Editorial assistant

Closing date for applications: 10th December 2025

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

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

From copy-editing and proof-reading to liaising with authors and agents, assist with all stages of the publication process, helping bring books to life that spark conversation and make an impact.

Wildfire Books is a boutique imprint of Headline Publishing Group that launched in 2016. Our aim is to publish forward-thinking, agenda-setting fiction and non-fiction that spark conversation and spread like wildfire – books, as we like to say, that have a bit of soul. The results speak for themselves: in a few short years, we’re proud to have had many Sunday Times bestsellers and our books have been nominated for the Women’s Prize, International Booker Prize, the Orwell Prize, Cundill History Prize, Hawthornden Prize, Baillie Gifford Prize, National Book Award, Carnegie Medal, Book of the Year at the Nibbies, McKitterick Prize, National Book Critics Circle, Pulitzer Prize, CWA Daggers, and more.


What you'll be doing

As editorial assistant at Wildfire you’ll be assisting the editorial team with seeing books through the publication process – whether that’s helping with the admin of commissioning a book; managing the copy-editing, proof-reading and collating of our manuscripts; keeping an eye on the schedule; or liaising with authors and agents. Meanwhile, you’ll be learning what it takes to acquire new fiction and non-fiction projects, and how we build our publishing strategies and campaigns. You’ll also be able to get involved with our vibrant IP development programme. It’s a busy, demanding, but most of all really rewarding entry role in publishing. At least that’s what two of the people who have done it before say:

Areen Ali (now senior commissioning editor)

“Wildfire is one of best imprints at which to kick-start your publishing career. As a team we cover a lot of ground in terms of the genres we publish, and you’re guaranteed to gain a lot of diverse experience. If you’re a dynamic person, with lots of creative energy and you’d love to be part of positive team, we’re definitely the right place for you.”

Jo Edwards (now assistant editor)

“Wildfire is the perfect place to take the first step in your publishing career. The role involves working across both fiction and non-fiction within a closeknit team where everyone has a voice. If you’re driven, resourceful and imaginative, this is the ideal environment to grow and develop your editorial judgement. You’ll have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience from day one, helping you learn quickly and placing you in a strong position to start building your own list.”


Who we are looking for

First and foremost, we’re looking for someone who really loves books and wants to throw themselves into learning how the editorial side of publishing works. You’ll be full of creative energy, thriving on working with brilliant authors and amazing ideas. There are a few other things that will also be really important:

• You’ll love reading fiction and non-fiction books
• You’ll be interested in the world around you – from current affairs and social issues, to arts and culture, and maybe popular science…
• Your attention to detail will be extraordinary
• You’ll be really organised, and able to juggle lots of things all at once
• You’ll be confident and calm
• You’ll know your way around Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams etc
• You’ll want to have fun at work, and to bring your own personality and taste to the role to really make it yours

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 AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Our commitment

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

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.

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