Acquisitions Editor - Africana Studies

The University of Virginia Press (UVAP) seeks an innovative, productive, and experienced editor to acquire and develop 18-23 new book projects each year in the areas of African, African American, and African Diaspora Studies. This full-time staff position reports to the Press Director.

UVAP has a deep backlist of high-caliber books in these subject areas and within series including the Carter G. Woodson Institute Series, New World Studies, CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, and Reconsiderations in Southern African History, as well as in recently launched series such as The Black Military Experience and Race, Place, and Space. The acquiring editor will enhance this list with new acquisitions in Black history, literature, and culture in multidisciplinary and diasporic perspective. This might include new books in Black Media Studies, African Transnationalism, the History of African American Education, African American Economic History, the African American Experience in the South, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latin American, or other areas of interest. This editor will actively work to raise the profile of UVAP in the field of Africana Studies.

The Africana Studies Editor will be responsible for soliciting, reviewing, and developing proposals and manuscripts for exceptional scholarly and trade books, acting as primary liaison with those authors, managing all aspects of the editorial process, applying for grant monies, and overseeing the books through the entire course of publication.

Key Responsibilities

• Working with the Press Director to create a strategic plan for developing the Africana Studies list. 
• Collaborating with outside editors of assigned series.
• Conceptualizing new projects and identifying appropriate authors. Managing the peer review process.
• Presenting projects with a preliminary financial plan to the in-house publication committee, as well as to UVAP’s faculty editorial board.
• Applying to appropriate grant-making sources for book and series support.
• Negotiating, in collaboration with the Director, publication contracts.
• Working with authors and the Acquisitions Coordinator on manuscript development, preparation, revisions, and formatting.
• Collaborating with Editorial Design and Production (EDP) Manager and staff on copyediting, design, and production.
• Working with Sales and Marketing on concepts for packaging, reviewing catalogue and jacket copy, and strategizing with Publicity for promotion of all assigned titles.
• Responsibility for acquisitions in other fields as agreed. 

The Africana Studies Editor should have a dynamic, original, and forward-looking vision for the Press’s list and should possess strong project conceptualization skills. The Press has strong relationships with university faculty, scholarly associations, and partner organizations throughout Virginia and beyond.  In addition, the acquiring editor will be expected to develop networks of advisors and editorial contacts in the relevant fields beyond existing partners and networks. The Editor should be prepared to identify suitable authors for Press-initiated projects, travel to conferences and campuses, develop and maintain a broad familiarity with the significant literature in the field, nurture existing institutional relationships, and stay abreast of current trends in academia and scholarly publishing. The Africana Studies Editor will be encouraged to develop projects with gifted new authors and diverse voices. 

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree is required.
• At least 5 years of book publishing experience at a university press, scholarly publisher, or a trade publisher--preferably with a complementary list.

Desired Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will have a strong and proven record of acquisitions in African, African American, or African Diaspora Studies.   
• Experience with planning and project management.
• Excellent verbal and written communications, with strong teamwork and interpersonal skills are required.
• Experience with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook preferred. 

More Information

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

We are currently following a hybrid work schedule requiring attendance two days per week in the Charlottesville office.

This position will remain open until filled. Review of applications will begin on October 24th with a start date of November 2022. This is an Exempt level, benefited position. For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit www.hr.virginia.edu/benefits. Salary is commensurate with education and experience. Relocation funds are available. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

This position will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Jon Freeman, Academic Recruiter at jf2sw@virginia.edu.

Apply

Please apply through Workday, and search for R004090 Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching ‘Find Jobs.’ Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV
• Cover Letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.