Digital Book Production & eBook Coordinator at Media24 (Pty) Ltd

Job Description

• Jonathan Ball Publishers has a vacancy for Digital Book Production & eBook Coordinator in its Cape Town offices. This position will report directly to the Production Manager and requires a detail-oriented individual with strong organisational skills and the ability to work accurately under pressure.
• The ideal candidate has some experience in print or ebook production, or is a graduate with a lively interest in digital book production and sees a future for themselves in this field.

Key responsibilities:

• Ebook production: Coordinate the complete digital (ebook) production process, from proof stage to final eBook files.
• Quality Assurance: Proof, test, and troubleshoot eBooks on various devices and platforms (Kindle, Apple, Kobo, Bluefire).’
• Quality Control: Use of eBook validation tools (e.g. EPUBCheck) and device emulators.
• Digital Asset Coordination: Effective organisation, archiving, and version control of digital files.

Technical skills:

• Computer literate: Basic understanding of MS Word, Outlook and Excel and Adobe Acrobat
• eBook Formats: A good understanding of the different digital book formats and applicability (EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and fixed-layout versus reflowable layout).
• Metadata: A basic understanding of best practices for metadata to optimise discoverability and sales.
• Language skills: Fluency in both English and Afrikaans, as the role requires checking ebooks in both these languages

Bonus Skills

• DRM: Basic knowledge of digital rights management (DRM)
• HTML & CSS: Intermediate skills for editing and troubleshooting eBook files.
• XML: An understanding of XML for metadata and content structure.

Soft skills:

• Excellent organisational abilities
• Time management/scheduling; ability to coordinate multiple projects and different deadlines at the same time.
• Meticulous; will ensure accuracy in formatting, metadata, and file quality.
• Problemsolver; will proactively identify and resolve technical, production, and workflow issues.
• Good communicator; clear and professional communication with different team members (publishers, designers, IT, etc.) and vendors.
• Customer focus; understands the needs of readers and internal stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• A tertiary qualification in publishing or a relevant field, or
• Experience working in a similar or related role in the production team of a publishing house

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICANTS: 10 APRIL 2026