GOLDEN BAOBAB LITERARY SERVICES PROGRAMS OFFICER
Over the past four years, the Golden Baobab Prize has inspired African writers to create over 850 children's stories many of which are brilliant gems but which remain unpublished - a situation that's not okay with us. We want these stories (and the many more to come through the Golden Baobab Prize) to go out into the world, in various formats, to inspire the imaginations of generations of African children. Our Literary Services Programs Officer will develop, manage and implement Golden Baobab’s production program. You will engineer several publishing and co-publishing arrangements to see Golden Baobab Prize stories out to children all over the continent and around the world. You will aggressively seek out and sign our stories and authors to new markets and into many languages, negotiating stellar deals on their behalf and consistently representing their best interests. You will spearhead the establishment of a Golden Baobab imprint so we can publish what we want, how we want to. Your daily mantra will be "oh, the many places I shall take Golden Baobab stories and the authors and illustrators who made them!" To be successful, you should have a deep passion for books and for Africa. You must be an excellent negotiator, a creative strategic thinker, a hardened problem solver and a solid project manager who thrives on making sense out of complexities. Prior publishing experience is a huge plus. This is a full-time position based in Accra. It may require some travel. Preference will be given to candidates with authorization to work in Ghana.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
Publishing Partnerships
- Take responsibility for the development, planning and coordination of all publishing and production projects;
- Identify and secure publishing and production partnerships for stories from the Golden Baobab Prize;
- Evaluate manuscripts to determine if an author’s work can be sold and to whom;
- Connect writers and illustrators to leading publishers and content producers (film, animation, theater, games, apps etc.) across Africa and around the world;
- Negotiate stellar contracts and royalties for Golden Baobab authors and illustrators;
- Work closely with publishers to ensure that content is produced to a high quality and in a timely manner.
- Golden Baobab Imprint
- Spearhead development of Golden Baobab’s Publishing Imprint;
- Serve as project manager for the imprint’s production of stories to various media such as print books, audio books, digital books etc;
- Keep up-to-date with developments and the evolving nature of the publishing industry and media, as well as, relevant legislation, new technologies and new ways of selling books.
- Constantly establish new contacts and maintain a network of literary, media and arts representatives;
- Meet publishers, editors and producers at various book fairs, conventions and events.
- Manage intellectual property rights and contracts;
- Manage payments with publishers/producers on behalf of authors, illustrators;
- Establish financial framework for the business side of production;
- Take on any other responsibilities or tasks that are within your skills and abilities as needed by organization;
- Serve as the main point of contact for correspondence between the organization, authors, publishers, producers, and other relevant parties in various production processes;
- Work tirelessly to help select Golden Baobab authors and illustrators to become more successful.
- Relentless problem solver who uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answer;
- Disciplined thinker and strategist who is able to make sense out of complexity;
- Innovative self-starter with proven track record of transforming ideas into reality;
- Possesses entrepreneurial astuteness necessary to seek maximum return for writers, illustrators and the organization and for sighting opportunities from afar and seizing them for the organization;
- Relates well to all kinds of people; builds constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact to diffuse high-tension situations;
- Exceptional competence in verbal and written communication;
- Superior organizational skills and able to exercise considerable individual judgment; attention to detail and an ability to manage projects with competing deadlines;
- Enjoys working hard and can be counted on to exceed goals successfully;
- Great team player who is committed to and contributes to the success of other members of the team;
- Adept at marshalling resources (people, funding, material, support) to make a lot happen from very little;
- Relentless and versatile learner who is open to change and who analyses both successes and failures to find clues for improvement;
- Excited by the thought of being an early stage employee at a startup that has the potential to touch the lives of children all over the world;
- Unquestionably committed to Golden Baobab’s mission;
- Passionate about Africa, Children, Literature, and Social Enterprises;
- Can commit to this position for a minimum of 3 years.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Competitive salary. Health Insurance, 21 days paid leave, Social Security contribution, communications reimbursements, quarterly team outings, quarterly leadership seminars, the satisfaction of building something new that can make a difference, all the children’s books you can read! Please understand - although Golden Baobab operates as a social enterprise, we are a nonprofit organization and while our salaries are in line with similar sized nonprofit organizations, we cannot compete with for-profit salaries.
DEADLINE: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants are advised to apply immediately. Work to begin as soon as possible.
APPLICATION PROCESS: Submit a letter of interest, resume, and a short writing sample. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We thank all applicants.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For queries/ submissions: team@goldenbaobab.org
Website: http://www.goldenbaobab.org/
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