Assistant Editor London, England
Job description
We are looking for an industrious, meticulous and passionate Assistant Editor to join the Orion Literary team. You will be responsible for providing editorial and administrative support to the Publisher of White Rabbit and a Publishing Director at W&N along with the wider editorial team.
From the moment of acquisition right through to publication, you will be closely involved in all aspects of the publishing process for the full range of titles on the White Rabbit list along with a smaller number of W&N titles. Liaising with colleagues across the business as well as a thrilling range of authors – including musicians, novelists and high profile cultural figures – you will ensure the smooth day-to-day running of all aspects of the White Rabbit imprint.
As a key player in the Orion Literary team, you will contribute to our weekly editorial meetings and decisions about all the books we acquire across the three imprints. Working alongside the two editorial assistants, you will play an important part in the administrative management of the lists.
This is a highly varied, creative and exciting role for someone with a genuine passion for music publishing and literary fiction, and a rare opportunity for someone looking to take the next step in their editorial career.
Who we are looking forYou will have proven experience in an editorial role, possessing the following editorial skills:
- Reading, reporting and making editorial suggestions on proposals and manuscripts
- Putting manuscripts and offsets into production
- Proof reading and copyediting
- Drafting effective publishing materials: AIs, cover briefs, acquisition forms, cover copy, keywords
- Assessing permissions
- Corresponding with authors and agents
- Using publishing systems such as Bookscan to research new opportunities
The ideal candidate will be:
- Highly organised with a meticulous eye for detail
- A competent administrator, proficient with Outlook, Excel, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
- Able to multitask, prioritise effectively and handle a highly varied workload
- Passionate about music, with a deep knowledge of the contemporary scene and deeper historical context
- Passionate about literary fiction and non-fiction, and culture in general
Our staff are our greatest asset and our benefits reflect this. In addition to 28 days annual leave days per year + bank holidays, we have an extensive list of benefits that include: a wide-ranging training library, development programmes including mentoring, Cycle to Work vouchers, Private Medical Insurance, eye care vouchers, up to 70% off book purchases, a charity book shelf, 2 community days per year, many employee networks to join, summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months!), season ticket loans, rent deposit loans, generous pension schemes and much more!
This role can be based at our London office, or at any of our new regional offices in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sheffield, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.
Our CommitmentHachette 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
Who we are and what we doOrion Literary comprises three distinct imprints: our central home for literary publishing, W&N, and two boutique sister imprints, White Rabbit and Phoenix. We are a dynamic team of eight senior commissioners and four supporting editors and assistants who are passionate about maintaining our reputation as the most exciting home for the best talent across literary fiction and non-fiction.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson has been publishing since 1949 and is home to a wide range of literary fiction and non-fiction, modern classics, prizewinning debuts and worldwide bestsellers. Our authors include Antony Beevor, Clare Chambers, Elinor Cleghorn, Richard Coles, Naoise Dolan, Claire Lombardo, Tiffany McDaniel, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Adam Rutherford, Philippe Sands, Malala Yousafzai and Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
White Rabbit was set up in 2019 as an imprint dedicated to pop culture writing, specialising in non-fiction, history, memoir, illustrated and high-end limited editions relating to popular music across the spectrum. Our authors include Bobby Gillespie, Adelle Stripe, Lias Saoudi, Carl Cox, David Keenan, Jude Rogers, Mark Lanegan, Vashti Bunyan, Kim Gordon, Sinead Gleeson, Stuart Braithwaite, Chris Frantz, Lenny Kaye, Robin Turner and Vivien Goldman.
Phoenix launched in 2021 and is a bespoke new imprint for brilliant writing with a broad appeal, publishing accessible literary fiction, reading group fiction and memoir characterised by distinctive voices and compelling storytelling. Our authors include Jo Baker, Emily Itami, Danya Kukafka, Kate Mosse, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Cathy Rentzenbrink and David Whitehouse.
