Rights Manager (14-month FTC)

Bertelsmann; London; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

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 Vintage, Michael Joseph and Transworld divisions, on a 14-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 Rights

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 translation rights 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 designated territories.
• 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 media outlets, and publishers for international markets, tracking the market to capture changes/new players and pro-actively extending customer base.
• Establish strong relationships with literary scouts and sub 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 one of our divisions. 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.

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.

Application instructions:

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Tuesday 6th May.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.

Salary:

£33,800 - £38,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us:

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

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 the office 3 days a week.

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.

The recruitment process:

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 to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company:The Random House Group Limited

Country:United Kingdom

State/Region:London

City:London

Postal Code:SW11 7BW

Job ID:278959