Editorial Assistant, Bloomsbury Children's Books - Harry Potter

Bloomsbury Children’s Books is an award-winning publisher and the original home of the Harry Potter stories. We are creative, friendly and passionate about bringing the joy of reading to children worldwide. We now have a rare opportunity for an Editorial Assistant to join our dedicated Harry Potter division, and become part of the team that publishes beautiful, high quality editions and illustrated companion titles. This is a unique and exciting new position for an organised and dynamic individual who is ready to begin their editorial career.

The role

The Editorial Assistant role is the organisational heart of the team that manages Bloomsbury’s Harry Potter publishing. You will be an excellent communicator, imaginative and motivated, and keen to develop your knowledge of both mono and illustrated colour books.

As a core team member, your key responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the Head of Brand and wider Harry Potter editorial team with administrative, organisational and editorial tasks
• Creating and maintaining bibliographic data, ensuring records are accurate and up to date
• Organising and minuting key departmental meetings
• Communicating in a professional and timely way with external stakeholders, illustrators and their agents, as appropriate
• Organising and assisting with the preparation of editorial content for sales and marketing materials
• As your skills develop, supporting editors with creative tasks including drafting cover copy, proof-reading and researching illustration briefs

Knowledge, skills and experience 

The successful candidate will be energetic, detail-driven and keen to learn. They should be confident at working both independently and alongside others, managing their time effectively and prioritising tasks as necessary. A love of books and reading are essential.

• A highly organised individual with experience of office and administrative work
• Able to demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation
• A widely read book lover with a genuine interest in children’s literature. Familiarity with the Harry Potter stories would be desirable
• Some publishing or related experience an advantage

Additional information

The role is a full-time, permanent position with a salary of £24,000

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 Mondays and Tuesdays.

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 22nd April 2022.

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:

Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier in the week

Season Ticket Loan

Sharesave Scheme

In-house Doctor

Eyecare Voucher Scheme

That Day – online fitness classes, mindfulness, cookery classes, workshops etc.

Company culture! – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (BAME, Disability, Mental Health, LGBTQ+ and Parents, Guardians and Carers), 15 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.

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.