Publishing Assistant

ASCD • Full-time • Arlington, VA, US • $45k - $50k / year • 2m ago

POSITION SUMMARY

The Publishing Assistant supports the acquisition, editing, production, and distribution of high-quality ASCD and ISTE books, eBooks, and other publications that generate substantial revenue for the organization. Key responsibilities in this role include communicating with authors and vendors, helping prepare manuscripts for publication, compiling and distributing metadata, coordinating reprints and print-on-demand projects, supporting book promotion and translation efforts, and providing light copyediting and proofreading. In addition, the Publishing Assistant will be responsible for administrative tasks such as responding to e-mail inquiries, monitoring book proposals, processing invoices, running and drafting reports, updating records, documenting procedures, and providing a central point of contact for the team. These responsibilities require strong communication skills and careful attention to detail and accuracy. The individual in this role should be able to work independently and complete multiple tasks under tight deadlines, should be comfortable with or can easily learn publishing and office software and databases, and should be eager to learn about book publishing and the field of K–12 education.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Helps prepare manuscripts for publication by organizing files, facilitating peer review, checking for plagiarism, assisting with permissions, assigning ISBNs and barcodes, submitting and tracking cataloging-in-publication data requests, and creating QR codes and short links that appear in books.
Oversees the post-production process for each book, ensuring key tasks are completed to update records and archives and to distribute copies of books to authors and other stakeholders.
Manages the compilation, distribution, and updating of accurate print and e-book metadata and e-book files to vendors like Amazon.
Coordinates book reprints and print-on-demand projects as needed.
Supports the publishing business by monitoring inquiries and book proposals, setting up royalty records, assisting with contract-related tasks, processing invoices to ensure contractors and vendors are paid promptly, processing eBook sales reports, and running and compiling reports.
Supports authors by drafting quarterly author newsletter, responding to author requests, and assisting with planning author events and other author appreciation efforts.
Supports the marketing and sales of our books, including assisting with quarterly newsletters for readers, conference bookstores and book signings, catalogs, book reviews, website copy, and marketing collateral.
Provides administrative support to an external translation rights agent, including sending books and design files to international publishers, running sales reports, and coordinating translation invoicing and payments.
Participates in teams to improve processes and advance the organization’s goals. Pursues learning activities related to individual goals.

SALARY: $45-50K

Location Preference:

While this position is open to all qualified candidates, preference will be given to candidates who live in the Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia (DMV) areas because of the proximity to our office and the need for occasional in-person collaboration.

Qualifications

Knowledge

A four-year college degree in a related field of study, such as English, journalism, or marketing, is preferred.
Mastery of the English language and familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style.
Proficiency in MS Office, including Word and Excel; Adobe Acrobat Pro; Google Docs; and basic HTML. Familiarity with graphic design and layout software such as Adobe InDesign is a plus.

Skills and Abilities

Superior attention to detail and accuracy.
Ability to stay organized, coordinate and balance multiple priorities, solve problems, and consistently meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
Solid grammar, spelling, and proofreading skills; ability to accurately do basic math.
Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to interact with other staff, vendors, authors, and customers.
Ability to quickly learn and use new software, such as programs for scheduling projects, distributing metadata, calculating royalties, and communicating with colleagues.
Ability to handle days filled with focused, solitary work and days filled with interruptions, competing priorities, and requests for assistance from staff, authors, and vendors.
Ability to adapt to change—in processes, technology, and schedules.

Experience

Experience working in an office environment is preferred.
Experience working with a publishing organization, news organization, nonprofit association, or education-related organization is preferred.
Experience with print and digital publishing processes, including rights and royalties, e-book formats, and metadata distribution, is desirable.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Hybrid position with the expectation to work on-site at least once a week and to travel to assist at conferences up to 3 times a year.
Normal demands are associated with a deadline-driven office environment.
The noise level is generally quiet to moderate.
Daily contact with external customers, vendors, colleagues, associates, supervisors, and staff at all levels of the organization.