Job Description

Responsibilities:

• Manage the manuscript's transition from raw form to final publication.
• Establish the production schedule for each task involved in the publication process.
• Coordinate with copy editors, typesetters, proofreaders, and cover designers.
• Prepare manuscripts for approvals for publication.
• Publish books online via the CMS system.
• Provide production specifications to the Print and Distribution team.
• Arrange for manuscript design, copy-editing, typesetting, proofreading, indexing, and electronic conversion in variety of formats.
• Create detailed briefs for each task.
• Maintain an updated list of freelancers and suppliers.
• Manage budgets and purchase orders to freelancers and suppliers.
• Conduct quality control of work carried out and provide feedback to freelancers.
• Ensure all parties are kept on schedule.
• Attend and contribute to project meetings.
• Keep stakeholders informed of progress and any issues.
• Negotiate solutions when problems arise.
• Verify permissions for content use.
• Ensure all necessary content is sourced and included.
• Collate corrections and manage any necessary arbitration.
• Verify that corrections are made and handle any resulting changes.
• Ensure that the house style guide, referencing style and other style sheets are consistently applied.
• Check artwork for correctness and completeness.
• Anticipate potential issues and resolve unexpected problems promptly.
• Keep production-specific processes and documentation current.

Qualifications and Competencies:

• A Bachelors degree in Publishing Studies, English language, communications, Library Sciences or a related field.
• 2-4 years of relevant editorial project management experience in academic or scholarly book publishing.
• Experience working with freelancers and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• An understanding of the South African scholarly publishing environment.
• Demonstrable numeracy skills used in work environments, especially related to managing budgets.
• Strong negotiation abilities.
• Strong communication skills.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Familiarity with HTML, XML and ePUB
• Proficiency in project management software and tools (e.g. ClickUp, Trello or Asana).
• Strong English skills
• Ability to multi-task
• Attention to detail and critical thinking
• Being well-organised and able to manage short deadlines

JobPlacements.com