Editorial Assistant, William Collins

Location Hybrid · London, UK 3+ days office based

Team William Collins

Seniority Junior

• Closing: 11:55pm, 2nd Mar 2025 GMT

Perks and benefits

• Work from home option
• Wellness programs
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Mentoring/coaching
• Cycle to work scheme

Candidate happiness

8.66 (28176)

Job Description

Introduction to the Role

Are you passionate about ideas-driven, intellectually stimulating non-fiction? Do you want to help find and develop the best new voices in history, politics, smart-thinking, biography, popular science, and sport? Are you interested in helping experts and academics to communicate their knowledge to the widest possible audience, so they can inspire and inform new readers?

A fantastic, entry-level opportunity has arisen at William Collins for an enthusiastic Editorial Assistant to join the imprint, supporting the Editorial Director and the Publishing Director as needed, and offering departmental support across the list. William Collins’ authors include Catherine Belton, Guy Shrubsole, Richard Holmes, Daniel Finkelstein, Kat Hill, Max Hastings, Tom Burgis, Cal Flyn, and Cat Jarman.

This is the ideal first role for a highly efficient, capable, and self-starting individual to join a busy and collaborative editorial team, working across a wide range of tasks central to the publishing process.

Key Tasks and Accountabilities

The key tasks of the role will include but are not limited to the following:

• Supporting the Editorial Director and, as needed, the Publishing Director in editorial tasks on non-fiction titles
• Liaising with authors, agents, and freelancers on individual projects
• Completing Advance Information sheets and managing metadata
• Reading and reporting on a wide range of non-fiction submissions and manuscripts
• Writing catalogue copy, cover briefs, and flap copy
• Managing invoices, royalty queries, progressing contracts, and clearing permissions
• Managing the agenda and minutes for the weekly William Collins editorial meeting
• General admin including meeting organisation, room, and restaurant bookings
• Managing monthly prize submissions across the William Collins list
• Collating and submitting expenses for the Editorial Director and Publishing Director
• Ordering author/agent copies
• Assisting with proof and finished copy mailings
• You will become familiar with authors on the list and their agents
• Help prepare cover briefs and cover copy
• Help prepare preliminary pages and hand over manuscripts to the project editorial team
• Read and report on agent book submissions
• Give notes on manuscripts received
• Assist with general admin including expenses, book fair appointments, and restaurant bookings

Skills Required

• Passionate about a wide range of non-fiction writing
• Extremely organised and efficient, able to juggle a diverse workload
• An ability to meet deadlines and a precise eye for detail
• Confident communication skills both internally and externally
• A creative and proactive approach
• Expertise in using the Microsoft suite would be an advantage
• Experience working in an office environment

Additional Information

28 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days)

Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave

Private healthcare cover and life assurance

Summer Hours

Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24-hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal

Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme

Relocation Rent Support Loan

Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work, Pride at HC, Social Mobility Network and Neurodiversity at Work

Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level), and mentoring programmes

Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers

Onsite physiotherapy (London only)

Charitable donation matching and 2 volunteering days

Green Electric/Hybrid Car Benefit Scheme (salary sacrifice)

With Trees for Life we plant a tree in the Highlands of Scotland for every permanent hire

Free e-books and audiobooks, digital newspaper subscriptions, and discounts on books

Subsidised canteen and retail discounts

Onsite prayer room

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 internships or entry-level positions. For more information visit btbs.org.

At HarperCollins, we value authenticity and integrity in our recruitment process. To ensure a fair and accurate evaluation of all applications, we ask that all responses to assessment questions reflect your own thoughts, experiences, and capabilities. This allows us to fairly assess your knowledge, skills, and experience to determine how they align with the role. We value diverse perspectives and genuine contributions, even if answers are not perfect. The use of AI tools or external assistance to generate responses is discouraged unless explicitly permitted for specific tasks.

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to stephanie.jemmett@harpercollins.co.uk with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.

Please note, if you are interested in the role you would need to submit your application via Applied. We do not accept email applications.