Operations Assistant

About the position

Candlewick Press, a leading publisher of children's books located in Somerville, MA, is seeking an Operations Assistant to join their team. This full-time position reports directly to the Senior Vice President of Global Operations and plays a crucial role in supporting the Walker Books Group Foreign Rights team. The Operations Assistant will be responsible for ensuring that key Candlewick data is complete across various systems and will assist in various operational tasks that are essential for the smooth functioning of the department. The Operations Assistant will engage in a variety of responsibilities, including sharing marketing materials, author blurbs, and reviews with the Fiction Foreign Rights Manager and team. They will also help gather materials and copy for the Bologna and Frankfurt leaflets, entering this information into the bibliographic system. Collaboration with the Design team is necessary to ensure that images for the leaflets are uploaded in a timely manner. Additionally, the assistant will act as a support for the Candlewick-based Global Fiction Rights Sales team and will be responsible for mailing materials and samples as needed. In terms of metadata responsibilities, the Operations Assistant will finalize seasonal copy for both print and e-books in the bibliographic system and the distributor's system, Penguin Random House (PRH). They will work with IT to upload excerpts for fiction titles and assign themes and tags to optimize searchability for the Sales and Marketing teams. Regular audits of cover images in PRH's system and on Candlewick's website will also be part of the role, along with updating copy with award information and author bios. The assistant will share a seasonal grid with Contracts and Rights for an Insight check and update dates in PRH's system once files are distributed. They will also edit and update titles on Goodreads and assist with data projects related to ONIX feeds in coordination with the Senior Manager of Group Information Systems. Operationally, the assistant will send Happy Publication Day emails to authors and illustrators, manage author and illustrator biographies, and maintain the database of signed web disclaimers. They will solicit quantities of galley and promotional materials from Sales and Marketing teams and conduct research as needed. A professional demeanor, strong prioritization skills, attention to detail, and excellent communication skills are essential for this role, along with proficiency in typing, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and other computer programming skills is required. Previous sales experience in children's trade publishing is preferred, and a passion for children's books is a significant plus.

Responsibilities

• Share marketing materials, author blurbs, and reviews with the Fiction Foreign Rights Manager and team.
• Gather materials and copy for the Bologna and Frankfurt leaflets and enter copy into the bibliographic system.
• Work with Design to ensure images for the leaflets are uploaded in a timely manner.
• Assist with requests from the Foreign Rights team in London.
• Support the Candlewick-based Global Fiction Rights Sales team.
• Mail materials and samples as needed.
• Finalize seasonal copy for both print and e-books in Biblio and the PRH system.
• Work with IT to upload excerpts for fiction titles to PRH.
• Assign themes and tags to titles to optimize search for Sales and Marketing teams.
• Use the weekly change report to update titles in PRH's system.
• Set up series in PRH's system and collaborate with Editorial on series copy.
• Conduct regular audits of cover images in PRH's system and on candlewick.com for print and e-books.
• Update copy with award information and author bios as needed.
• Share a seasonal grid with Contracts and Rights for an Insight check and update dates in PRH's system after file distribution.
• Edit and update titles on Goodreads as needed.
• Assist with data projects related to ONIX feeds in coordination with the Senior Manager, Group Information Systems.
• Send Happy Publication Day emails to authors and illustrators.
• Receive and submit author and illustrator biographies to CE and upload them to Biblio.
• Manage signed web disclaimers from authors and illustrators and maintain the database.
• Solicit galley and promotional materials quantities from Sales and Marketing teams.
• Conduct research as needed.
• Perform other tasks as needed.

Requirements

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong typing, spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Attention to detail and strong prioritization skills.
• Previous sales experience in children's trade publishing is preferred.
• A passion for children's books is a plus.

Nice-to-haves

• Knowledge of Adobe Illustrator.
• Computer programming skills.

Benefits

• Disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid time off