Editorial Project Manager

Plural Publishing, Inc. is a small and growing company that produces leading academic and professional books in the fields of speech-language pathology, audiology, special education, deaf education, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, and voice/singing. We employ a dedicated and committed team of professionals who take great pride in our authors and our publications. We are looking for an Editorial Project Manager to join the team and help us continue to deliver the very best in publishing. We work with prestigious academic and professional authors and accordingly expect our team to have solid written and verbal skills.

This role does NOT involve writing and editing. It is a project management and author relations position.

The Editorial Project Manager (EPM) is a critical role in the Editorial department and works closely with the Executive Editor and our authors to ensure high-quality manuscripts are received on time and prepped for hand-over to the Production team. The Editorial Project Manager oversees multiple book projects in process to ensure that submitted manuscripts and artwork reflect the author agreements and the company’s publishing schedule and guidelines. This role serves as primary contact for authors, editors, and contributors throughout the development of their manuscripts and online ancillary materials. The EPM continually collaborates closely with Editorial team members, Production, Sales and Marketing, and other stakeholders. The EPM also ensures the online ancillary materials are produced to our guidelines, and also creates and organizes the resources on the companion websites. The ideal candidate will have strong project management experience and exceptional communication skills. The EPM works closely with our authors who are academics at universities and clinical professionals in private practice, schools, and hospitals. The EPM keeps in regular contact to keep our authors engaged and motivated during the creation of their books.

PRIMARY ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Set project schedules and timelines for deliverables with authors.
• Communicate manuscript and image guidelines to authors/contributors.
• Track all manuscripts from assignment through receipt, review, and revisions, if necessary.
• Ensure adherence to the publishing agreement and authors’ instructions.
• Check in regularly with authors on status of manuscripts and ancillary materials.
• Negotiate new delivery dates with late authors to mitigate slippage.
• Review content delivered by authors, editors, and peer reviewers.
• Coordinate and participate in kickoff and launch meetings with authors.
• Track all contributor agreements for edited books.
• Keep author manuscript submission guidelines and other editorial documents up-to-date.
• Maintain communication with contributors to ensure chapters are received in a timely manner and in accordance with submission guidelines.
• Oversee the peer review of manuscripts and relay feedback to Executive Editor and authors.
• Delegate and assign duties and tasks, as necessary, to the Editorial Assistants and freelancers.
• Verify sources for artwork and assist authors with requesting permission to use copyrighted material (as needed or requested).
• Review manuscripts to ensure consistency in style, voice, and tone.
• Create and maintain companion websites for book projects—design, organize, and upload documents and multimedia content.
• Monitor expenses to ensure that products are published within budget.
• Maintain project status reports on all projects and provide regular updates to Executive Editor.
• Contribute to the ongoing assessment and improvement of editorial procedures and standards.
• Assist Executive Editor with book cover concepts and submit creative briefs to production and cover designer.
• Make minor corrections or enhancements to artwork using Photoshop when necessary.
• Travel and attend professional and other meetings, as needed, to promote Plural, its products, and meet with Plural authors.

DESIRED ATTRIBUTES, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Some publishing experience and familiarity with editorial processes, preferably within college textbook and/or medical/scientific publishing.
• Proven project management skills: experience in managing multiple products or projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills.
• Detail-oriented and able to produce accurate, high-quality work.
• Able to juggle multiple important projects, deadlines, and tasks.
• Confident, innovative, highly motivated, and team-oriented.
• Analytical and able to set priorities and problem solve with creativity and sound judgment.
• Able to effectively delegate work to support staff.
• Flexible and able to accept cross-functional responsibilities as assigned.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, and other typical workplace software.
• Experience with content management systems (CMS) a plus.
• Comfortable learning new technologies and systems.

This role does NOT involve writing and editing. It is a project management and author relations position.

Please submit a cover letter and resume. No phone calls.

The stated salary reflects the range that Plural Publishing, Inc. reasonably expects to pay for this position. The actual salary will be dependent on a variety of factors, including an applicant’s experience, unique skills and abilities, education, marketplace factors, other requirements for the position, and employer business practices.

Plural Publishing, Inc.