UW PRESS ACQUISITIONS FELLOW

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

The University of Washington Press seeks to increase diversity in scholarly publishing by providing a fourteen-month fellowship in our acquisitions department.

UW Press has an outstanding opportunity for an Acquisitions Fellow.

Through this temporary, full-time entry-level position, the fellow will be immersed in the acquisitions department of a leading scholarly press, working closely with senior acquisitions editors, authors, and projects through the entire acquisitions process. In this experience, the fellow's main role will be to coordinate and support the work of evaluating, developing, and acquiring book-length manuscripts for publication by UW Press. Through this experience, they will learn how editors identify emerging areas of scholarship, work with authors to develop manuscripts, manage the process of peer review and revision, present projects for approval, and represent them through each stage of publication. The fellow will also work with other press departments including marketing, design, manuscript editorial, and production on behalf of specific book projects, and may take on additional projects to gain a deeper understanding of these other publishing areas.

In addition to excellent organization and communication skills, the fellow is expected to have an understanding of a wide range of scholarly topics in order to appropriately research and recommend peer reviewers for scholarly content. The fellow will learn to read and evaluate manuscript proposals for quality and suitability for the Press's publishing program. Working directly with authors after manuscripts are accepted for publication, the fellow will respond to technical questions regarding copyright issues, copyediting considerations, and image quality. The fellow must use utmost tact and discretion in handling confidential material and sensitive communications.
This position has been certified for representation by SEIU 925.  Agreements between UW and SEIU may result in changes in the terms and conditions of your employment, including the title of your appointment. 

Dates of employment are June 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Assist editorial director and other acquisitions editors with evaluation of book manuscripts.

• Screen manuscript proposals, research competing books, potential course adoptions, areas of growth in emerging fields, and potential expert peer reviews contacting peer reviewers and tracking reviews; write book descriptions.
• Prepare materials for internal editorial approval and launch meetings.
• Guide authors on manuscript formatting, art preparation, and permissions.
• Attend in-house acquisitions, editorial review, press committee, transmittal, and launch meetings.
• Assist with contract requests, production cost estimates, and financial projections for projects.
• Represent UW Press and interact with authors and book buyers at academic conferences. Travel to and participate in two Association of University Presses annual conferences.
• Perform other acquisitions department tasks as assigned by editorial director.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, plus proven ability to efficiently handle multiple long-term projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office.
• Ability and desire to work both independently and cooperatively in a highly collaborative environment.
• Commitment to using an understanding of the diversity of human experiences in developing, recruiting, and marketing manuscripts and books.
• This is an entry level position with no prior work experience requirement.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED:

• Graduate level course work and/or advanced degree.
• Evidence of superior academic achievement, either in fields relevant to diversity or in fields that correlate to the major lists of the University of Washington Press.
• Commitment to pursuing a career in academic publishing.
• Sustained personal engagement with low income communities and/or communities within the U.S. that are underrepresented in publishing and a demonstrated ability to bring the understandings gleaned from such engagement to the daily work of academic publishing. 

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Position may occasionally require attendance at publication events outside normal working hours.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.