Do you love dark genre fiction that keeps you turning pages late into the night? Do you have a sharp editorial eye, a knack for market-savvy acquisitions, and a passion for nurturing author voices? If so, Poisoned Pen Press—Sourcebooks’ award-winning imprint for best-in-class genre fiction—wants you on our team.
At Poisoned Pen Press, we blaze trails with inclusive, thought-provoking, and pulse-pounding storytelling across mystery, thriller, horror, suspense, and fantasy. We are the home of #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden, Edgar Award–winning author Sulari Gentill, cozy fantasy writer J. Penner, and Bram Stoker Award nominee Johanna van Veen.
We’re looking for an Associate Editor to help shape the future of our list. This role blends hands-on editorial work with project management and acquisitions, giving you the opportunity to both support our senior editors and independently acquire and develop your own list of titles. You’ll work closely with authors, agents, and internal teams to create books that delight readers and stand out in a competitive marketplace.
This position can be hybrid in Naperville or NYC, or fully remote in the following states ONLY: Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
This is an exempt salaried position between $50,000 - $58,000/annually. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.

What you’ll do:

• Manage assigned titles from acquisition through production, ensuring high-quality and on-time delivery.
• Independently acquire 3–4 titles per season, building your own list within Poisoned Pen Press.
• Collaborate with senior editors to evaluate submissions, negotiate deals, and shape projects for success.
• Provide support to senior staff as needed.
• Conduct market research to identify promising opportunities in mystery, thriller, horror, suspense, and fantasy.
• Perform developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading to polish manuscripts to our standards.
• Write compelling marketing copy, including catalog, back cover, and flap text.
• Coordinate schedules, track title data, and prepare materials for launches, sales conferences, and marketing.
• Maintain strong author and agent relationships, serving as a primary point of contact for assigned projects.

What you bring:

• 3+ years of editorial experience in trade publishing, ideally in genre fiction.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects from acquisition to publication.
• Strong developmental and line editing skills, plus a keen understanding of market trends.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with publishing databases, project management tools, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• A passion for genre fiction and a reader-focused editorial mindset.
• Must Love Books (the spookier the better)!

• Manage assigned titles from acquisition through production, ensuring high-quality and on-time delivery.
• Independently acquire 3–4 titles per season, building your own list within Poisoned Pen Press.
• Collaborate with senior editors to evaluate submissions, negotiate deals, and shape projects for success.
• Provide support to senior staff as needed.
• Conduct market research to identify promising opportunities in mystery, thriller, horror, suspense, and fantasy.
• Perform developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading to polish manuscripts to our standards.
• Write compelling marketing copy, including catalog, back cover, and flap text.
• Coordinate schedules, track title data, and prepare materials for launches, sales conferences, and marketing.
• Maintain strong author and agent relationships, serving as a primary point of contact for assigned projects