Editorial Assistant, Avon

As Editorial Assistant, you will provide administrative and editorial support across the division.

In addition to this, the editorial assistant will be a key voice in the acquisitions process, reading submitted manuscripts alongside the rest of the team and managing the open submissions inbox on behalf of the division. As well as taking ownership of administrative duties, there will be regular opportunities for the successful candidate to develop their editorial skills, working on edits alongside editors and assisting with creative briefs for books. In time, the editorial assistant will take on their own authors under the supervision of a managing editor.

This role is ideally suited to an organised and detail-focused candidate who has both initiative and energy. They will have a keen interest in commercial fiction and be excited at the prospect of applying creative flair to the editorial process, ensuring that our publishing continues to stand out at the forefront of a competitive market.

About Avon:

Avon is a division of HarperCollins, one of the UK’s most prolific, diverse and innovative multi-platform publishers. Specialising in commercial, high-volume fiction, Avon publishes a wide range of titles across crime, women’s fiction and saga, for a predominantly female readership. Selling through both the high street and the supermarkets, Avon is a leader in trend-setting commercial fiction, with million-copy bestsellers C.L. Taylor, Helen Fields and Sue Moorcroft to its name. Avon titles are frequently seen at the top of the ebook charts, as well as in the Sunday Times bestseller lists.

Avon offers the opportunity for employees to contribute to discussions across the division, ensuring constant learning and development opportunities as new projects arise. As an exciting, market-leading division, Avon prides itself on being at the forefront of digital and industry developments, continually challenging the norm and aiming for best-in-class commercial fiction at all times.

Key Responsibilities

Editorial:

• Assisting with the team’s desk editing, preparing prelims and taking ownership for proof checking, collation and amendments as required.

• Assisting the team with digital production processes, including back ad creation and Ebook quality assurance checks.

• Reading submissions, submitting reader reports, managing the submissions log and updating it on a weekly basis.

• Weekly updates of key minutes, including editorial, cover art, hot titles and acquisitions, along with AOB, ensuring that minutes are printed out and brought to each meeting.

• Managing freelance editorial bookings for the team and updating the schedule as necessary, bringing it to the weekly production meetings.

• Shadowing editors on editorial work as necessary.

• Taking on responsibility for authors as arranged, with assistance from a designated managing editor.

• Proofreading jacket copy, catalogue copy, AIs, and divisional documents as necessary.

• Writing copy as required.

• Creating cover briefs and briefing designers, liaising between them and the team over the course of the process.

• Ebook editorial checks as required.

• Voucher proof checking.

• Liaising with the production team and editors, helping to ensure critical path is met.

General:

• Offer support to the Publisher and Editorial Director as necessary, as well as other members of the editorial team.

• Collating weekly competitor covers for editorial meeting.

• Cover administration and liaising with external designers as required.

• Raising purchase orders as necessary.

• Responsibility for diary management for team meetings, in particular weekly editorial and cover art meetings.

• Collating monthly round-up and circulating promptly.

• Sending out monthly email to team requesting new manuscripts which will then be forwarded to the Rights and International teams, along with collected Avon ‘good news’.

• Sending books to authors and agents as requested.

• Responsibility for updating the Avon presentations – such as the biyearly rights presentation – with new jackets and info as necessary.

• Ensuring the Avon bookshelves are updated monthly around the building with new titles.

• Monthly stock checks of Avon books, ordering more in when necessary and returning surplus to stock, and ensuring that the Avon book shelves are kept neat and tidy.

• Ensuring we have file copies of all new books.

• Handling book orders and author orders on behalf of the team.

• Pulling together Powerpoint presentations as requested for the team.

• Collating and updating an author and agent master list, with updated contact details.

• Updating Avon’s all-title spreadsheet with new books as they publish.

• Responsibility for organising Avon Christmas cards and author presents, ensuring that these are delivered in a timely manner.

• Central point of contact for event attendance (for both authors and editors), for example Harrogate Crime Festival, HC Summer Party, Digital Day, and other events as they arise.

• Assisting the team to ensure all authors receive celebratory presents on pub day.

Experience and Skills Required:

• Significant administrative and organisation experience

• An effective multi-tasker, with experience of coping in a pressurised environment

• Effective communicator at all levels

• Excellent attention to detail

• Advanced MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint

• Reliable, with the ability to use own initiative

• Passion for commercial fiction

• Interested in digital publishing

• Proactive and flexible

Benefits

• Hybrid working model (3 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, Pride at HC, Social Mobility Network and Neurodiversity at Work

• 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

• Green Electric/Hybrid Car Benefit Scheme (salary sacrifice)

• With Trees for Life we plant a tree in the Highlands of Scotland for every permanent hire

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

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts 

• Onsite prayer room 

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking internships or entry level positions. For more information visit  https://www.btbs.org/

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.