adult list of 10-12 new titles and a children’s/teen list of 20-25 new titles annually. Our adult list with 500 titles in print focuses on Canadian public and social issues. Our most successful titles often have potential for course use in undergraduate social science courses in Canadian universities and colleges.

We are seeking an experienced nonfiction acquisitions editor to take on responsibility for the adult list. The position is part-time, 40-50%, and is ideal for an editor looking to combine a salaried office position with ongoing outside freelance work. Our acquisitions editors develop book ideas, recruit authors, negotiate contracts, and deliver manuscripts on schedule for handover to a production manager for production editing and publication.

We’re looking for someone with:

o Extensive hands-on experience (5+ years) working with a range of authors, from journalists to academics, and helping them write for a general non-specialist audience

o Very good knowledge of Canadian public issues and debate, particularly in economics, politics and sociology, and familiarity with books being published in these areas

o Substantial experience with hands-on structural, line and copy editing, and with hiring and working with freelance editors

o A good understanding of the market today in Canada for nonfiction trade titles

o A track record of coming up with imaginative, exciting and challenging editorial ideas to take to qualified authors and turn into successful books

o High comfort levels and good experience in dealing with all types of digital technologies relevant to book publishing

o A solid academic background in humanities or the social sciences

If you look at the titles we’ve published in 2011-12, you’ll see the kind of books we are looking to acquire in the future. You’ll find many that offer fresh viewpoints, new ideas, and challenges to conventional thinking of academics, politicians and journalists. See for instance Power Trap, Bill Gates, Pay Your Fair Share of Taxes, Fearmonger, Nasty, Brutish and Short, and Campus Confidential. The list includes biography: check out Canadian Fuhrer and Love, Hope, Optimism. We want someone who can continue in this vein, who can acquire more lively, badly-needed books for Canadians to read.

The acquisitions editor works with a team which includes the publisher, the production manager, and marketing staff in our King-Spadina area office. The job involves a regular schedule of time in office, either half-days or two days a week. Our company has a benefit plan for employees.

To be considered for this position, please reply with a detailed resume and a letter relating your experience to the job’s requirements.

Send to jobs@lorimer.ca by December 7.

We will contact candidates who are selected for interviews for the job.

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