Editor, Random House Graphic

Job Description

Random House Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, seeks an Editor to join our team. Reporting to and working closely with the Editorial Director, the Editor will be immersed in a creative and hands-on department, while expanding our exciting list of graphic novels for children.

Random House Graphic is a quickly growing children's graphic novel imprint committed to creating graphic novels that kids love and can see themselves in. Our list includes bestselling graphic novel adaptations of beloved middle grade and chapter books series like Sweet Valley Twins and Magic Tree House, popular and award-winning original series like Hilo, Katie the Catsitter and Pizza and Taco, as well as critically acclaimed standalones like The Magic Fish and The Moth Keeper.

As the newest Editor, you will focus on growing our commercial, kid-facing graphic novel series for a variety of age levels, from early readers through YA. The ideal candidate is a team player and has experience editing and acquiring graphic novels, is excited to take lead on legacy and inherited titles, is creative and collaborative, well organized, and is eager to work on children's graphic novels. They should have excellent editorial and communications skills, strong author-care instincts, proven working relationships with agents, a solid knowledge of the market, and very strong, demonstrated writing ability. If you are an energetic self-starter who loves kids' books and graphic novels and are eager to be part of a creative and collaborative team, come join us-let's make books together!

The Role:
• Develop and edit approximately 10 graphic novels a year (a mix of new acquisitions, existing series, and adaptations of house brands), working closely with the editorial director to identify projects with commercial potential
• Develop and nurture strong relationships with creators, agents and industry contacts.
• Negotiate acquisitions with agents
• Responsible (with support from the editorial director) for all editorial aspects of book development, including manuscript development and editing; and strategic copywriting including cover, metadata, and other marketing copy
• Collaborate with the art department, reviewing all stages of artwork, selecting artists, sharing art with author as appropriate, and working with art to create the strongest possible packaging.
• Establish and maintain publishing schedules and meet deadlines
• Participate in editorial and production meetings
• Present titles at internal meetings and elsewhere as required
• Keep up with the children's book and graphic novel markets in order to keep current with marketplace demands

The Essentials:
• Minimum of 3-5 years of publishing experience in editorial acquisitions for a kids trade or comic publisher, with a demonstrated interest in graphic novels and a detailed eye on children's book and graphic novel trends.
• The ability to think creatively and strategically about the market and to work collaboratively as part of a team
• Excellent editorial skills and the ability to communicate effectively with creators and agents, as well as inhouse
• Strong organization skills, including attention to detail and follow up
• Ability to meet deadlines and create and maintain publishing schedules, as well as to prioritize and multi-task across several projects simultaneously
• Excellent, demonstrated writing and copywriting skills, including the ability to write engaging, strategic copy for covers, metadata, etc.
• Confident presentation skills, both virtually and in-person
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office across the usual suspects, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Teams – Comfort and know-how in a virtual environment is essential with remote working
• Though experience in children's graphic novels is a plus, we would also value a strong history in trade, and are looking for a self-starter who is eager to work on graphic novels and can tell us how their experience translates into the graphic novel market
• A strong, demonstrated track editing children's graphic novels, is a plus
• Ability to speak Spanish is a plus, but not required

The salary for this position is $70,000. All positions are currently eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to company results.

Penguin Random House job postings include a good faith compensation range for each open position. The salary range listed is specific to each particular open position and takes into account various factors including the specifics of the individual role, and candidate's relevant experience and qualifications.

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-g6j3kj-18-116-27-229-42 in your application.