Haymarket Books Publicist—full time

Haymarket Books, a radical, independent, nonprofit book publisher based in Chicago, is looking for a full-time publicist.

Haymarket publishes books in a variety of genres and by a diverse array of authors, including Angela Y. Davis, Mohammed El-Kurd, Eve Ewing, Naomi Klein, José Olivarez, Arundhati Roy, Rebecca Solnit, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Howard Zinn, and many others. Haymarket also publishes Haymarket Poetry, an expanding list of critically acclaimed and award-winning contemporary poetry at the intersection of art and politics. 

The publicist will report to the publicity director, and will be responsible for securing reviews, interviews, features, op-eds, and online coverage, and organizing author events for up to 16 new books a year, working across a range of subject areas and genres (including US politics and history, anti-racism, abolition, feminism, labor movement and socialist theory, ecology, and poetry). 

Building and maintaining strong working relationships with Haymarket authors, as well as with national media—broadcast, print, and online—will be central to the job, in addition to working closely with independent media, political organizations, and influencers. Job responsibilities will also include metadata management, assisting with direct marketing campaigns, and creative use of other marketing tools including social media.

A successful candidate should be willing to try new and innovative approaches to publicity and marketing, and will need to represent each title to journalists and editors, booksellers, event coordinators, and others, and to efficiently manage events and publicity campaigns for multiple titles at a time. 

At least two years of experience planning and executing book publicity and marketing campaigns is required, as is an affinity for Haymarket’s publishing mission and familiarity with the books we publish. Preference will be given to candidates based in Chicago and remote candidates based in New York City, though we are open to considering highly qualified remote candidates based elsewhere. A moving stipend is available if relocation to Chicago is needed.

Candidates should be well organized, detail-oriented, able to juggle multiple projects and priorities, have initiative, be collegial and collaborative, and respond well to working under the pressure of deadlines. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, problem-solving skills, and an ability to work both independently and collaboratively are a must. 


Responsibilities
 

• Coordinate all marketing and publicity activities for up to 16 new books a year, including 6-8 books in the Haymarket Poetry series
• Work closely with each author and their editor to tailor a marketing and publicity plan for each book
• Secure interviews, reviews, features, op-eds, and other print and online coverage for all books
• Lead the planning, pitching, logistics, and budget for author events as part of assigned publicity campaigns
• Plan print/online advertising, social media, influencer, email, and direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns
• Create marketing materials and assist in developing metadata for each assigned book
• Assist editor and author in obtaining blurbs and endorsements for each assigned book
• Plan outreach to organizational contacts for bulk purchases
• Work with other publicists to maintain a contact database for media contacts and retain records of contacts made
• Stay up-to-date in select subject matter areas, including following social media trends, media coverage for comparable titles, and key writers and thinkers in the field
• Participate in staff meetings, publicity, marketing, and P&L meetings
• Maintain review quotes and copy updates for assigned titles
• Represent Haymarket at select conferences, trade shows, and literary festivals as assigned (may require some domestic travel)
   

Skills
 

• At least two years of experience planning and executing book publicity and marketing campaigns 
• Experience working creatively to engage a wide range of readers and communities
• Experience in author event programming 
• Experience creating social media content or working with social media in a professional capacity
• Enthusiasm for publicizing contemporary poetry
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and deadlines, and the ability to prioritize work 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly as part of a team
  
   

Start date: ASAP

Salary: starting salary of $57,013 - $62,904, depending on experience and according to Haymarket’s staff salary schedule.

Benefits: 100% of employee and dependent health insurance covered and 50% of partner’s, 401k contribution, 4 weeks paid vacation plus 16 holidays, 2 weeks paid sick leave, 12 weeks paid parental leave, as well as short-term and long-term disability and life insurance

To apply: Please fill out the Google form for this position https://forms.gle/A8oJiMqP7HRws513A

We will only accept applications completed through the form. Applications will be accepted until April 4th. We ask that you attach a resume, but a cover letter is not required. Instead, we have five narrative questions that we will ask you to answer.

Depending on logistics and scheduling, our hiring process generally takes about 4–5 weeks from the job closing to a job offer. We let candidates know after each step in the process, once we’ve made a decision, whether they are moving forward to the next stage or not, so candidates know the status of their application.

Haymarket Books does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a US veteran.