Rights Manager (12-month-FTC)

Penguin Random House; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits package

Job summary

Publishers Association Limited is seeking a Rights Manager to lead translation rights across multiple divisions for a 12-month FTC to cover parental leave. The role requires proactive strategy, strong negotiation, and excellent relationship-building with international publishers.

You will work with teams across translation, sales, and rights on ambitious plans to grow title sales, including backlist, in key markets and attend relevant industry events. Hybrid working with office presence required.

Qualifications

• Experienced rights seller with proven translation rights experience.
• Track record of commercial success negotiating rights sales and maximizing revenue.
• Confident representing a large and varied list at bookfairs, author events and sales trips.
• Ability to handle competing demands and prioritise effectively.
• Excellent demonstrable communication and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Sell translation rights in Portugal, Brazil, South Korea, Japan.
• Negotiate rights sales through auctions, options, representing titles and managing deal administration.
• Provide dynamic representation of PRH titles at client meetings, media events, bookfairs and sales trips.
• Report to the Head of Translation on acquisition and exploitation of translation rights, including targets and strategies.
• Develop, research and share market expertise in translation markets, identifying trends.
• Build relationships with international publishers and agents.
• Deputise for a team divisional rights specialist (DRS) with Penguin General; support editorial teams.
• Work on group projects and processes.

Skills

Rights selling

Negotiation

Relationship building

Communication

Team collaboration

Job description

Job Description

Are you a Senior Rights Executive looking for your next step, or a Rights Manager ready for a new challenge? We are hiring for a Rights Manager to work with our Cornerstone, Ebury, Penguin General and Penguin Press divisions, on a 12-month FTC to cover a team member’s parental leave. If you bring proven experience working in Rights, then this role could be for you.

About the team

Penguin Random House UK Group Rights represents international and domestic rights across the company’s eight divisions. For Adult Rights, one team represents Ebury, Cornerstone, Penguin General and Penguin Press; another represents Transworld, Michael Joseph and Vintage; and another represents illustrated titles across the seven adult publishing divisions. A separate team represents the Penguin Random House UK Children’s division, which includes Ladybird, Puffin and Penguin imprints. Our film, TV and media team works across all divisions. The Penguin Random House rights teams help our books and brands go global

The role

You’ll have the chance to work across a wide range of fiction and non-fiction both literary and commercial, selling both translation and taking responsibility for certain international markets. We’re looking for someone who is excited to engage with team strategy for ambitious, innovative, and creative ways of increasing title sales including backlist. You’ll be part of a collaborative and growth-driven team, and report to the Head of Translation.

Key responsibilities:

• Effectively and ambitiously sell translation rights in Portugal, Brazil, South Korea, Japan

• Skilfully negotiate translation rights sales, achieving strong deals, through: conducting auctions, granting options, representing titles through personal contact, negotiating terms, concluding sales and managing administrative tasks, including deal administration and database uploading.

• Provide dynamic representation of PRH titles at client meetings, media events, bookfairs, author events and sales trips, as required.

• Report to the Head of Translation on all matters relating to the acquisition and exploitation of translation rights, including setting ambitious financial targets and presenting strategies for growing allocated markets to achieve budget.

• Develop, research and share market expertise in translation markets, identifying trends, bringing publishing ideas back into the business.

• Build excellent relationships with a wide range of international publishers, tracking the market to capture changes/new players and pro-actively extending customer base.

• Establish strong relationships with literary scouts and co agents.

• Work with senior rights sales team to help nurture and develop junior rights team members, in order that they present high quality, highly productive work.
• Deputise for a team divisional rights specialist (DRS) working closely with Penguin General. This includes establishing excellent relationships with this divisional editorial team, reading widely and responding quickly with honest, solution-focussed feedback on potential acquisitions and around submissions, sales trips and bookfairs.
• Work on group projects and processes

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who knows how to develop and maintain relationships with our international publishers, who will bring market curiosity and achieve successful sales in their markets, always looking for new opportunities. You’ll be a confident communicator, whether that’s negotiations, pitching and presenting, or working collaboratively with internal teams. The successful candidate will be a team player who is curious, entrepreneurial and collaborative – a persuasive and ambitious ambassador for our books who will thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Essential criteria:

• Experienced rights seller with proven experience in translation rights.

• A track record of commercial success in skilfully negotiating rights sales and maximising revenue in your markets.

• Confident and proactive in representing a large and varied list of both fiction and non-fiction titles at bookfairs, author events and on sales trips.

• Ability to handle competing demands and prioritise effectively.

• Excellent demonstrable communication and relationship building skills.

Salary

£36,000 – £40,000dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from our Embassy Gardens office at least3 days a week.

AI

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing [e-mail]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

Additional Information

Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here.

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address.

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here.

Benefits

• Income Protection

• Health assessment

• Gym flex

• Life event leave

• Dental insurance

• Cycle scheme