Editorial Assistant, Adult Trade

The Vacancy

Editorial Assistant, Bloomsbury Trade Division (Adult Consumer Editorial)

The opportunity

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking Editorial Assistant to join Bloomsbury’s Trade division, the home of authors such as Rutger Bregman, Susanna Clarke, William Dalrymple, Peter Frankopan, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Louise Kennedy and Kate Summerscale.

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 a Publishing Director and an Editorial Director across a dynamic list of non-fiction titles. While some experience is an advantage, a demonstrable passion for books and the industry is a necessity.  

The role

Key tasks and responsibilities will include:

Admin support:

• Diary management
• Book fair schedules
• Coordinating meetings and minute-taking
• Point of contact for authors/agents
• Financial admin: expenses and processing invoices

Editorial support:

• Circulation and reading of submissions and maintaining records
• Pre-acquisition preparation of costings and adding new titles to Biblio
• Responsibility for maintaining title data and list schedule on Biblio and handling updates
• AI writing and preparation for Start-Up meetings
• Clearing permission for author photographs and organising photo shoots
• Jacket briefing and research of comparative titles
• Writing cover copy
• Checking of publicity and marketing materials, including catalogues
• Maintaining proof spreadsheets and organising mailings
• Distribution of finished copies to author and agent
• Maintaining quote sheets
• Handling post-publication corrections
• Epub checking

This is not an exhaustive list of duties.

Knowledge, skills and experience 

• A demonstrable passion for publishing is essential. The successful candidate will have real market awareness 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 Pay Point: £27,000

The role is based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid-working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred). Allocated office days for this role are Monday and Tuesday.

As an Assistant role, this position is eligible for Bloomsbury’s Rental Deposit Loan Scheme. To assist candidates who want to start and to establish a career in publishing, Bloomsbury 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 and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by Friday 4th of October 2024. 

For best results, please use a desktop to apply as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal.

Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Working Pattern

• hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)

Holidays

• 25 days holiday
• 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Other Benefits

• 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. The minimum period for Working Anywhere is one week, the maximum period is two weeks.
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom, Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers, Multi-Faith) and 21 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK – Bloomsbury Publishing do not sponsor visa applications

The Book Trade Charity provide financial assistance for people looking to get into the publishing industry; you can find more information and talk directly here: http://booktradeentrysupport.org

The Company

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Bloomsbury Publishing 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. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read Our Story for how it all began. 

 Bloomsbury 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. We are determined to nurture and develop our employees to reach their highest potential, and we know that our success is down to the passion, commitment and hard work of our talented people. We recognise the urgent need to attract and support applicants from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry, allowing diverse voices to reflect and shape our culture and society.

Please read more on our Missions and Values here.

Please read our environmental policy here.