The Vacancy

Editorial Assistant, Adult Trade

The opportunity

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking Editorial Assistant to join [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]’s Trade division, the home of authors such as Susanna Clarke, Benjamin Myers, Rutger Bregman, Isabel Allende, William Dalrymple and Abdulrazak Gurnah.

This very busy role offers the exciting first step in an editorial career and a huge opportunity to develop editorial and administrative skills, providing essential support to an Editorial Director and Publishing Director across a dynamic list of fiction and non-fiction titles. While some experience is an advantage, a demonstrable passion for books and the industry is a necessity.

The Role

This role is dual focused with editorial and administrative tasks:

• Work closely with the Editorial Director and Senior Editor across their fiction and non-fiction titles
• Ensure all titles are on track on the critical path from acquisition to publication and beyond, and reporting on progress in weekly production meetings
• Take a lively interest in the editors’ books
• Prepare cover briefs, cover and catalogue copy and more
• Managing proof mailings
• Circulating jackets for approval and proof-reading files for press
• Compiling text corrections and pages of praise for paperback titles
• Support the publishing of a book by attending book-related events
• Maintaining excellent relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Building a friendly and professional rapport with internal teams, authors, agents and agents’ assistants
• Assist with scheduling and making arrangements for internal and external meetings
• Book fair schedule management
• Ad hoc processing of invoices
• Coordinating and circulating agendas, minutes and action points after meetings
• Mailing out contractual copies
• Collating and organising key updates on sales, marketing and publicity as required
• Maintaining a submissions log
• Maintenance of Biblio records

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A demonstrable passion for publishing is essential. The successful candidate will have real market awareness across fiction and non-fiction, and be able to talk about books in the market
• Ability to work efficiently and prioritise tasks as they come in
• Excellent communication and time-management skills
• Top-notch project management skills, good organisation and meticulous attention to detail
• Creative thinker who can contribute to discussions on submissions
• Impeccable spelling, grammar and punctuation
• Some experience an advantage, but this can be in a related field, including arts administration or bookselling

Additional Information

The role is a full-time, permanent position. Salary: £27,000 per annum. The role is based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP. This position is eligible for [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal]’s Rental Deposit Loan Scheme. To assist candidates who want to start and to establish a career in publishing, [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] offers an interest-free rental deposit to support securing somewhere to live. The rental deposit loan can be up to £3,000 and will be paid back over 2 years.

Please apply with a CV (Word or PDF format only) and answer the application questions via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by 23:59 on Wednesday 29th of April 2026. For best results, please use a desktop to apply as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal. [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

[Employer hidden] Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] offers the following competitive benefits package:

• Hybrid working pattern: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)
• 25 days holiday plus 3.5 days Christmas company holiday
• Two paid Personal Wellness Days
• Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 30 minutes earlier in the week
• Work Anywhere Fortnight - For two weeks of any calendar year
• Season Ticket Loan
• Learning & Development – Free access to LinkedIn Learning, BookMachine Campus, InRehearsal & IPG Skills Hub
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• Ride to Work Scheme
• Peppy Health App
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme
• EAP Advice and Counselling
• Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks, Mental Health First Aiders

The Company

[Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] Publishing Plc. is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. [Employer hidden — sign up to reveal] is committed to creating a working environment that stimulates creativity and collaboration, is respectful of difference, is inclusive and ethical in its practice, and promotes well-being.