Non-fiction editor

Closing date for applications: 10 July 2025

Salary: £30,000 - £36,000 dependent on experience and location (+bonus +benefits)

Ready to shape bestselling books across true crime, celebrity memoirs, pop culture, and more? Sphere, home to some of the UK’s most exciting non-fiction, is seeking a meticulous and passionate editor to help bring bold, brilliant stories to life.

Little, Brown's identity is personified by our innovative, dynamic and free-thinking people. Across our thirteen imprints, you won't find a wider range of titles anywhere in UK publishing. We pride ourselves on quality and diversity. A repeat recipient of the Publisher of the Year award, we're one of the most successful and dynamic publishers in the UK.

Little, Brown 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.

The Sphere imprint is the home of some of the division's bestselling commercial fiction and non-fiction, including Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Ali Hazelwood, Angela Harding, Mark Hoppus and Ladbaby.

What you'll be doing

As a key member of the Sphere Non-Fiction team, you’ll offer integral support to the commissioning editors who publish approx. 25 new titles a year across a broad spectrum of commercial non-fiction genres. Our recent publishing includes celebrity autobiographies from actress Joanna Page and Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus; platform-led offerings like LadBaby and Staying Relevant, as well as biography, memoir, true crime, sport, comedy, cookery, fitness, history and beautiful fully illustrated gift books. Sphere Non-Fiction is also the publisher for branded books such as Asterix and Great British Bake Off.

Reporting to the Publisher, the role will involve working independently to project manage titles, being responsible for structural editing, sourcing and planning plate sections and proofreading to time, cost and quality specifications. This may also include:

• Liaising with authors and ghost writers to ensure manuscript delivery and quality (in support of the commissioning team) as well as keeping them regularly informed and updated on the progress of their book
• Liaising with various teams, including publicity, sales, marketing, rights, design, audio, consumer insight, the project editing and production teams, as well as international teams and sister companies around the globe to ensure the success of each book
• Providing information to internal functions to communicate progress and provide relevant information they require
• Maintaining TI sheets and Metadata on Biblio
• Supporting the Publisher as required for new projects including the collation of sales data, creating costings on Biblio and preparing for divisional meetings
• Briefing cover designs and seeking approvals on draft covers
• Drafting cover copy and proofreading covers
• Attending cover shoots where necessary
• Planning proactively and problem solving to maintain schedules
• Attending meetings in relation to allocated projects and those for the generation of new book ideas
• Reading book proposals well as highlighting books of interest on scout reports
• This is not a commissioning role but an interest in commissioning would be desirable

Who we are looking for

• A passionate interest in non-fiction and the audiences non-fiction books connect with
• Exceptional organisation skills including planning ahead and independently managing projects
• Meticulous eye for detail
• Excellent communication skills with both internal and external stakeholders
• A self-starting individual who is adept at working in a fast-paced environment
• The ability to multi-task and prioritise efficiently
• Copy editing experience
• Proofreading experience
• Problem-solving and diplomacy skills
• Computer literacy
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Adaptability
• An interest in pop culture and an eagerness to contribute to the evolution of the imprint

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!

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.

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