Job Description

Are you passionate about literary fiction? We have a rare opportunity for an enthusiastic, energetic and highly organised Editorial Assistant to join the fiction team at Viking, Penguin General.

About the team

Penguin General is one of the publishing divisions that make up Penguin Random House UK. There are five imprints at Penguin General: Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Life, Viking and Sandycove. The latter is based in Dublin.

At Viking, we publish a select range of bestselling, prize-winning novelists to reach the broadest possible audience. We pride ourselves on our ability to launch brilliant new careers and take established authors to new heights, combining critical success with commercial ambition. Our authors include: Caleb Azumah Nelson, Jonathan Coe, Nick Hornby, Ann Napolitano, Hisham Matar, Nadifa Mohamed, Elif Shafak, Elizabeth Strout, Yael van der Wouden, Alice Winn and Benjamin Wood.

We are also home to some of the greatest writers of the past century and never stop championing the timeless classics on our backlist, from John Steinbeck to Gabriel García Márquez.

The role

You will work as part of a collaborative and supportive team who are curious and open, and who are committed to providing our authors with excellent care. At Penguin General, we strive for working life to be progressive, energising, motivating, and rewarding for all our colleagues at every level. 

You will provide editorial and administrative support to the Executive Publisher, Isabel Wall, across her list of titles, and also support a commissioning editor with specific tasks.

Key responsibilities:

• General administration e.g. booking meeting rooms, arranging couriers, taking calls and minuting meetings, processing expenses, coding invoices, sending out proof mailings
• Diary management: organising meetings, making reservations, organising schedules for book fairs and overseas trips
• Managing the internal book process under supervision, from acquisition to publication, to ensure that deadlines are met
• Reading submissions and sharing verbal and written feedback
• Writing persuasive cover copy
• Managing the input and accuracy of title metadata on our publishing systems
• Acting as a point of contact for authors and agents, including accompanying authors on bookshop tours or events on occasion.

What you’ll bring

You won’t need to have had previous publishing experience as we’ll teach you all you need to know, so this is an exciting opportunity if you’re ready to get stuck into your first role in the industry. We’re much more interested in seeing a genuine curiosity to learn, a passion for the kinds of books we publish at Viking, and an ability to work calmly, efficiently and effectively as part of a team and in a fast-moving environment.

You will get to work with some of the most creative publishing colleagues in the business, alongside a team of experts in a friendly and inclusive environment that values individuality, champions creativity, and celebrates individual and team successes.

Essential criteria:

• An avid reader of literary fiction
• A proactive, positive, can-do attitude
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Ability to work to, and meet, deadlines
• Ability to respond and adjust to fast-changing priorities, and be calm and reliable under pressure
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Curiosity and willingness to learn 
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to build strong working relationships across the business and with authors and agents.

Disability Confident

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. 

If you would like to be considered under our Disability Confident Scheme for this recruitment process, please include the following code at the start of your cover letter: [Recr – TTL 351]

Please do not provide any additional information beyond the code in your cover letter. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 23:59 on Thursday 6th August 2026.

As part of the covering letter, please tell us about a recently published book you've read and why it stood out to you (no more than 300 words).

• 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.
• 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.

AI

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Salary

£29,000 plus benefits.

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 to work from our London-based office a minimum of three days per week, including Wednesdays and Thursdays, and offer the remaining two days to be worked remotely.

Additional Information

Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here.

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address. 

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here.
 

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