Associate Editor - Romance

Sourcebooks; Naperville (IL); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & Prescription

Dental

Vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid Time Off

Flexible Spending Account

Health Savings Account

Job summary

Sourcebooks is seeking an Associate Editor to acquire, edit, and manage a romance list, working closely with authors and agents to shape books from submission to publication. This role is exempt and salary-based, with a strong emphasis on market insight and collaboration across departments.

The position offers a hybrid or remote setup and a competitive starting salary with comprehensive benefits. You’ll engage with a dynamic imprint to deliver commercially successful romance titles.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of publishing experience, with significant romance editorial work.
• Be a self-starter with initiative and curiosity about book development.
• Ability to collaborate well with a team and external partners.
• Juggle multiple projects with clear communication and deadlines.
• Comfort speaking to groups and building cross-team relationships.
• Positive, collaborative spirit; a can-do mentality.
• Strong editorial judgment and commercial instincts for romance.
• Voracious romance reader with familiarity of authors and trends.

Responsibilities

• Build and develop a romance list by identifying manuscripts and opportunities.
• Monitor market trends to identify acquisition and positioning opportunities.
• Present acquisitions at meetings; recruit authors and evaluate proposals.
• Develop manuscripts for content, structure, and market positioning; assist editors.
• Maintain relationships with authors and agents across projects.
• Collaborate with marketing, publicity, sales, and design for audience fit.
• Maintain editorial schedules and act as primary contact for stakeholders.
• Support senior editors with acquisitions materials, list management, and editing tasks.

Skills

Romance publishing

Editorial judgment

Relationship building

Communication

Organizational skills

Public speaking

Team collaboration

Entrepreneurial mindset

Job description

Sourcebooks is revolutionizing romance publishing—and we’re looking for an Associate Editor to help us take our authors and their stories to the next level.

As one of the fastest-growing publishers in the industry, Sourcebooks has built a market-leading, author-first approach that delivers unforgettable stories to devoted readers. If you are a passionate, hands-on editor with experience in shaping commercially successful fiction—and you love romance—this is an incredible opportunity to work closely with bestselling and breakout authors to craft books that readers can’t put down.

In this role you will acquire, edit, and manage your own list of adult romance authors while providing essential editorial and publishing support to senior staff. This is a hands-on role for a self-sufficient, commercially minded editor who is ready to build a list, champion authors, and help shape the future of a dynamic imprint. The ideal candidate has a deep, current understanding of the romance market as well as a strong sense of what readers are excited to discover next. You’ll evaluate submissions, develop projects from acquisition through publication, collaborate across departments, and build lasting relationships with authors and agents. You’ll also support senior editors with precision, initiative, and good judgment, helping keep a fast-moving list on track. If you’re a deeply engaged, perceptive romance reader, an entrepreneurial editor, and someone eager to make a meaningful mark on the genre, we’d love to hear from you.

This is an exempt, salary position with a salary range of $55,000 - $65,000. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.

The location for this position can be hybrid or remote in New York or Naperville, Illinois or remote based in any of the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. This role includes some travel, including occasional meetings at the home office in Naperville, IL.

What You'll Do:

• Build and develop a romance list by identifying, evaluating, and soliciting manuscripts in priority categories and areas of opportunity.
• Monitor the romance marketplace, reader trends, competitive titles, and industry developments to identify acquisition and positioning opportunities.
• Present potential acquisitions at editorial and acquisitions meetings; recommend projects, recruit authors, evaluate proposals, and participate in contract negotiations with authors and agents under Associate Editorial Director guidance.
• Develop acquired manuscripts for content, structure, voice, commercial appeal, and market positioning; assist senior editors with early editorial reads of key titles as assigned.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with author and agent partners.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, publicity, sales, and design to identify opportunities and ensure that each title is positioned effectively for its intended audience.
• Maintain accurate editorial schedules and serve as a proactive point of contact for authors, agents, and internal stakeholders to keep projects moving on time.
• Support senior editors with editorial preparation, launch materials, acquisitions materials, and other high-priority projects as assigned. Tasks will include conducting development first reads, assisting with list management, and completing editorial and administrative tasks as assigned.
• Manage general editorial and administrative responsibilities as needed, including correspondence, shipping, copyediting and proofreading corrections, and other tasks necessary to support a successful publishing program.

What You Bring:

• 3–5 years of publishing experience, with significant experience in romance editorial. Direct experience with evaluating submissions, making acquisition recommendations, and acquiring romance fiction.
• Be a self-starter. Exhibit initiative, leadership, and a strong curiosity about what’s next in book and product development.
• A willingness to play well with others. Seriously, we’re a hard-working team who also happen to be pretty nice.
• The ability to juggle and coordinate at great speed. We want a clear communicator who is detail-oriented, organized and can keep short- and long-term projects on schedule while following through on deadlines.
• Comfort speaking in front of groups and building strong relationships across teams and with external partners.
• A positive, collaborative spirit; we’re a “yes, AND!” kind of team.
• Strong editorial judgment, commercial instincts, and the ability to articulate why a project will appeal to romance readers.
• A voracious reading habit in adult romance, with strong familiarity with traditional and indie authors, tropes, trends, and community conversations.

Why Sourcebooks?

Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial publisher driven by our mission to change lives through books. The fifth-largest publisher in the U.S. by print units sold, we bring extraordinary authors to readers in dynamic, data-driven ways, leading to hundreds of national and international bestsellers. Our insight-driven approach has earned us recognition from Fast Company as a Most Innovative Company, a Best Workplace for Innovators, a Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek, a Best Workplace by Inc., and Publishers Weekly’s nod as “the most successful self‑made publisher operating in the 21st century.” Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 300 million lives. Join us as we change 300 million more!

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 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, & generous paid time off.

Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.