Editorial Assistant, McClelland & Stewart

The salary range for this position begins at $47,745 and will be determined based on experience. This posting is for an existing vacancy and is actively accepting applications. 

Changing the world, one book at a time.

As a team of dedicated book-loving professionals, we discover, shape, and share content that nurtures thoughts, dreams, and conversations around the globe, ensuring that new and established voices are heard. 

We’re looking for an Editorial Assistant to join the team at McClelland & Stewart.

Do you read widely and enthusiastically, with an eye for books that impact the way our culture evolves? Do you thrive in a team environment that’s collaborative, respectful, and fast-paced, but where exacting detail and a dedication to making a project the best it can be is never sacrificed? Are you a highly organized self-starter who loves optimizing workflows, juggling multiple priorities, and engaging with stakeholders across the full life cycle of a book — all while caring deeply about the proper use of an em-dash and the serial comma?

For us, publishing is an act of service; we believe we serve a cultural responsibility, and we send each and every book out into the world hoping that it will inform, challenge, provoke, entertain, and engage its readers, and shape the broader conversations that enrich our culture. We encourage you to explore our Instagram channel (@mcclellandstewart) to get a sense of the books and voices we champion and see if they resonate with you.

If this speaks to you, we invite you to join us at McClelland & Stewart as we continue publishing books that shape conversations and enrich our culture.

Your contribution to the story: 

At McClelland & Stewart, you’ll be part of a vibrant division that’s home to authors such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Michael Christie, Omar El Akkad, Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Canisia Lubrin, Eternity Martis, Yuval Noah Harari, David A. Robertson, Carmen Maria Machado, David Szalay, and Tommy Orange, among many other brilliant writers. We publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry under our flagship McClelland & Stewart imprint, as well as under Signal, a non-fiction imprint dedicated to big ideas and urgent arguments, and Strange Light, an experimental imprint home to some of the world’s most exciting and boundary-pushing writers.
 

We work very closely as a group, and we’re looking for someone eager to be a part of our publishing community. Reporting to the Publisher, you’ll work on a wide range of projects, and with each of our talented and dedicated editors across non-fiction, fiction, and poetry. Your role will be a key part of our shared culture of communication, creativity, respect, openness, and collaboration. 

What you’ll do:

• Meet the overall organization and administrative needs of the imprint by offering additional and varied support to the editorial team and our authors, submitting to awards, coordinating distribution of author and agent copies, compiling and inputting contract paperwork, and any other administrative tasks that come up (though always with the guidance of the McClelland & Stewart team!).
• Offer administrative and general publishing support to our publisher, including office and creative support, managing expenses, and mailings.
• Participate and actively contribute to group editorial meetings, sales and marketing discussions, brainstorming sessions, and divisional retreats, as well as broader all-company and topic-specific meetings.
• Read, assess, and evaluate manuscripts and proposals on submission that will range across the various genres we publish. You will engage in discussions with editors and draft reading reports as needed.
• Provide general support to the editorial team at all stages of a book’s life, including preparing manuscripts for production, proofreading pages, copyediting, and proofreading jacket copy.
• Work with the editorial team to create materials for sales and marketing by writing and copyediting Title Information copy, proofreading materials, and maintaining and uploading content to internal and external databases.
• Manage the production of Advance Reader Copies (or galleys) by coordinating with colleagues in Sales, Marketing, Production, and Operations, as well as the editorial team to prepare and proof the jacket and text pages.

Experience and knowledge you’ll bring (qualifications):

• Strong proofreading and copyediting skills, with keen attention to detail as these will be a crucial part of your daily work.
• Strong organizational skills and creative problem-solving abilities, with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Ability to carry projects big and small, prioritize independently and efficiently, and adapt seamlessly to shifting needs.
• Comfort navigating sometimes complicated internal systems and structures, with ability to quickly absorb established processes and workflows and discernment to evaluate what’s working and strengthen what isn’t.
• Familiarity with common systems and programs such as Microsoft Office, OneDrive, Adobe Acrobat Pro, and Asana, or the ability to learn new tools and software quickly.
• An eagerness to learn more about the publishing industry, along with a willingness to speak up and offer opinions while contributing thoughtfully to team discussions.
• An ability to thrive in a high-performance, fast-paced, and demanding environment, demonstrating energy, adaptability, and enthusiasm for the work.
• Willingness to attend events and work flexible or atypical hours when necessary.
• Comfort working in a variety of dynamics, with the flexibility to work independently while contributing meaningfully within a collaborative team environment.
• An inclusive approach to your work, supported by cultural competency and a proven ability to collaborate with people from a wide range of diverse backgrounds.
• Enhanced knowledge, awareness, and experience with the culture and history of any community that has faced marginalization is considered a plus.
• A genuine love for books and interest in the types of stories published by McClelland & Stewart. (Highly Valuable) 

We are actively seeking to add team members from communities with lived experiences of marginalization and underrepresentation. We respect and value each individual and their lived experiences and are committed to creating a more diverse team and establishing a culture of belonging. If you self-identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community or another marginalized group, we strongly encourage you to apply.

This role requires a minimum of three-days per week in-office as per our schedule located at our Toronto office at 320 Front Street West. As such, candidates need to reside within commuting distance of our office. 

To apply, please submit a resume and a tailored cover letter by Monday, March 16, 2026. We appreciate the interest of all applicants; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

We may use technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, to support certain aspects of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications or assessing candidate materials. These tools are designed to assist our hiring team and do not replace human review or decision-making. All final hiring decisions are made by people. If you have questions about how your information is handled, please contact us for more details.

Please contact Human Resources at hrcanada@penguinrandomhouse.com or 416-364-4449 if you need accommodation at any stage of the application process or want more information on our accommodation policies.

Company: Penguin Random House Canada Limited 

Country: Canada 

State/Region: Ontario 

City: Toronto 

Postal Code: M5V 3B6 

Job ID: 286820