Who we are and what we do
Bookouture is the UK’s most successful and innovative digital publisher of commercial fiction, and the publisher of many bestselling authors, including Freida McFadden, Kaylie Smith and Nicole Trope. We are part of Hachette UK and following fourteen years of market-leading growth have sold 100 million books to readers worldwide with a further 14 billion Kindle pages read of our titles. In late 2021 we began translating and publishing some of our bestselling fiction ourselves direct to readers in other languages, initially German, followed by Italian and French; in 2026 we have added Dutch and Spanish to that list. Over the last four-and-a-half years we have translated and published more than 530 books in languages other than English.
Please send a covering letter together with your CV telling us why you are applying for this role and what has attracted you to Bookouture in particular. Within your covering letter please choose a bestselling commercial novel in the top 100 of the German UK Kindle chart, and in no more than 500 words explain why you think it is doing so well. Your answer might refer to author profile, title, cover, hook, copy, quotes, reviews and reader experience.
What you'll be doing
We have a rare opportunity to find the most exciting talent to take this key area of our business forward to the next level, supporting the translations team in the production of high quality editions of our books, across translated languages, on time, within budget and to a high standard.
Core Duties across Bookouture’s translated publishing include:
PUBLISHING
Assisting our Editors in overseeing the production process, making sure our books are produced on time, on budget and to a high standard across ebook, POD and audio formats.
eBook conversion – converting final manuscripts into eBook format, including creation of front- and end-pages; adding buy-links; reviewing files and liaising with the author.
Updating existing files – updating eBook files as required, correcting errors, adding buy-links.
Fielding any post-publication amends necessary – updating eBook and typeset files and uploading again to key retailers.
Assigning ISBNs and updating databases.
Liaising with design partners to adapt ebook covers with translated titles, subtitles and taglines.
Generating barcodes, calculating spine widths and working with editors to create final paperback copy. Supplying specifications to freelance designers and working with them on the final paperback cover.
Obtaining final layered artwork files for ebook, paperback and audio (where relevant) editions from designers.
Clearing image rights where necessary and supplying high resolution images to designers.
DISTRIBUTION
Assisting editors to ensure that our books are distributed to as broad an audience as possible with accurate pricing and metadata.
Organising the ordering of gratis paperback copies for authors, agents and translators, ordering additional copies for authors and invoicing where appropriate.
SOCIAL MEDIA (German only)
Creating engaging posts to ensure we can foster a strong, vibrant readership online.
Supporting pre-order and publication for each title with appropriate social media posts, graphics and boosted posting where necessary.
Community management, monitoring inboxes as well as comment sections on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Creating and posting bestseller updates.
Organizing blog tours and reviewer interactions.
Feeding back relevant data and numbers on engagement and growth of each social media platform.
AUDIO
Assisting in the creation of audiobooks, from creating casting briefs, commissioning the recording, to the upload and distribution of the final files.
Who we are looking for
Experience/Knowledge
Fluency in German, English to C2 level required. French C1, Italian, Dutch and Spanish B2 very helpful
Practical experience of juggling and prioritsing a large workload
Knowledge of Asana, Slack, Airtable, Adobe, InDesign, Vellum, Word, Outlook highly advantageous
Understanding of how to build communities on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok
Ease and confidence communicating with key stakeholders internally and externally to the business
Knowledge of publishing helpful, but not essential
Personal Attributes/Skills
Able to competently juggle a large workload across several areas and efficiently prioritise tasks
A confident self-starter with lots of initiative who’s able to work collaboratively in a team
An excellent communicator in English both verbally and in writing
Quick to learn, with a facility for numbers and data
A lover of commercial fiction
Ambitious and keen to contribute ideas
As a reminder, when applying for this role, we expect all candidates to complete their application without the use of AI.
What we offer
Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:
28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
Private medical insurance
Dental insurance
Generous pension schemes
Rent deposit loans
2 community days per year
Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
Cycle to Work scheme
Eye care vouchers
Wide-ranging training library
Development programmes (including mentoring)
Up to 70% off book purchases
A charity bookshelf
An active range of staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing, Women in Tech and religious networks
Season ticket loans
And much more!
The role will be based at our London office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.
Our commitment
Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, you can let us know at the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application. We’ll make sure you’re supported throughout the process.
The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org
