Department: NU Press Administration
Salary/Grade: NEX/9
Job Summary:
This job exists as a fourteen-month, full-time, entry-level position in order to immerse the fellow in the acquisitions department of a leading scholarly press, working closely with senior acquisitions editors, authors, and projects through the entire acquisitions process. Through this apprenticeship, the fellow will acquire deep and specialized knowledge of how editors identify emerging areas of scholarship, work with authors to develop manuscripts, manage the process of peer review and revision, present projects for approval, and represent them through each stage of publication. Fellows will also work with other press departments including marketing, design, manuscript editorial, and production on behalf of specific book projects, and may take on additional projects to gain a deeper understanding of these other publishing areas.
Fellows will attend the Association of University Presses annual conference at the beginning and end of their program, where they will have the opportunity to participate in workshops, meet with the other fellows in their cohort, and network with staff from university presses across North America. Fellows will be able to take advantage of all of the professional development opportunities for junior staff at the participating presses, including a series of monthly workshops designed specifically for this program.
This position will be on-site on the Evanston campus for a minimum of 20% of time (one day a week) immediately upon hire, with the expectation that the individual will work on-site 100% as in person staffing levels on campus resume. This will continually be evaluated and terms may change based on business needs and/or as conditions related to the pandemic evolve.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Screening manuscript proposals, both solicited and over the transom
- Researching competing books, potential course adoptions, areas of growth in emerging fields
- Researching potential expert peer reviewers; contacting peer reviewers and tracking reviews
- Writing book descriptions; preparing materials for internal editorial approval, assisting with contract requests, production cost estimates, and financial projections for projects (P&Ls)
- Guiding authors on manuscript formatting, art preparation, and permissions
- Preparing materials for transmittal meetings including data entry in Title Management database
- Representing their press and interacting with book buyers and authors at academic conferences and attendance at AUP annual meetings
- Attending in-house acquisitions, pitch, faculty editorial board, transmittal, and seasonal planning/launch meetings for marketing and publicity.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:
- B.A. or B.S.
Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)
- Commitment to using an understanding of the diversity of human experiences in developing, recruiting, and marketing manuscripts and books.
Preferred Qualifications:
- M.A., M.S., or Ph.D.
- Evidence of superior academic achievement, either in fields relevant to diversity or in fields that correlate to the major lists of the participating presses.
Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)
- Commitment to pursuing a career in academic publishing.
- Sustained personal engagement with low income communities and/or communities within the US that are underrepresented in publishing and a demonstrated ability to bring the understandings gleaned from such engagement to the daily work of academic publishing.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the United States.
Please apply at careers.northwestern.edu, job ID 40268