Assistant Editor, General Fiction

We have a brilliant opportunity to work with our bestselling General Fiction list, working to support our Publisher and a Publishing Director, as part of our busy, friendly General Fiction team of 9. It’s a role that offers a wide range of responsibilities, including administrative tasks, and we’re looking for someone who is passionate about popular fiction and great storytelling, about reaching readers in all kinds of ways and who loves romcoms. 

The job involves supporting two busy publishers, and the authors the candidate will be working with range from big brand authors to debut romcoms. We are looking for someone with trade publishing experience who is hungry to learn, fascinated by the market, its trends and its community, and strongly engaged with social media channels around reading and books.

Key Responsibilities

Editorial:

• Working closely with the Publisher and a Publishing Director to give editorial support on their authors

• Managing all aspects of production on their titles and seeing them through the production process, including booking freelancers

• Doing structural and line edits as needed or alongside the Publisher/Publishing Director and working with the author

• Checking copy-edits, resolving queries and collating page proofs

• Doing ebook editorial checks

• Writing and preparing cover and launch briefs, and cover copy

• Creating Advance Information sheets to key sales deadlines, monitoring and updating them

• Inputting metadata across all relevant titles and monitoring it – including checking Amazon - to ensure it remains relevant and up to date

• Proof-reading cover runouts, author presentations, short stories and other texts, as well as sales and marketing material, eg catalogues, rights sheets, presenters

• Creating author questionnaires, reading group questions and other extra content

• Reading and reporting speedily on submissions shared by the Publisher or Publishing Director

Administration:

• Liaison on Publisher’s behalf with authors, agents, and other departments

• Provide advance/sample materials to internal divisions

• Organising purchase orders and processing invoices

• Supplying TCM figures, international sales figures and overall sales analysis

• Raising new contracts

• Ordering gratis copies for authors

• Taking minutes when necessary at Publisher’s inhouse meetings

• Sending out proofs for advance quotes

Experience and Skills Required

• Minimum one year’s previous experience in Trade Editorial

• Project-management experience – effective at multi-tasking, with the ability to cope in a pressurised environment

• Direct liaison with author, agents, and other departments within the publishing company

• Editing and writing copy experience

• Reliable and demonstrates initiative

• Effective communicator at all levels

• A creative flair combined with a keen eye for detail

• Advanced MS Word and Intermediate Excel and Outlook

Benefits 

Hybrid working model (2+ days in the office) 

28 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days) 

Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave 

Private healthcare cover and life assurance 

Summer Hours  

Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24 hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal 

Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme 

Relocation Rent Support Loan  

Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC 

Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programmes 

Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers 

Gym membership discount 

Onsite physiotherapy (London only) 

Charitable donation matching and  2 volunteering days 

We're a certified Carbon Neutral company 

Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and discounts on books 

Subsidised canteen and retail discounts 

Onsite prayer room 

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to [email removed - click apply for more details] with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.

Please note, if you are interested in the role you would need to submit your application via Applied. We do not accept email applications.