Editorial Assistant - Fig Tree (Penguin General)

Editorial Assistant – Fig Tree (Penguin General)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a creative and highly organised individual to work on a wide variety of literary fiction and non-fiction titles at Fig Tree, the publishing imprint that is part of Penguin General, a division of Penguin Random House. 

About team/business area

You will be Assistant to the Fig Tree Publishing Director, working with writers such as Ferdia Lennon, Dolly Alderton, Anna Hope, India Knight, Gabriel Tallent, Claire Fuller, Meera Sodha and Naomi Alderman, as well as many new writers as the list evolves.

The role

Key responsibilities:

• Provide administrative and editorial support.

• Liaise with authors, agents, and internal departments.

• Read and assess submissions.

• Manage the diary and oversee the editorial and production progress of manuscripts through to publication.

• Draft cover and catalogue copy.

• Coordinate with authors and other departments, particularly publicity, to ensure the process runs smoothly.

• Work as part of a smaller immediate team of three at Fig Tree.

• Handle wider departmental administrative responsibilities involving other imprints within the division.

• Maintain and update accurate information on the publishing system Biblio 3.

• Manage the Fig Tree social media accounts

• Deal with invoicing.

• Act as the first point of contact for all internal and external queries relating to the list.

• Liaise with colleagues in the UK and internationally.

• Write minutes for editorial and fiction meetings.

• Responsible for prize submissions and other ad-hoc editorial tasks which may arise.

What you’ll bring

No previous publishing experience is required, but we do require candidates to have an interest in a career in publishing.

Essential criteria:

• Be a self-starter and avid reader.

• Be full of ideas and interested in engaging with authors, the text, and publishing to a wide audience.

• Possess strong administration and organisational skills.

• Possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Show enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail.

• Be prepared for a varied and demanding role.

Disability Confident

If you have opted into our disability confident scheme, the above is the essential criteria you must meet to be considered for our interview scheme. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on 23rd May 2025. As part of your cover letter, please include a paragraph telling us about a recently published novel you would recommend (no more than 300 words) and why. 

• 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 from late July, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

• We anticipate a two-stage interview process which will include a virtual first-stage interview and in-person second stage interview. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Salary

£27,500 plus 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.

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 the successful candidate work from our London-based office Tuesday-Thursday, and offer Mondays and Fridays to work remotely.

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

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: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 279966