Press Officer, William Collins and Fontana

A rare opportunity has arisen to join the publicity team at William Collins & Fontana at HarperCollins UK. We are looking for a self-starting Press Officer who will bring energy and drive to the role; along with the capability to manage the publicity demands of our exciting list; and to work on innovative campaigns.

We strongly encourage applicants from all sectors to apply - previous experience within the book publishing industry is not a pre-requisite.

William Collins is one of the most prestigious and varied nonfiction imprints in trade publishing today. At William Collins, we champion books that explain the machinations of politics and power with Evan Gershkovich, Patrick Radden Keefe, and Andrew Lownie, to books that explore our relationship with the ever-changing landscape with Cal Flyn and Guy Shrubsole, to books that explore how to optimise our lives with Sahil Bloom and Patrick Grant. From Sophia Smith Galer writing on language to Jung Chang sharing her extraordinary life story, William Collins has forged a reputation for publishing the very best and most urgent non fiction writing that investigates, challenges, and pushes forward the thinking of the day.

This is an especially exciting time to join the imprint with the recent launch of Fontana which publishes first-class, intelligent fiction with popular appeal, from brilliantly written genre novels through to plot-driven literary fiction. Recent successes include the word of mouth phenomenon Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.

• Craft and deliver creative and stand-out publicity campaigns across both traditional and new media channels, on brief and within budget for the William Collins and Fontana lists
• Plan and execute author book tours that raise author profiles and generate sales
• Work closely with both external and internal stakeholders, including Editorial, Marketing and Sales teams to ensure publicity opportunities are fully maximised and communicated across the department
• Maintain, develop and grow relationships with key journalists, producers and new media contacts across all channels
• Assist the Publicity Team with departmental administrative tasks

• Experience of working in a PR or comms role
• Experience of working collaboratively across mutli-chanel campaigns as well as independently managing own projects
• Adept at effective pitching, copywriting and generating media-friendly angles to maximise coverage
• Ability to navigate the news agenda, and seek out relevant media opportunities across print, broadcast, podcast and online
• A motivated self-starter with a proactive attitude
• A team player with proven excellent communication, organisation and people skills
• Energy, passion, and enthusiasm to juggle multiple projects simultaneously and prioritise work effectively
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required
• A zest for learning and a genuine passion for the world of books and ideas