Editorial assistant

Closing date: 19th August 2025

Salary: £27,000 based in London; £24,840 based in Sheffield (+bonus +benefits)

Location: This role can be based at our London or Sheffield office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

This is an exciting opportunity for an organised and proactive individual to join our stellar and expanding editorial team.

With over 150 years of ground-breaking publishing from book lovers, original thinkers and market leaders, our unwavering mission has been to publish the most compelling voices in every genre. We continue to find new ground, new audiences and new voices with every title we publish. We are passionate readers and believe in the power of words to change lives.

Hodder & Stoughton is a division of Hachette, one of the largest publishing groups in the UK, with 11 publishing divisions and over 60 imprints. Everyone here is proud to be in the business of opening doors and minds.

Working on the Hodder Fiction list, especially focussing on the commercial women’s fiction titles, you will be working on a range of authors such as Lucy Score, Liz Tomforde, Meghan Quinn, Holly Bourne and Riley Sager. This is an excellent opportunity to be a key part of a team that publishes globally-recognised names, as well as brands of the future. Working alongside the executive publisher and deputy publishing director, you’ll be responsible for providing editorial and administrative support to the editorial team in the acquisition and production of new titles, as well as assist with all aspects of administration and co-ordination and the driving of the publishing programme.

The successful candidate will be responsible for assisting at every step in the publication process, from manuscript delivery to final print/eBook files, and will be able to offer exceptional author care.

What you'll be doing

The role will cover a range of editorial and administrative responsibilities, including:

• working closely with production department to keep books on the critical path
• liaising with authors and agents, and providing excellent author care
• briefing freelancers, checking their work and collating corrections
• updating systems and managing metadata
• copywriting and assisting with jacket briefs
• acting as the main point of contact internally between the editorial, art and production teams for allocated projects
• maintaining the submissions log
• organising meetings and taking minutes
• managing purchase orders and payments
• sending out advance copies
• assisting with the general day-to-day running of a busy editorial team
• championing our books and authors internally and externally, and getting involved in all parts of the publishing process

You will also assist in reading and reviewing fiction manuscripts and writing reading reports.

Who we are looking for

• We are looking for a proactive, highly organised and confident candidate who is ready to hit the ground running.
• You should be a real team player with meticulous attention to detail, a can-do and enthusiastic attitude, and a genuine interest in your own learning and development in this role.
• As this is a busy and dynamic list, you will need to have excellent communication skills, be able to manage your time effectively, prioritise and work well under pressure, and to work well as part of a large team.
• A demonstrable, clear and tangible passion and enthusiasm for commercial fiction in all its forms is crucial.
• Knowledge of Biblio is a bonus, but not essential.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

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 junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.