Publicity Assistant, Children's

Join Bloomsbury’s Children’s Books, The British Book Awards Children’s Publisher of the Year 2024 and home to perfect picture books, page-turning middle-grade adventures, blockbuster YA fantasy and award-winning non-fiction. Its award-winning, diverse list includes authors and illustrators such as Katherine Rundell, Kalynn Bayron, Catherine Doyle, Jessie Burton, Tom Percival, Katya Balen and Lex Croucher. We are also home to the most famous children’s book brand in the world: Harry Potter.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised team player and invite you to begin your career in publishing in this award-winning and pioneering publicity team, at a time of exciting growth for the company. You will join a highly collaborative and supportive team, reporting into the Publicity Director. As Publicity Assistant, you will be a key member of the team, providing administrative support to ensure its smooth day-to-day running. With responsibilities including the creation of internal and external communications documents, scheduling meetings and liaising with the media and colleagues across the business, this role requires organisation, efficiency, exceptional time management and confident communication skills. You will also assist on campaigns and events, with the opportunity to plan and execute your own.

You don’t need to have set foot in a publishing house before to grab our attention! We are looking for a proactive candidate with initiative and a love of books who will thrive in a fast-paced environment.

In return, we can offer invaluable PR experience, a wide understanding of the publishing process and the opportunity to work with a variety of stakeholders in the industry. You will learn first-hand how we plan and deliver industry-leading PR campaigns, you will get exposure to key external stakeholders such as journalists, booksellers and event organisers and the chance to nurture your own relationships.

Our work is driven by different perspectives and we strive for our culture to be one of belonging. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities.

If you would like to apply, please send a CV and covering letter, which includes a campaign for any book, film, theatre, exhibition (e.g. any arts) that caught your eye and why, and the book you most enjoyed reading in the past year.

The role

• Provide administrative support to the Publicity Director and Children’s Publicity Team, including diary scheduling, processing invoices, taking minutes, booking travel
• Provide campaign support where appropriate for the team, such as booking author travel, inputting spend on budget, organising mailings, accompanying authors to events and interviews and organising events
• Ownership of some publicity campaigns, to develop skillset and knowledge of campaign work, and contribute to the wider department
• Management of departmental processes, including awards management, festivals and conferences, creating internal comms documents, managing departmental invoices, book ordering and more
• Serve as the publicity contact for the public and media, via phone and email so that all communication with external stakeholders is efficient, friendly and given in a timely manner
• Be the first port of call for the publicity team for internal colleagues

Knowledge, skills and experience 

• Excellent organisational and timekeeping skills to deliver tasks within deadline. Ability to prioritise
• Great attention to detail
• Keen interest in media of all forms, such as print, broadcast and online. Including social media and new media to be abreast of changes in the market place
• Strong verbal and written communication skills required for copy editing, writing of press releases etc., and for keeping all stakeholders up-to-date and informed
• Strong relationship building skills, internally and externally, to build on and establish relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Passion for reading to keep abreast of the books Bloomsbury publish as well as the trends in the market place 

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 which includes a campaign for any book, film, theatre, exhibition (e.g. any arts) that caught your eye and why, and the book you most enjoyed reading in the past year by 23rd August 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 (BAME), 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.