Editorial Assistant, Book Acquisitions (Hybrid)

University of Michigan; Ann Arbor (MI); Hybrid; USD 48,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Generous time off (vacation & sick)

Retirement benefits

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

The University of Michigan Press, a part of UM Library’s Michigan Publishing, is seeking an Editorial Assistant to support two acquisitions editors in scouting, developing, and acquiring scholarly monographs, trade books, and textbooks. You will manage author communications and ensure accuracy, timeliness, and workflow efficiency across multiple stages of publication.

This two-year term position offers exposure to the book lifecycle, collaboration across departments, and opportunities to

Qualifications

• Experience writing to and speaking with scholarly authors.
• Experience handling a high volume of email.
• Strong time management with consistent deadlines.
• Demonstrated history of attention to detail.
• Ability to work and track tasks independently.
• Demonstrated interest in using technology for process improvement.
• Ability to enter data or text quickly and accurately.

Responsibilities

• Assist two editors by tracking projects throughout the publication process and maintaining records, files, and the press database.
• Communicate between departments about active projects and keep track of the details of these conversations.
• Move around 40 titles into production annually.
• Assist editors in seeking and querying reviewers and ensuring reviews are submitted in a timely manner.
• Help to draft, assemble, and proofread memos about potential projects for internal and external meetings.
• Prepare preliminary budget plans for potential and current projects.
• Draft and process contracts for new books and book series and send them to authors for initial review.
• Process and send reader payments, invoices for title subventions, and complimentary copies of books.
• Work closely with authors to prepare manuscripts for production, confirming that all necessary elements of the manuscript are in-house and formatted according to UMP submission guidelines.
• Work with other departments at the U-M Press to create and implement workflows and procedures for born-digital publications and related media.
• Work with acquisitions editors and other press departments on special projects and activities related to book acquisition, such as grant writing and travel to conferences.

Skills

Scholarly author communication

Email management

Time management

Attention to detail

Independent work

Technology for process improvement

Data entry

Job description

The University of Michigan Press, a part of UM Library’s Michigan Publishing, is seeking an Editorial Assistant to support two acquisitions editors in scouting, developing, and acquiring scholarly monographs, trade books, and textbooks. You will manage author communications and ensure accuracy, timeliness, and workflow efficiency across multiple stages of publication.

This two-year term position offers exposure to the book lifecycle, collaboration across departments, and opportunities to