The Role
Own the publishing programme for Mills & Boon Series titles across print, eBook and audio in the UK, Ireland and South Africa. Optimise metadata, pricing, promotions and discoverability to grow frontlist and backlist revenue. Analyse market trends, retailer charts, Kindle Unlimited performance and platform algorithms to identify commercial opportunities. Manage high-volume production schedules, cover and copy briefs, audio workflows, and cross-functional campaigns while maintaining accurate records and supporting editorial, marketing, production and sales teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
Lead the publishing for Mills & Boon Series titles across print, eBook and audio, optimising metadata, pricing and promotions to drive front‑list and backlist revenue in the UK, Ireland and South Africa.
Mills & Boon is the UK’s most iconic romance publisher with multiple Series lines and a large backlist. We have an exciting opportunity for a digitally‑savvy and commercially minded Digital Editor to join our small and collaborative team.
As Digital Editor, the successful candidate will take ownership of the publishing programme for our Series titles across print, eBook and audio in the UK, Ireland and South Africa, playing a central role in driving digital sales growth across the list. They will combine commercial insight and strong editorial skills to maximise the discoverability and sales performance of both our frontlist and our extensive backlist, using metadata, pricing, trend analysis and platform knowledge.
This role is ideally suited to a proactive and data-literate candidate who is motivated by commercial outcomes – always looking for the next opportunity to grow revenue, reach new readers and ensure our titles perform to their fullest potential in a competitive digital marketplace. A core part of this role will be mining the Mills & Boon backlist for commercial opportunities – identifying titles with strong potential for digital repackaging, repricing, rapid republishing or promotional activity, and bringing forward clear, data-led recommendations that drive incremental sales. A genuine passion for romantic fiction and a deep knowledge of the romance market are essential.
Key Responsibilities
- Publish Mills & Boon Series titles in UK, Ireland and South Africa across print, eBook and audio, ensuring simultaneous or timely multi‑format releases
- Optimise metadata, pricing and discoverability (appropriate subject/genre codes (e.g., BISAC), keywords, subtitles, descriptions) to drive digital sales; monitor Amazon and retailer charts and act on issues promptly
- Work with Pricing & Analytics to set pricing strategy and attend weekly pricing and metadata session
- Analyse subgenre trends and identify backlist titles for digital repackaging, promotions and new cover and copy opportunities – bringing forward data-led recommendations with a clear commercial rationale
- Take ownership of digital sales performance across the Series list, proactively identifying and acting on every opportunity to drive revenue growth across Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and audio
- Monitor KU performance and platform algorithms consistently, using insight to make fast and informed decisions on metadata, pricing and promotional activity
- Manage titles through production to deliver on the critical path; maintain accurate schedules for c.300 titles/year
- Brief covers and liaise with designers; write and proofread jacket copy; maintain records across all internal systems
- Work with production and digital teams to support audio workflows and build a backlist audio programme, with a view to progressing towards simultaneous publication across formats
- Collaborate with Global Acquisitions (Editorial), Marketing, Production, Pricing & Analytics, and international sister companies (Harlequin North America, Mills & Boon Australia) to identify opportunities and execute campaigns
- Working closely with Sales and Marketing to help promote titles across the list
- General ad hoc administrative duties to support the wider divisional teams
- Provide light editorial input where required (copy/line edits for marketing copy)
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- Experience of working within the publishing industry, with experience working at Assistant Editor or Editor level (or equivalent)
- A genuine passion for romantic fiction and an avid reader across the genre
- A commercial mindset – motivated by sales performance, comfortable with data and proactive in identifying and acting on revenue opportunities Strong knowledge of the digital fiction market and emerging trends, with a particular focus on UK readers and romance
- Familiarity with or strong interest in the Amazon and Kindle ecosystem, including Kindle Unlimited and platform algorithm dynamics
- Experience managing metadata for multiple titles
- Proven project management skills for high volume schedules; excellent attention to detail and reliability on critical path
- Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and experience of working to deadlines
- Evidence of using data and analysis to influence your decision making and drive commercial outcomes
- Practical experience of using AI tools to support workflow, with an awareness of company policy
- A willingness to continually learn, develop publishing knowledge and commercial expertise
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- A team player, able use initiative to execute tasks independently as well as support the wider team to deliver successful outcomes
Additional Information
HarperCollins operates a hybrid working policy where employees are expected to work from our London office three days per week.
If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position, please contact [email protected] with the subject line 'Vacancy Query' followed by the job title. We aim to respond within 5 working days.
If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position, please contact [email protected] with the subject line 'Vacancy Query' followed by the job title. We aim to respond within 5 working days.
About
HarperCollins UK is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, with operations in 15 countries. With over two hundred years of history and more than 120 unique imprints around the world, HarperCollins publishes approximately 10,000 new books every year, in 16 languages, and has a print and digital catalogue of more than 200,000 titles. Its authors include Our bestsellers include Bernard Cornwell, Adele Parks, Max Hastings, Rebecca F. Kuang, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It is the publisher of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series., and legendary titles by legacy authors J.R.R. Tolkien, Agatha Christie and C.S. Lewis. It is home to Paddington and Winnie-the-Pooh, and beloved books by Judith Kerr, Rob Biddulph and Michael Morpurgo, and brands such as Mr Men & Little Miss, Thomas & Friends and Minecraft. The Collins education division is a pioneer in reference publishing and develops market-leading dictionaries, atlases and bibles as well as state-of-the-art online learning platforms which supplement its award-winning books for primary and secondary school students.
Skills Required
- Experience working within the publishing industry at Assistant Editor or Editor level, or equivalent
- Genuine passion for romantic fiction and avid reading across the genre
- Commercial mindset with comfort using data to identify and act on revenue opportunities
- Strong knowledge of the digital fiction market and emerging trends, particularly UK romance readers
- Familiarity with or strong interest in the Amazon and Kindle ecosystem, including Kindle Unlimited and platform algorithms
- Experience managing metadata for multiple titles
- Proven project management skills for high-volume schedules
- Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines
- Evidence of using data and analysis to influence decisions and drive commercial outcomes
- Practical experience using AI tools to support workflow, with awareness of company policy
- Willingness to continually learn and develop publishing and commercial expertise
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively while using initiative and executing tasks independently
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The Company
What We Do
HarperCollins Publishers is a global consumer book publisher headquartered in New York and operating across 15 countries through more than 120 branded imprints. It publishes approximately 10,000 new books annually in 16 languages, maintaining a catalog of more than 250,000 print and digital titles. The company works with authors across numerous genres to entertain, educate, and inspire readers worldwide for generations.
