News from a blue world
What the group publishes, where to find it, and news from publishing, bookselling and the cultural industries.
Careers
We are building
We are building
everything, fast.
A group of eight companies, three countries, and almost everything still to write. The roles below are functions to be created, with the freedom that comes with it.
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Open roles
11 roles
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Editor, general literature
Several openingsYou build your share of the French-language list and you defend it: general literature, narrative non-fiction and current affairs.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Read, select and defend projects before the editorial committee
- Support authors from manuscript to final version: structure, rewriting, copy-editing
- Set the publication schedule and the budget of each title with production
- Prepare the launch with sales, press and the bookshops in the network
- Identify with the rights team the titles to take abroad or to the screen
Who we are looking for
- Three to five years of editorial experience, or a bookselling background combined with a practice of critical reading
- The ability to defend a text, in writing and out loud
- Fluent French, a good level of English for exchanges with New York
- A taste for cross-functional work: you will talk production, sales and rights
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Editor, general literature
Several openingsYou build the group English-language list, from first manuscripts to translations from the French backlist.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Read, select and defend projects before the editorial committee
- Support authors through to the final version of the text
- Choose the French titles to be translated and oversee the translation work
- Prepare the launch with North American sales and the press
- Work with the Paris team on the titles common to both lists
Who we are looking for
- Three to five years of editorial experience in English-language publishing
- English as a first language or equivalent, fluent French
- Knowledge of the North American market and its recommendation channels
- A taste for cross-functional work
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Reading committee manager
The call for a hundred authors will produce a large volume of applications. You build the system that makes it possible to read them all and to answer within the promised time.
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Responsibilities
- Set up the intake, sorting and allocation process for manuscripts
- Recruit, train and lead the team of readers, in-house and freelance
- Guarantee a reasoned answer to every author within six weeks
- Write the reading reports for the editorial committee
- Track the indicators: volume received, average turnaround, acceptance rate
Who we are looking for
- Experience of a reading committee, a literary prize or a review
- Organisational rigour: the role is as much about method as about reading
- Ease in writing, including when turning someone down with consideration
- Professional French and English
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Reading committee manager
The same system for the English-language list: structuring the reading, supervising readers, holding the response deadlines.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Set up the intake and sorting process for English-language manuscripts
- Recruit and lead the team of readers
- Guarantee a reasoned answer to every author within six weeks
- Write the reading reports for the editorial committee
- Track the processing indicators
Who we are looking for
- Experience of a reading committee or an editorial programme
- Native English or equivalent
- Organisational rigour and ease in writing
- French appreciated for exchanges with Paris
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Art director
You define what our books look like, from the first collection template to the augmented features that extend them.
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Responsibilities
- Design the graphic identity of the collections and the cover templates
- Lead illustrators, designers and photographers, in-house and freelance
- Work with production on papers, finishes and binding
- Design the complementary content with authors: augmented reality, holograms, audio
- Hold the visual coherence across the houses of the group
Who we are looking for
- Five years of art direction experience, ideally in publishing or the press
- A portfolio showing complete collections
- Production literacy: you know what a graphic choice costs at print
- Curiosity for augmented formats
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Production manager
You turn files into books, at the right price, on the right date, and according to the group production policy.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Choose papers, formats, finishes and printers, negotiate and follow quotes
- Establish unit costs and defend them with the editors
- Hold the production schedule, from press proof to delivery
- Apply our policy: printing close to markets, certified papers, no pulping
- Organise the second life of unsold copies with sales and charity partners
Who we are looking for
- Three years of experience in publishing production or in a printing house
- Command of unit costs and supplier negotiation
- Knowledge of the environmental constraints of the paper industry
- Fluent English, French appreciated
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Sales and bookseller partnerships manager
Several openingsYou open the list to booksellers, chains and press networks, and you build the relationship that will bring our titles back onto the tables.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Present the new titles to booksellers and negotiate commercial terms
- Grow the network of corners hosted by partners
- Organise author tours, signings and bookshop events
- Follow placements, restocking and returns
- Work with the group bookshops without favouring them
Who we are looking for
- Experience in sales representation or distribution, or a spell in bookselling
- An established network among French-speaking booksellers
- A taste for the field: the role involves regular travel
- Fluent French, professional English
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Sales and bookseller partnerships manager
Several openingsYou build North American distribution, from independent bookshops to the major chains.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Present the new titles to booksellers and negotiate commercial terms
- Grow the network of corners across the territory
- Organise author tours and bookshop events
- Follow placements, restocking and returns
- Work with the group bookshops without favouring them
Who we are looking for
- Experience in sales or distribution in North American publishing
- An established network among booksellers and retail chains
- A taste for the field and availability to travel
- Native English or equivalent
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Foreign rights manager
You make the list travel: translations, adaptations, co-editions.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Sell translation and adaptation rights to foreign publishers
- Prepare and hold the meetings at the trade fairs, starting with Frankfurt
- Write the pitches and presentation material in English
- Negotiate and follow contracts through to royalty statements
- Spot the foreign titles that could join our lists
Who we are looking for
- Two to four years in a rights department, a literary agency or with a scout
- Perfect English, a third language appreciated
- Knowledge of contractual practice in at least two foreign markets
- Availability for the fairs: Frankfurt, London, Bologna
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Foreign rights manager
The same role from London, with the English-language markets and the Commonwealth as its main territory.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Sell translation and adaptation rights to foreign publishers
- Cover the English-language markets and the Commonwealth
- Prepare and hold the meetings at the trade fairs
- Negotiate and follow contracts through to royalty statements
- Spot the titles to bring into the group’s lists
Who we are looking for
- Two to four years in a rights department or a literary agency
- Native English or equivalent, French appreciated
- Knowledge of British and American contractual practice
- Availability for the fairs
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Bookshop manager
You open and run a bookshop in the network, with the connected features that make it distinctive.
See the full description
Responsibilities
- Build the range and the commercial programme of the shop
- Recruit and lead the team of booksellers
- Steer the operating account: stock, margin, turnover
- Organise events, readings and signings
- Keep the connected features alive: interactive windows, in-store ordering, click and collect
Who we are looking for
- Experience as a bookshop manager or deputy in a cultural retail chain
- Command of stock management and commercial indicators
- A taste for recommending books and for customer relationships
- Fluent English, French appreciated for the French-language backlist
No role matches this filter. You can still send a speculative application below.
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How we recruit
- An answer for everyone Every application receives an answer within two weeks, positive or not. We ask this of our industry for authors; we apply it to candidates.
- Three interviews at most A conversation with the team concerned, a professional interview, a meeting with the management. Beyond that it is no longer recruitment but indecision.
- An exercise, when it clarifies Depending on the role, a short exercise shows the work rather than describing it. The brief, the time expected and the use that will be made of it are stated in advance.
- Published salary ranges Every role carries its range. You know before the first interview what the job is worth here, and we do not waste your time.