As Editorial Assistant, you will facilitate the smooth running of the department and provide administrative and editorial support to the publishing director and three editors. There will be regular opportunities for the successful candidate to develop their editorial skills, working on edits alongside the editors, assisting with creative briefs for books, and writing cover copy and AI sheets. This role requires regular liaison with authors, agents and other departments, good time management and a can-do attitude are essential.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

Administration

• Arranging author and agent meetings and presentations, and preparing documents

• Liaising with freelancers, raising purchase orders and processing invoices

• Tracking materials to/from designers & editors

• Providing advance/sample materials for other departments e.g. sales, marketing, rights

• Writing rejection letters and dealing with general enquiries

• Diary management for Publishing Director

• Liaison on Publishing Director’s behalf with authors, agents, other departments etc.

• Organising meetings, travel schedules

• Raising new contracts, managing new contracts through the system

• Logging and monitoring submissions

• Looking up sales figures and data, creating sales reports

• Taking minutes at divisional meetings, as required

•   Other general office admin/systems

Editorial

• Writing reader reports for submissions

• Supporting team on edits as required

• Copy-writing and checking sales & marketing material e.g. catalogues, rights sheets, presenters

• Monitoring and amending metadata

• Monitoring Amazon to ensure copy and jackets are up to date

• Helping to manage reprints: responsibilities include organising the re-branding of covers, updating prelims

• Sending cover proofs/finished copies to authors/agents

• Creating Advance Information sheets as requested, monitoring and updating them

• Proof-reading jacket copy, catalogue copy, Ais

• Preparing and circulating cover briefs

• Managing titles from first manuscript through to publication:

  • Reviewing copy-edits and proofreads from freelancers

  • Checking and collating proofs, revises, and preparing files for print

  • Preparing prelims and putting books through the production process

  • Organizing and creating back ads

  • E-book editorial checks

  • Writing cover/catalogue copy as required

• Creating and monitoring timelines for key publications

• Creating content for and engaging with HC social media channels

• Working closely with Sales and Marketing to help promote titles across the list

 Skills and Experience:

• Solid administrative & organisation experience or knowledge with a high level of computer literacy

• Possess excellent time management skills

• Be an effective communicator at all levels

• Be familiar with MS Word; Excel; Outlook

• Have a high level of accuracy and attention to detail

•   Be a book lover

• Enjoy literary and commercial fiction