Senior Crime Fiction Editor & Acquisitions Lead

Publishers Marketplace; New York (NY); Remote; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Crooked Lane Books seeks an ambitious Editor to join our fast-moving crime fiction program. The role is hands-on, deeply connected to Millennial/Gen Z readers, and requires ownership of projects from acquisitions to publication.

The Editor will work closely with authors, agents, and internal teams to shape a compelling lineup and drive commercial success. The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in acquisitions at a trade publisher, exceptional writing, and a proven track record with commercial crime

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher.
• 3–5 years of experience in an acquisitions role at a trade publishing house.
• Ability to identify trends and acquire high-profile projects.
• Established network of authors and agents.
• Proven track record of publishing commercial crime fiction.
• Exceptional writing and presentation skills.
• Experience with Excel, including sales tracks and title P&Ls.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate, acquire, and edit 10–15 crime fiction titles with strong sales potential in their first year and continue to develop their list from there.
• Build and maintain a robust network of literary agents and authors to find or develop the very best mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels.
• Identify shifts in culture and source crime fiction projects targeting untapped markets.
• Conduct sales, marketplace, and reader research for titles to meet reader expectations and reach target audiences.
• Shape offers with market and P&L knowledge and negotiate preliminary author terms.
• Collaborate with authors, agents, marketing, publicity, sales, production, and design to set vision and goals for each title and manage publishing process.
• Prepare title information, catalog, jacket copy, and review marketing materials.
• Pitch titles at internal and external meetings from acquisitions to sales conferences.

Skills

Acquisitions

Author/agent network

Trend spotting

Writing excellence

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Excel

Job description

Crooked Lane Books seeks an ambitious Editor to join our fast-moving crime fiction program. The role is hands-on, deeply connected to Millennial/Gen Z readers, and requires ownership of projects from acquisitions to publication.

The Editor will work closely with authors, agents, and internal teams to shape a compelling lineup and drive commercial success. The ideal candidate has 3–5 years in acquisitions at a trade publisher, exceptional writing, and a proven track record with commercial crime