Assistant Editor, Puffin (Penguin Random House Children's)

Are you passionate about children’s publishing? Do you have an editorial eye and want to work on some of the biggest children’s brands and picture books?  We have a new opportunity for an Assistant Editor to join our Puffin Picture Books team on a full-time and permanent basis.

About the team

We publish some of the biggest names in picture books from iconic classic brands such as The World of Peter Rabbit, Spot and The Very Hungry Caterpillar and bestselling heritage creators including Allan Ahlberg, Anthony Browne and Shirley Hughes, to major new talent including Tom Fletcher, Nadia Shireen, Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Nathan Bryon, and Dapo Adeola. We are passionate about bringing stories to life that change and shape lives.

The role

This exciting role encompasses both editorial and administrative tasks. You’ll primarily be supporting the growth of our pre-school, picture-book and classic brand publishing. Joining an editorial team of 12, you will be responsible for managing the editorial workflow and project-managing a wide range of titles through to publication. There will also be the chance to develop and hone your editorial skills working across the breadth of the list.

Key responsibilities:

• Collaboratively working on the internal book process for specific books, with support from the wider team, including scheduling, compiling jacket and cover copy, proof collation, legal reads, Advanced Title Information population, and managing budgets.
• Proactively providing editorial support to senior members of the team throughout all stages of the book-making process, while taking responsibility for your own designated projects.
• Providing excellent author care and acting as a point of contact for authors and agents, answering questions where possible and passing other queries on to managers.
• Attending new project meetings, working with editors in reading proposals and actively engaging in conversations about new book ideas.
• Sending TCM Bookscan sales figures to designated authors and agents.
• Updating our systems with title accurate and high-quality data, including adding new titles, making changes to copy or schedules.
• Managing ad-hoc administrative tasks which may include taking minutes, organising diaries, and scheduling meetings.

What you’ll bring

You don’t have to come from a traditional publishing background to be considered for this role, although perhaps you’re an excellent and experienced Editorial Assistant or an Assistant Editor looking for a next move. We’re looking for someone with a passion for children’s books and the enthusiasm to jump in and help out on a range of exciting projects. This role would be ideal for a candidate who is looking to build a successful career in publishing and to develop your own editorial tastes with the support of an experienced and dynamic team.

Essential criteria:

• Demonstrable interest in children’s and pre-school publishing.
• Demonstrable communication skills and understanding of managing multiple stakeholders at varying seniorities.
• Confident and flexible approach.
• Ability to work well under pressure without compromising quality.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects at once.
• Excellent attention to detail.

Preferred criteria:

• Demonstrable understanding of project management.
• Proven editing and proofreading skills.
• Collaborative team player with an ambitious outlook towards work.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Sunday 5th January 2025.  As part of your cover letter, we’d like you to respond to the following questions (no more than 300 words in total):

1. We’re looking for someone with a passion for picture books. Tell us about a picture book of the last two years which has impressed you. What stood out?
2. This position will offer a lot of opportunities to get involved in exciting projects across the team. Please share with us an example of a project you have worked on and the role you played within the team.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.

Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

Salary

Circa £30,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

• Financial – discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan
• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan
• Lifestyle – taste card, tech scheme, free and discounted books

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from the office 3 days a week, and we are happy to discuss this through the recruitment process.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The recruitment process

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: Penguin Books Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 275827