Publishing Coordinator, UD Press

Pay Grade: 29E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press inspires the intellectual, scholarly and creative achievement of our community.  We are strongly committed to diversity within our community and fostering safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces and opportunities where everyone has an equal opportunity to learn, create, and grow. We welcome those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. We collaborate with strategic campus partners to achieve these priorities, as well as with national professional organizations. 

The University of Delaware Press is a leading scholarly publisher in numerous fields, including: Literary Studies, especially Early Modern literature; Eighteenth-Century Studies; French literature and culture; and Art History. It also publishes works of regional significance, cultivating growing list areas in Material Culture and Transatlantic Studies. The Press currently publishes 12-15 titles per year through a partnership with Rutgers University Press under which Rutgers produces and publishes University of Delaware Press titles in print and electronic formats, distributes those books through its sales and vendor channels, and assists in marketing and publicity. 

Under the general supervision of the Press Director, the Publishing Coordinator works in a wide range of areas essential to press operations, including marketing, editorial, metadata, and administrative work. The Publishing Coordinator provides vital support for the press’s expanding open access and digital publishing profile, and its regionally focused series aimed at the general public, Delaware History and Culture. This Publishing Coordinator positions the Press to continue publishing and ensuring equitable access to high-quality scholarship, while increasing output and expanding into new areas and forms of publication.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Marketing

• Assist in crafting and executing marketing the Press’s annual marketing strategy: manage multiple calendars; execute web and social media promotion;  meet deadlines for advertisements; award applications, and conference materials and displays; identify and pursue additional marketing and publicity opportunities.
• Travel to academic and professional conferences as a representative of the Press to staff exhibit booths, liaise with authors and prospective authors, and sell books.
• Participate in in outreach to regional institutions and potential partners about the Delaware History and Culture series. Design basic marketing materials, such as flyers, advertisements, and web/social media graphics.

Editorial

• Assist in editorial review of manuscripts, including vetting images and permissions. Prepare and performance final manuscript transmittals to production.
• Triage proposals and manuscript submissions and consult with the Director on responses; write rejection letters to authors.
• Coordinate the review process, including finding and solicit external readers, sending out manuscripts for review, and processing honorarium payments for readers.
• Manage production of open access (OA) publications, including uploading assets to the Press’s OA publishing platform; edit and organize assets; populate the platform with explanatory text and metadata.
• Edit Open Educational Resources (OERs) in support of the Library’s Open and Affordable Teaching Materials grant initiative.

Metadata/Administration

• Serve as a liaison with the Press’s publishing partner on marketing- and metadata-related issues, including conference displays and advertisements, maintenance of the UD Press subsite on the partner’s website, and ensuring integrity of data in the Press’s title management database.
• Manage administrative operations, including maintaining press records tracking manuscripts from submission to production.
• Work with the Director to manage all book records in the title management database, including creating metadata for press titles and tracking incoming reviews.
• Organize press editorial board meetings; take, transcribe, and disseminate meeting minutes.
• Assist with evaluating and updating press procedures and documentation.
• Serve as a member of relevant Library, Museums and Press committees and working groups, as needed.
• Provide functional supervision to student and part-time employees.
• Abide by Press Code of Conduct, in which staff, editorial board members, authors, reviewers, publishing partners, and vendors can carry out our work in a safe professional environment, characterized by mutual respect and a commitment to equity, inclusion, and collaboration.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in English, marketing/communications, or related field, with two years of related experience with print and web-based marketing, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong writing and editing skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively and diplomatically with colleagues and scholars of all levels.
• Aptitude with social media and digital platforms, ability to learn digital tools quickly.
• Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize, and work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively, demonstrating initiative, problem-solving skills, and accountability Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment where responsibilities may shift based on organizational needs.
• Commitment to fostering a diverse educational environment and workplace and an ability to work effectively with a diverse faculty, staff, and student population.
• Strong copyediting skills, familiarity with style guides (CMOS preferred), and a firm grasp of rules of grammar and style, preferred.
• Experience working for a publisher or for an academic journal and/or interest in a career in scholarly publishing, preferred.
• Experience working in WordPress and desktop design software (e.g., InDesign, Adobe Photoshop), preferred.

Special Requirements:

• Ability to travel to conferences and events.
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend events.