Rights Assistant

Job Title: Rights Assistant
Department: Rights, Macmillan Children’s Books
Contract: Permanent, full-time

We’re looking for a highly organized and detail-oriented individual to join the busy and successful Children’s Rights team, offering administrative support to assist the team in reaching our sales targets. This is an exciting opportunity to join an award-winning publisher at a key point of growth.

Your team:
The Rights Department is responsible for sales of co-edition and subsidiary rights across the whole children’s publishing division, which includes the imprints of Macmillan Children’s Books, Two Hoots, Preschool, Campbell, Kingfisher, Rocket Fox, Priddy and Neon Squid. We work closely with our sister companies in New York and Frankfurt, but also with other international publishers, whether big or small, to find the right homes for our authors and illustrators. We work directly with publishers throughout the world, and through co-agents in some Asian markets.

Your role:
As the Rights Assistant, you will play a pivotal role by facilitating administrative and sales support to help the team reach their targets. You will act as a key point of contact between Rights, Editorial, Royalties, Production, Contracts and other in-house teams, as well as a wide range of external customers.

Your key responsibilities:

• Sales & administrative support: Assist the Children’s Rights team with daily administrative duties to support sales targets.
• Contract administration: Process co-edition and sub-rights contracts end-to-end, from deal agreement to signing and invoicing.
• Database & systems management: Maintain accurate data entries on our publishing database (Biblio) and generate business reports.
• Book fair & trip coordination: Build sales guides, manage fair schedules, organize overseas materials, and send prompt post-event follow-ups.
• Logistics & production liaison: Coordinate customer packing and shipping requirements directly with Production and external buyers.
• Event & fair representation: Attend international book fairs, perform reception duties where applicable, and help manage author/illustrator events.
• Relationship management: Build and sustain strong working relationships with internal colleagues and international partners.

Essential experience, abilities and knowledge you’ll need to succeed:

• Administrative experience: Practical experience in an administrative or office support role, with confidence in managing day-to-day coordination, routine processes, and digital files.
• Organization & prioritization: Strong ability to manage varied priorities, take initiative, and work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Technical confidence & attention to detail: Comfortable using core software (MS Office, Google Suite), adaptable to learning new tools, and committed to high standards of accuracy in your work.
• Communication & languages: Clear written and spoken communication skills, with fluency in an additional language (fluency in Central or Eastern European languages is a bonus, though all foreign languages are welcomed).
• International perspective: Enthusiasm for global children’s publishing, with a readiness to travel to major international book fairs as part of the role.
• Publishing awareness: A foundational understanding of how a rights department operates within a publishing house.
• Industry knowledge: A demonstrable passion for children’s and YA books and the publishing industry, particularly for Macmillan Children’s Books imprints.
• Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring our workplace and publishing reflect the communities we serve.
• Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.
• Curiosity: A genuine drive for learning and a readiness to embrace different perspectives.
• Integrity: A foundation of openness and honesty, taking responsibility for actions and learning from mistakes.

Desirable skills we’d love you to have:

• Industry experience: Experience working in the publishing industry, ideally within rights.
• Biblio familiarity: Experience using the Biblio database system.

What you’ll get in return:
In return we can offer you a range of great projects, a supportive and co…