The Role
Acquire, edit, and manage an adult romance author list from submission through publication. Evaluate manuscripts, recommend acquisitions, develop content and market positioning, negotiate with authors and agents, monitor romance trends, and collaborate with marketing, publicity, sales, and design. Maintain schedules, relationships, launch materials, and administrative workflows while supporting senior editors and ensuring projects remain on track.
Summary Generated by Built In
Sourcebooks is revolutionizing romance publishing—and we’re looking for an Associate Editor to help us take our authors and their stories to the next level.
As one of the fastest-growing publishers in the industry, Sourcebooks has built a market-leading, author-first approach that delivers unforgettable stories to devoted readers. If you are a passionate, hands-on editor with experience in shaping commercially successful fiction—and you love romance—this is an incredible opportunity to work closely with bestselling and breakout authors to craft books that readers can’t put down.
In this role you will acquire, edit, and manage your own list of adult romance authors while providing essential editorial and publishing support to senior staff. This is a hands-on role for a self-sufficient, commercially minded editor who is ready to build a list, champion authors, and help shape the future of a dynamic imprint. The ideal candidate has a deep, current understanding of the romance market as well as a strong sense of what readers are excited to discover next. You’ll evaluate submissions, develop projects from acquisition through publication, collaborate across departments, and build lasting relationships with authors and agents. You’ll also support senior editors with precision, initiative, and good judgment, helping keep a fast-moving list on track. If you’re a deeply engaged, perceptive romance reader, an entrepreneurial editor, and someone eager to make a meaningful mark on the genre, we’d love to hear from you.
This is an exempt, salary position with a salary range of $55,000 - $65,000. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.
The location for this position can be hybrid or remote in New York or Naperville, Illinois or remote based in any of the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. This role includes some travel, including occasional meetings at the home office in Naperville, IL.
What You'll Do:
Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial publisher driven by our mission to change lives through books. The fifth-largest publisher in the U.S. by print units sold, we bring extraordinary authors to readers in dynamic, data-driven ways, leading to hundreds of national and international bestsellers. Our insight-driven approach has earned us recognition from Fast Company as a Most Innovative Company, a Best Workplace for Innovators, a Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek, a Best Workplace by Inc., and Publishers Weekly’s nod as “the most successful self-made publisher operating in the 21st century.” Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 300 million lives. Join us as we change 300 million more!
Ready to Apply:
Please submit your resume, salary requirements, and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and interest in this role. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Show us your passion and creativity — we’re looking for someone who’s as enthusiastic about this opportunity as we are!
Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care, Dependent Care, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, & generous paid time off.
Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.
As one of the fastest-growing publishers in the industry, Sourcebooks has built a market-leading, author-first approach that delivers unforgettable stories to devoted readers. If you are a passionate, hands-on editor with experience in shaping commercially successful fiction—and you love romance—this is an incredible opportunity to work closely with bestselling and breakout authors to craft books that readers can’t put down.
In this role you will acquire, edit, and manage your own list of adult romance authors while providing essential editorial and publishing support to senior staff. This is a hands-on role for a self-sufficient, commercially minded editor who is ready to build a list, champion authors, and help shape the future of a dynamic imprint. The ideal candidate has a deep, current understanding of the romance market as well as a strong sense of what readers are excited to discover next. You’ll evaluate submissions, develop projects from acquisition through publication, collaborate across departments, and build lasting relationships with authors and agents. You’ll also support senior editors with precision, initiative, and good judgment, helping keep a fast-moving list on track. If you’re a deeply engaged, perceptive romance reader, an entrepreneurial editor, and someone eager to make a meaningful mark on the genre, we’d love to hear from you.
This is an exempt, salary position with a salary range of $55,000 - $65,000. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.
The location for this position can be hybrid or remote in New York or Naperville, Illinois or remote based in any of the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. This role includes some travel, including occasional meetings at the home office in Naperville, IL.
What You'll Do:
- Build and develop a romance list by identifying, evaluating, and soliciting manuscripts in priority categories and areas of opportunity.
- Monitor the romance marketplace, reader trends, competitive titles, and industry developments to identify acquisition and positioning opportunities.
- Present potential acquisitions at editorial and acquisitions meetings; recommend projects, recruit authors, evaluate proposals, and participate in contract negotiations with authors and agents under Associate Editorial Director guidance.
- Develop acquired manuscripts for content, structure, voice, commercial appeal, and market positioning; assist senior editors with early editorial reads of key titles as assigned.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with author and agent partners.
- Collaborate closely with marketing, publicity, sales, and design to identify opportunities and ensure that each title is positioned effectively for its intended audience.
- Maintain accurate editorial schedules and serve as a proactive point of contact for authors, agents, and internal stakeholders to keep projects moving on time.
- Support senior editors with editorial preparation, launch materials, acquisitions materials, and other high-priority projects as assigned. Tasks will include conducting development first reads, assisting with list management, and completing editorial and administrative tasks as assigned.
- Manage general editorial and administrative responsibilities as needed, including correspondence, shipping, copyediting and proofreading corrections, and other tasks necessary to support a successful publishing program.
- 3–5 years of publishing experience, with significant experience in romance editorial. Direct experience with evaluating submissions, making acquisition recommendations, and acquiring romance fiction.
- Be a self-starter. Exhibit initiative, leadership, and a strong curiosity about what’s next in book and product development.
- A willingness to play well with others. Seriously, we’re a hard-working team who also happen to be pretty nice.
- The ability to juggle and coordinate at great speed. We want a clear communicator who is detail-oriented, organized and can keep short- and long-term projects on schedule while following through on deadlines.
- Comfort speaking in front of groups and building strong relationships across teams and with external partners.
- A positive, collaborative spirit; we’re a “yes, AND!” kind of team.
- Strong editorial judgment, commercial instincts, and the ability to articulate why a project will appeal to romance readers.
- A voracious reading habit in adult romance, with strong familiarity with traditional and indie authors, tropes, trends, and community conversations.
Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial publisher driven by our mission to change lives through books. The fifth-largest publisher in the U.S. by print units sold, we bring extraordinary authors to readers in dynamic, data-driven ways, leading to hundreds of national and international bestsellers. Our insight-driven approach has earned us recognition from Fast Company as a Most Innovative Company, a Best Workplace for Innovators, a Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek, a Best Workplace by Inc., and Publishers Weekly’s nod as “the most successful self-made publisher operating in the 21st century.” Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 300 million lives. Join us as we change 300 million more!
Ready to Apply:
Please submit your resume, salary requirements, and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and interest in this role. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Show us your passion and creativity — we’re looking for someone who’s as enthusiastic about this opportunity as we are!
Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care, Dependent Care, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, & generous paid time off.
Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.
Skills Required
- 3-5 years of publishing experience
- Significant experience in romance editorial
- Direct experience evaluating submissions and making acquisition recommendations
- Direct experience acquiring romance fiction
- Initiative, leadership, and curiosity about book and product development
- Ability to collaborate effectively with others
- Ability to coordinate multiple projects quickly and meet deadlines
- Clear communication and strong organizational skills
- Comfort speaking in front of groups
- Ability to build strong internal and external relationships
- Strong editorial judgment and commercial instincts
- Ability to explain why projects will appeal to romance readers
- Deep familiarity with adult romance, including traditional and indie authors, tropes, trends, and community conversations
Sourcebooks Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Sourcebooks and has not been reviewed or approved by Sourcebooks.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO, paid holidays and sick days, and a sabbatical program are highlighted, with additional closure between Christmas and New Year’s. These elements collectively indicate a wide range of time‑off options.
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Parental & Family Support — Generous parental leave includes six weeks paid for both parents that can be combined with FMLA, alongside family medical leave. This reflects structured support for caregiving needs.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage are provided along with life insurance, short‑ and long‑term disability, FSAs, and mental‑health benefits. The package spans core health protections and ancillary supports.
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The Company
What We Do
“Sourcebooks, a legitimate contender for the title of ‘most innovative company in book publishing.’”—Mike Shatzkin, Idealog Innovators. Always looking for ways to bring new experiences to our readers, data is the backbone that gives direction to our creativity and informs our innovative spirit. Put Me In The Story, now the #1 personalized book platform in the U.S., is one of three e-commerce businesses we operate. We are committed to innovative publishing and to exploring new publishing platforms and models. Owners and Entrepreneurs. We take pride in being pioneers. Each of us is a leader invested in creating breakthrough for ourselves, our company, and readers everywhere. Starting with just one book in 1987, we now publish more than 300 new titles each year. With millions of books sold and more than 80 New York Times and USA Today bestsellers—and more—Sourcebooks publishes authors, not books. Constantly Learning. Not content to rely on yesterday’s knowledge, we know tomorrow’s opportunities can be discovered only with a passionate desire to explore new ideas. We Create Amazing. Every book and product we create and every life we touch is an opportunity to deliver the unexpected and the extraordinary. Our award-winning books earn accolades from Parenting Media Awards, YALSA Lists, Texas Bluebonnet, state awards, the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Award, and more. Book Business Magazine named Sourcebooks 2013 Publishing Innovator of the Year. From children’s, young adult, fiction, and memoir to personalized books, inspirational gifts, reference, poetry, and beyond, we believe books change lives. It is the heart of all that we do. We are excited to work with passionate authors, booksellers, librarians, designers, media, brand partners, and others to create a vibrant future for books. FIND US ONLINE www.sourcebooks.com www.putmeinthestory.com www.simpletruths.com www.123magic.com
