JOB VACANCIES
Media Officer, Children's
HarperCollins is one of the UK's foremost, diverse and innovative multi-platform publishers. We publish a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction, to block-busting thrillers and from fantasy literature to children's literature and enduring classics. We also publish a great selection of non-fiction titles, including history, celebrity memoirs, biographies, popular science, dictionaries, maps, reference titles and education books, and our digital business is thriving. With nearly 200 years of history, we publish some of the world's foremost authors, from Nobel prize-winners to worldwide bestsellers. In addition, we also publish the works of Agatha Christie, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.
Our award-winning Children's team are looking for a Media Officer to join the bright and innovative PR and Marketing team of HarperCollins Children's Books. The Media Officer will be primarily responsible for assisting in the development and execution of innovative publicity campaigns. The role will encompass both reactive and proactive public relations functions, dealing with the national, regional broadcast and online media. You will already have an established network of journalist contacts and knowledge of the influencer landscape. The chosen candidate will support the Head of Media and will be a driving force in the wider PR and Marketing team, contributing to the profitable sales of children's titles by both established and debut authors.
Responsibilities
- Implement publicity campaigns independently under the direction of the Head of Media
- Monitor media coverage and prepare regular reports for internal and external stakeholders
- Respond to media enquiries as well as proactively pitch feature ideas and other PR opportunities to journalists
- Ownership of the publicity mailing list/database
- Attend regular meetings with journalists and influencers, growing your network of contacts
- Manage the reviews process
- Assist in drafting and distributing press releases and media statements
- Arrange for spokespeople to speak to the media
- Assist in the management of external agencies to ensure campaigns are carried out to a high standard
- Managing personal administration and organisation to a high standard
- Occasionally be on call to deal with urgent media enquiries during evenings or weekends
Key Skills/Experience
- Gravitas to communicate with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including authors
- Ability to share and convey knowledge, ideas and vision with clarity
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Strong relationship building skills, internally and externally
- Collaborative team player
- Great attention to detail
- Thrives in a fast paced and changing environment
- Results focused, numerate, analytical and used to working to tight deadlines
- Passionate about PR, marketing and children's books
- Strong negotiation skills
- Highly creative
- Digital native
- Excellent organisational skills
- Experience in both offline and online PR
- Knowledge of the children's publishing landscape, or the publishing industry
- Creative and innovative
- Confident and calm under pressure
- Highly organised, proactive
- Enthusiastic and can-do
- Diplomatic yet firm
- Passion for children's books and brands
- Sense of humour
Please apply via the link below with your CV, cover letter and salary expectations. Early applications may be prioritised.
APPLY HERE
COURSES
Our friends over at BookMachine run practical training courses for publishing people to dip in and out of throughout their careers.
Please check out their website here - https://bookmachine.org/events/
This Autumn/Winter they are running three new courses, and have kindly offered a 10% discount to Children's Book Circle members. (Code:CBC10 Expires: 31st August)
If you work in or around publishing and would like to brush up on InDesign skills, learn more about the Ebook market (including some coding, so you can make changes in the file itself) or if Print Production is your thing - then click here to book onto a course, using your discount code by 31st August.
To keep costs low, they ask that you bring your own laptop.
The courses are also a great opportunity to meet other publishing people, from across the trade.
How to Write and Pitch Your Children's Book: From Picture Books up to Middle Grade
Do you aspire to be the next Julia Donaldson or Liz Pichon?
If so, join us in the heart of literary London for five stimulating weeks of practical workshops and expert advice from some of the top names in children’s fiction. Led by the editor of the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Alysoun Owen and author Lucy Courtenay, this course looks at the essential elements of writing for children, in particular how to successfully combine text and illustration, and how you can apply them to your own writing.
This course welcomes writers at all stages in their writing. Whether you have an initial idea and want to know where to start, or have a full draft and need help with revising and making it the best it can possibly be, this is the course for you.
Each week will combine a tutored session and a hands-on workshop format with practical exercises and discussion from your course tutor and special guest speakers. You will be given takeaway practical exercises based around your own writing to complete for the subsequent week.
Based at our Bloomsbury offices, these evening sessions will last for two and a half hours each, from 6-8.30pm, making it ideal for those with full-time jobs and other commitments. There will be opportunities at the beginning and the end of the course to get to know the other writers, as well as Alysoun and Lucy.
The course includes:
- 12.5 hours of expert tutoring and advice from a combination of leading authors, illustrators and publishing industry professionals
- Practical sessions with hands-on exercises based around your own writing
- A written review of your manuscript (based on a submission of up to 7,500 words)
- The chance to study in a small, seminar group at our offices in historic Bloomsbury and meet like-minded authors
- Feedback on pitching your novel from leading children's literary agents
- Exclusive discounts on W&A products and a complimentary copy of the Children's Writers' & Artists' Yearbook
Schedule:
Week 1: Wednesday 20th September
Getting going: Understanding your audience & channelling your ideas
Course convenor and Editor of the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook Alysoun Owen and Bella Pearson, Publishing Director at David Fickling Books, will give an overview of the children’s publishing market and what publishers do when building a children's list.
You will begin to translate your ideas into words on the page and should come armed with your own favourite illustrated children’s titles to discuss.
Week 2: Wednesday 27th September
Know what type of book you are writing
This session will look at genre and how books for different ages are mapped, giving you a better understanding of knowing what audience you are writing for. Special guest tutor Lucy Courtenay will cover everything from picture books to illustrated fiction up to middle grade. Lucy will also be joined by illustrator Salvatore Rubbino who will discuss the relationship between pictures and words on the page.
Additional guest speaker to be announced
Week 3: Wednesday 11th October
Setting the scene
This session led by course tutor Lucy Courtenay and her guest speaker will focus on planning and plotting your story, and how you can create a coherent and absorbing world for your characters and readers.
Additional guest speaker to be announced.
Week 4: Wednesday 25th October
Character: From voices in your head to people on the page
In a session providing essential advice on character development, voice and dialogue, Lucy Courtenay will offer tips and advice on how to develop a convincing cast of characters and bring them to life through well-crafted dialogue that will appeal to your intended readership.
Lucy will also be joined by best-selling author Andy Stanton.
Week 5: Wednesday 8th November
Next steps: Getting your book ready for publication
This final session will look at the process of editing your manuscript and the subsequent hunt for a literary agent. Alysoun Owen will lead this session with literary agents Julia Churchill and Penny Holroyde who specialise in representing children’s books of all types. With a chance to pitch your book, they’ll offer essential advice and hints on how to submit your manuscript.
This session will be followed by networking drinks and may run slightly later than 8.30 pm
Booking & Payment
The course fee of £496 (inc. VAT) is payable in full online. Please do contact us to discuss an instalment payment plan by calling 0207 631 5985 or by sending an email to writersandartists@bloomsbury.com.
They have kindly offered CBC members a 10% discount if you use the code CBC1017 before 19th September 2017
