Commissioning Editor (Children's & YA)

AGRAWAL GROUP OF PUBLICATIONS; Delhi; On-site; INR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

AGRAWAL GROUP OF PUBLICATIONS in Delhi seeks a Commissioning Editor to identify, acquire, and license children’s and YA titles for the Indian market, with strong rights, commercial, and market sense. You will collaborate with the Managing Director, legal and finance teams, foreign publishers, agents, and internal editorial and production teams to shape a profitable catalogue and ensure compliant deals.

Travel to fairs may be required.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years of experience in trade publishing, with at least 3 years in acquisitions, commissioning, or rights management.
• Proven experience in acquiring or licensing publishing titles and independently negotiating deals.
• Strong understanding of publishing contracts, advances, royalties, territory, contract duration, sub-rights, and reversion clauses.
• Commercial understanding of publishing economics, including pricing, print runs, royalties, and profitability.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Strong project management and stakeholder coordination capabilities.
• Good understanding of the Indian children's and YA publishing market.

Responsibilities

• Scout international children's and YA titles and maintain a pipeline of at least 30 titles under evaluation.
• Build and maintain relationships with international publishers, agents, and rights holders.
• Prepare a Profit & Loss assessment for each acquisition, considering advances, royalties, print runs, and costs.
• Negotiate and close licensing agreements covering territory, languages/formats, contract duration, and rights.
• Work with the legal team on contract reviews and commercial terms.
• Maintain an updated rights database and manage ongoing rights-holder relationships.
• Coordinate with editors, translators, designers, and production teams to ensure licensing compliance.
• Identify opportunities to develop original Indian titles and content.

Skills

Negotiation

Rights management

Publishing know-how

Project management

Stakeholder coordination

Market knowledge

Communication

Job description

Role Overview:

The Commissioning Editor will be responsible for identifying, evaluating, acquiring, and licensing children's and YA titles for the Indian market. The role requires a strong understanding of the publishing industry, international rights, commercial viability, and market trends.

You will work closely with the Managing Director, legal and finance teams, foreign publishers, literary agents, and internal editorial and production teams.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Acquisitions & International Rights

• Scout international children's and YA titles through rights catalogues, literary agents, co-agents, rights platforms, and international book fairs.
• Maintain an active pipeline of at least 30 titles under evaluation.
• Identify titles with strong potential for the Indian market, considering age group, school relevance, cultural adaptability, pricing, and series potential.
• Build and maintain relationships with international publishers, agents, and rights holders.
• Explore licensing opportunities for India and South Asia across different languages and formats.

2. Commercial Evaluation & Deal Negotiation

• Prepare a Profit & Loss (P&L) assessment for every acquisition, covering advances, royalty rates, print runs, MRP, translation and design costs, and break-even estimates.
• Negotiate and close licensing agreements covering:
  • Territory (India/South Asia)
  • Languages and formats (print, e-book, audio)
  • Contract duration and advances
  • Royalty structures and escalators
  • Sub-licensing and reversion rights
  • Delivery timelines
• Work with the legal team on contract reviews and commercial terms.
• Evaluate the commercial viability and revenue potential of proposed acquisitions.

3. Rights & Contract Management

• Maintain an updated rights database covering contract terms, royalty statements, options, and reversion dates.
• Manage ongoing relationships with foreign publishers and literary agents.
• Coordinate rights-holder approvals for covers, translations, adaptations, and other licensed materials.
• Ensure all acquired titles comply with the agreed licensing terms.

4. Original Content Commissioning

• Identify opportunities to develop original Indian children's and YA titles.
• Commission original Indian authors and illustrators based on catalogue requirements.
• Negotiate agreements with authors and illustrators in coordination with the legal team.
• Identify gaps in the publishing catalogue and recommend new series and publishing opportunities.

5. Cross-functional Coordination

• Collaborate with editorial, translation, design, production, marketing, sales, and finance teams.
• Coordinate with designers and production teams to ensure licensed content and artwork comply with contractual requirements.
• Provide marketing and sales teams with acquisition-related information and key selling points.
• Track acquisition timelines and ensure timely execution of licensing agreements.

Specifications:

Must Have:

• 6–10 years of experience in trade publishing, with at least 3 years in acquisitions, commissioning, or rights management.
• Proven experience in acquiring or licensing publishing titles and independently negotiating deals.
• Strong understanding of publishing contracts, advances, royalties, territory, contract duration, sub-rights, and reversion clauses.
• Commercial understanding of publishing economics, including pricing, print runs, royalties, and profitability.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Strong project management and stakeholder coordination capabilities.
• Good understanding of the Indian children's and YA publishing market.

Good to Have:

• Existing relationships with international publishers, literary agents, or co-agents.
• Experience attending Frankfurt, Bologna, or Delhi World Book Fair.
• Experience in acquiring and managing translation rights for Indian languages.
• Understanding of school and educational distribution in India.
• Knowledge of an additional Indian language.

Key Stakeholders:

Managing Director, Legal & Finance, Editorial, Translation, Design, Production, Marketing, Sales, International Publishers, and Literary Agents.

Travel:

Occasional travel to Delhi (World Book Fair) and international book fairs such as Frankfurt and Bologna, subject to budget approval. Also visits might happen to Headquarter in Agra.