Thank you for your interest in New Harbinger Publications employment opportunities.
Throughout our 40+ year history, New Harbinger Publications has honed a reputation as the preeminent publisher of self-help, and psychology titles. From the outset our aim has been to publish books that are accessible, substantive, and, above all, useful.
Working for New Harbinger Publications you will enjoy a positive environment and a staff that thrives on teamwork, company values, and dedication. We are an employee-owned company and offer a generous benefits program.
Read about New Harbinger’s Values.
Current Openings:
Benefits include:
- 401(k) with matching
- ESOP retirement plan
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Flexible spending account for healthcare
- Tuition reimbursement
- Gym reimbursement
- Continuous career training through our HR learning portal and other live or online sources.
New Harbinger Publications provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
As an employee-owned company, New Harbinger:
| PROVIDES…. | EXPECTS…. |
| Information & Learning | |
| New Harbinger provides reasonable access to information, such as performance indicators, projections that show how decisions affect the company’s financial health, and the company’s strategic direction. | New Harbinger expects employee owners to take responsibility for learning about the company and what drives its success, and to teach themselves about their personal and departmental roles in the company’s success. The company expects employee owners to participate in learning activities about New Harbinger’s business practices. |
| Organizational Fairness | |
| New Harbinger provides fair compensation for the work of employee owners and full participation in the ESOP as outlined in the plan. New Harbinger provides fair treatment for all employee owners under the company’s stated policies. | New Harbinger expects employee owners to work hard at their jobs, follow company rules, and not take advantage of the company. The company expects employee owners to take an ownership perspective in how they invest their time and energy, keeping the company’s best interests in mind. |
| Employee Ownership Culture | |
| New Harbinger provides employees with opportunities to constructively express ideas and opinions, ask questions, and make suggestions about company endeavors. New Harbinger provides employee owners with opportunities to optimize growth in their jobs and to seek out education that furthers their job performance. New Harbinger provides a supportive work environment. | New Harbinger expects employee owners to speak up about problems as they occur and to know and follow procedures for handling problems and complaints. New Harbinger expects employee owners to take responsibility for finding solutions rather than just pointing out problems. New Harbinger expects employees to support their coworkers and the core mission of the business. |
Acquisitions Editor
| Job Title: | Acquisitions Editor |
| Department: | Acquisitions |
| Reports to: | Acquisitions Manager |
| FLSA Status: | Exempt |
| Type: | Full time |
| Location: | Remote/Hybrid in Oakland, CA 94609 |
| Posted: | September 25, 2023 |
Position Summary
The New Harbinger Acquisitions Editor (AE) is responsible for identifying, prospecting, acquiring, and developing approximately 15 viable books and products that will succeed in our niche of evidence-based mental health for New Harbinger and its imprints, including developing new books, repurposed books using existing content, and digital products such as online learning courses. This involves constantly generating and actively pursuing new book content and format ideas using in-house data and following developments and trends in related fields. The job involves skillfully crafting and presenting book pitches that display marketing savvy and knowledge of how the book fits in the marketplace. The Acquisitions Editor also serves as primary contact for the author. You’ll work directly with authors to contract, manage the schedule of, and, in tandem with the Editorial department, developmentally edit each book you acquire.
The ideal candidate is a creative, curious, innovative thinker and self-starter who works well autonomously and within a team environment. You are highly skilled at writing and editing and have a deep interest in psychology with a boundless curiosity about the publishing process. You are independently driven to complete tasks, but responsive to direction and guidance from supervisor and team. Your ability to maintain clear boundaries and professional, diplomatic communication allows you to support authors, agents, and New Harbinger Publications at every stage of the publication process. You have honed project and time management skills—you know how to move from idea to project at a quick and consistent pace without analysis paralysis. You are adept at handling multiple tasks and projects at varying stages of development. You are a creative problem-solver who’s comfortable learning by doing. You are confident in group settings, including in engaging with new authors and routinely proposing new books to your colleagues at New Harbinger Publications. In this role, you have the opportunity to shape the direction of the self-help publishing community and marketplace.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Efficiently identify, acquire, and develop the required number of innovative and profitable new titles per year within the publisher’s niche
- Identify and pursue new authors and spot trends in the publishing industry, behavioral sciences, clinical psychology (including evidence-based therapies such as CBT, ACT, DBT, and mindfulness-based therapies), and general self-help
- Conduct ongoing research and review of market trends affecting self-help psychology, including displaying knowledge of competitive titles in our category
- Routinely and skillfully pitch proposed titles to NHP’s Publication Committee
- Skillfully negotiate contracts with authors and agents
- Act as author liaison, balancing author requests with the publisher’s goals
- Work collaboratively with the Editorial department to develop content to match book concept
- Manage all relevant details of the book project from contract to publication, displaying ability to work on multiple projects at varying stages of development
- Develop initial marketing copy for Sales and Marketing teams
- Cultivate collaborative and professional relationships with authors, agents, industry organizations, and NHP colleagues
- Travel to national conferences a few times a year to network, conduct research, and prospect new authors
- Analyze and make inferences from data in various databases to determine new books to pursue
- Maintain an active wish list of viable projects to pursue based on market research
Qualifications
The qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to excel in this role.
Education and Experience
- Minimum three years’ experience as an Acquisitions Editor in the nonfiction market or related role
- BA in English, Communications, Journalism, Psychology or related field
- Genuine interest in psychology and demonstrated ability to read and understand scientific research and methodology
Language Abilities
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Demonstrated developmental editing skills
- Strong presentation skills
Project Management Abilities
- Creative thinker
- Self-directed while taking direction and guidance from supervisor and team
- Strong organizational and time management skills and attention to detail
- Skillful problem-solving, negotiation, and presentation skills
- Competitive, results-oriented, driven approach to your work
- Ability to manage projects in parallel, pivot with time-sensitive situations, and handle essential workload
- Comfortable negotiating contracts with authors and agents
Reasoning Ability
- Ability to review and make inferences from data in various databases and programs (NPD Bookscan, Microsoft’s Power Business Intelligence dashboard, Excel, etc.)
Computer Skills
- Mastery of Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to navigate industry-related platforms such as Amazon, Bookscan and in-house databases and use data gathered to inform new acquisitions
- Comfort with product databases and contact management systems (Acumen, Firebrand’s Title Management)
Work Environment and Physical Demands
This position is remote-hybrid based in Oakland, CA, or offsite remote inside the 48 contiguous states. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. If you have a disability, let’s discuss the accommodations that we may be able to provide.
To Apply for this Position
New Harbinger is committed to creating a diverse work environment. New Harbinger believes that the publishing industry and field of psychology should center more BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ voices and we encourage people with these identities to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We offer an excellent working environment and great benefits including health, dental, vision, paid time off, matching 401k, profit sharing, and more! The compensation for this full-time position begins at $65,000 annually.
Please email your cover letter and resume to HR@newharbinger.com, with “Acquisitions Editor” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please describe how you see yourself contributing to New Harbinger’s mission, the perceived needs of our audience, what types of books you could see yourself acquiring for us, and what specifically interests you about joining the Acquisitions team at New Harbinger. No phone calls please. No recruiters.