Production Manager - eBooks & Backlist

Production Manager Of eBooks & Backlist

Do you have a passion for the craft of book production, where precision, creativity, and innovation come together? At Sourcebooks, we're looking for a Production Manager of eBooks & Backlist who brings deep technical expertise, leadership, and a love of books to a fast-moving publishing environment. This is an opportunity to make a true impact by ensuring our backlist and digital titles reach readers with the highest level of quality, accuracy, and care.

As Production Manager of eBooks & Backlist, reporting to the Associate Director of Production, you'll lead a team of Production Specialists responsible for preparing, correcting, quality-checking, and delivering print and digital files. You'll oversee day-to-day workflows, troubleshoot complex production challenges, collaborate across departments, and help refine scalable processes that support speed, accuracy, and innovation. Your leadership will help ensure that every title is produced efficiently, consistently, and to the highest quality standards.

This is an exempt salaried position with a range of $65,000 - $70,000. The location for this position can be hybrid or remote in New York or Naperville, Illinois or remote based in any of the following states:
Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Wisconsin. This role includes some travel with occasional meetings at the home office in Naperville, IL.

• Lead, mentor, and support a team of Production Specialists focused on eBook and backlist production.
• Manage day-to-day production workflows, ensuring projects are assigned, prioritized, and completed on schedule.
• Oversee file preparation, corrections, preflight, quality review, and final delivery for print and digital formats.
• Serve as a technical resource and escalation point for complex file issues, vendor discrepancies, and production blockers.
• Collaborate with Editorial, Production Editorial, Design, Marketing, vendors, and other cross-functional teams to meet project goals.
• Ensure files meet print, digital, art, image, and vendor specifications while maintaining consistency across projects.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, improve documentation, and increase efficiency through best practices and new technologies.
• Support capacity planning, workload balancing, and scheduling decisions by flagging risks and helping the team stay on track.
• Champion a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous learning, and high-quality execution.

• 8+ years of book production experience, including print and digital publishing workflows.
• People management experience with a proven ability to coach, mentor, and build strong teams.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud, especially InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Strong typography, layout, and design skills with a sharp eye for file accuracy and production quality.
• In-depth knowledge of print specifications, file types, preflight standards, and production methods including offset, digital, and POD.
• Experience with eBook production tools and workflows, including XML-based processes and platforms such as Vellum.
• Strong technical troubleshooting skills and the ability to resolve complex production challenges.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and time management skills, with the ability to balance multiple priorities and deadlines.
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset with curiosity, adaptability, and a passion for process improvement.
• Must love books!

We're looking for someone who thrives on solving production challenges, developing people, and improving processes. If you're excited to bring leadership, technical expertise, and innovation to a team that helps books reach readers in their best form, we'd love to hear from you! Ready to Apply:
Please submit your resume, salary requirements, and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and interest in this role. Applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.