Non-fiction editorial intern

Closing date for applications: Sunday 6th April at 23:55

Salary: Our summer interns are paid the London living wage.

Duration: Summer interns will be expected to join us in the business for 8 weeks from Monday 30th June 2025.

Hours: Please note that this is a full-time hybrid position. You will be working from 9:30am to 5:30pm 5 days per week, unless otherwise agreed with your line manager and HR.

Location: You will be expected to be in person in our London office for at least 2 days per week.

Dive into the world of non-fiction publishing and develop key editorial skills!

Gain hands-on experience in book acquisition, research, and project management while working with a dynamic team at Viking, home to award-winning and bestselling authors.

A bit about the team:

Founded in the UK forty years ago, Viking is the longstanding home for high-quality, culture defining writers across fiction and non-fiction. We love publishing books that combine brilliant writing with popular appeal, that hit the bestseller lists, win prizes and shed light on the world around us.

Viking Non-fiction has a dynamic and entrepreneurial editorial team of seven, specialising in history, science, nature, memoir, popular culture and current affairs. Our authors include world leaders Michelle Obama, Barack Obama and Pope Francis; historians Ben Macintyre and Anthony Bale; memoirists Diane Abbott and Deepa Paul; and prize-winning journalists John Preston, Adam Higginbotham and Sathnam Sanghera.

Projects you’ll be working on:

As part of the Viking Non-Fiction Editorial team, you’ll gain an exciting and insightful overview of the acquiring and publishing work that takes place each day at a leading non-fiction imprint.

This is a unique opportunity to be involved in every aspect of a book’s life cycle, from acquisition to publication, including contributing to editorial feedback on live projects, reading new submissions, attending departmental and divisional meetings (including Editorial, Acquisitions and Covers), and supporting the launch of our exciting Autumn list.

Many of the books we publish at Viking start out as an idea – whether that’s an interesting article we’ve read, an up-and-coming academic, someone sparking a conversation online, or someone that can transform our understanding of the world around us. During the internship, you’ll also have a rare opportunity to learn about and contribute to this integral work that is at the heart of bringing value and voices to PRH and the wider world.

Tasks you will be doing might include:

• Contributing to editorial notes on a live project
• Reading and reporting on submissions from agents, offering your opinions and evaluating commercial potential
• Supporting on mailouts and securing endorsements for our lead Autumn titles
• Researching topics for potential new non-fiction proposals within our core areas (history, science, current affairs, memoir and pop culture)
• Looking for creative ways to identify and approach potential authors, whether that’s identifying a topic they recently spoke about on the radio or finding a niche interest that fits perfectly with our Viking list

Knowledge and skills you’ll develop:

• An insight into all aspects of successfully publishing non-fiction books in a busy and dynamic editorial team
• Strong project management skills, excellent attention to detail and the experience of working in a fast-paced environment
• An understanding of departments across the business, including Sales, Marketing, Publicity, Rights and Production, and how they are all hugely important in how we publish a book
• Experience developing book ideas and researching potential authors
• Confidence communicating and networking with publishing professionals
• An understanding of the systems that are integral to the smooth running of the department, including Microsoft Office, Biblio, PowerBI, Bookscan and Keyword Management System

About our Summer Internship

This role is part of our summer internship programme at Penguin Random House UK. Please note that our summer internship is a positive action training programme, aimed at bringing new voices into the business. As a result, we will only be accepting applications from candidates who identify as coming from a lower socio-economic background. You can find more information on our website here: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/training-programmes/internships/

You must also be over the age of 18 and have the existing right to work in the UK in order to apply for this internship role. Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor Visas as the summer internship does not meet the minimum requirements for Visa sponsorship.

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