Vacancy for a marketing and publishing assistant

Posted on December 21, 2021

We have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, enthusiastic, creative and professional candidate to join our small team in a marketing-focused capacity. We are committed to diversity and inclusion and positively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, age groups and personal identities.

We are seeking a Marketing and Publishing Assistant with:

• A flair for writing copy that is creative, persuasive and accurate
• Outstanding English language and communication skills, written and verbal, and an eagle eye for detail
• Experience of (or aptitude and willingness to learn) marketing skills for publishing
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills and an ability to prioritise
• Experience of creating and managing social media content and channels in a relevant context, and ideally with social media ads creation and monitoring experience
• A positive attitude and a willingness to undertake a variety of tasks to support colleagues, from sharing post run duties to contributing ideas and opinions in planning and progress meetings
• The ability to liaise in a genuine, friendly, respectful and timely manner with authors, freelancers, partner organisations and people of a wide range of backgrounds and characteristics
• A proven interest in the editorial areas we publish in, and a genuine love of books and reading.

The main responsibilities will include:

• Helping to design and deliver original, compelling marketing and publicity campaigns
• Writing copy for marketing, publicity and promotional materials and creating and posting content (preferably including multimedia) for social media, newsletters, web and blog posts
• Planning, marketing and tech support for occasional online events
• Liaising with authors, freelancers, team members and agents across our current titles
• Liaising with book festivals, libraries and bookshops and sometimes organising live book events
• Researching and contributing keywords and descriptive copy for metadata suitable for UK and US markets

The ideal candidate will have a degree-level education and be proficient in Word and basic Excel, and preferably have some experience of InDesign and Photoshop, in addition to the experience outlined. But for the right candidate(s), training will be provided as needed.

The hours are negotiable, and this position is currently WFH, but to be either hybrid or office-based as pandemic conditions ease, based in our Salford Quays office (with good public transport links and secure cycle storage). It will be a one-year contract with the possibility of extension or becoming permanent, and with excellent training and promotion prospects. Salary will be dependent on experience in publishing or a relevant career path, in line with current industry standards. As a minimum, an entry-level candidate with relevant skills and aptitudes will be offered £19k p.a. and training. This job crosses conventional publishing departments: in line with our long-standing flexible working policy, part-time or jobshares will be considered, as well as people returning to work after parenting gaps or similar, or those changing career paths.

We are members of the Publishers Association, Independent Publishers Guild, Publishing Scotland and the Northern Fiction Alliance.

To apply: please email your CV (no more than two pages of A4) to sara@saraband.net with a covering email (message line to read APPLICATION) outlining why you believe you’re an excellent candidate for this position. In addition, please write 150-200 words about a book you’ve enjoyed recently, preferably a book published within the last two years, in a way that would inspire someone to read it. Lastly, please include your current salary/wage and notice period.

The closing date to apply is 17^th January, 2022. Interviews will be held at the end of January, via Zoom.