Bertelsmann
Assistant Editor – Viking Fiction
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Job Description
Are you an editorial assistant looking for your next step? Are you passionate about all things fiction? We have a rare opportunity for an enthusiastic, ambitious and efficient Assistant Editor to join the team at Viking, Penguin General, to directly support our Publisher and the wider team at an exciting time of growth.
About Viking Fiction
Viking is home to some of today’s most exciting, bestselling and prize-winning writers. We pride ourselves on our ability to launch careers and take established authors to new heights, combining critical success with commercial ambition.
Our fiction list is deliberately broad: we believe exceptional storytelling can take many forms, and we are always looking for books with the originality, purpose and irresistible appeal to capture readers' imaginations.
We value curiosity and are looking for people who notice the world, ask questions and bring fresh perspectives to what we do. If you’re endlessly curious and love discovering and sharing new ideas, you’ll feel at home here.
The Role
This non-acquiring role will be responsible for supporting, from an editorial, publishing and administrative level, the Publisher and, on select projects, the Editorial Director, assisting their acquisitions, having an oversight of schedules and supporting the Publisher with the smooth running of their list.
You’ll be involved in all processes of book production, from acquisition to publication, championing our brilliant books internally and externally and providing exceptional author and agent care and communication at all stages.
You will work as part of a collaborative and supportive team, curious and open to new and innovative ideas. At Penguin General, we strive for working life to be progressive, energising, motivating and rewarding for all our colleagues at every level.
Reporting to the Publisher you will:
- Assist the Publisher in looking after our brilliant authors and providing exceptional day-to-day author care and communication.
- Work collaboratively with the Marketing, Publicity, Sales and Rights teams and being a go-to point person and champion for Viking’s publishing across the business.
- Manage the internal process of specified books, including scheduling, and compile cover briefs and copy where needed.
- Help to manage often complicated, evolving or fast-paced editorial schedules (and budgets where needed).
- Carry out general administration e.g. booking meeting rooms, arranging couriers, minuting meetings, processing expenses, coding invoices, sending out proof mailings and supporting on diary management.
- Read submissions and share verbal and written feedback, as well as running audience insight and sales comps.
- Manage the input and accuracy of data on our publishing systems, ensuring all title details are kept up to date.
- Be delivery-focused, with experience in managing projects and competing priorities, showcasing strong personal organisation and time management skills.
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What you’ll bring
Essential criteria:
- Passionate about a career in fiction publishing, particularly crime & thriller, historical, romance and book club fiction.
- Experience taking books through the publishing cycle, with proven editorial skills.
- Demonstrable awareness of and engagement with the fiction market, in particular commercial genre fiction, including retailers, media, audiences, communities and competitors and all things digital.
- Experience of managing multiple projects at once and confidence to communicate with authors / key stakeholders and internal teams.
- Excellent communication skills and author care.
- Proactive problem-solver, with a positive mentality and an ability to remain calm in a pressurised, fast-paced environment.
- The ability to multitask and be flexible, resourceful and handle competing priorities.
- Highly organised with a great attention-to-detail and ability to manage diaries and schedules.
- Good at spotting opportunities for improvement and growth, with enthusiasm and curiosity.
- Confidence in partnering with internal teams across the business to champion books and work as a collaborative team player.
Application
Please apply with your CV and a cover letter by 11:59 on the 24th of September 2026, explaining why you would be excited to join Viking Fiction and how your experience and interests align with the role.
As part of your cover letter, please tell us about three recently published books you’ve read. We’d love to hear briefly what excites you about each book, what you think made it work for its readers and what about its publication impresses or interests you (500-750 words).
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 interviews will begin from week of the 28th of September 2026.
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Salary
Circa £30,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.
Use of AI tools
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.
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. 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 with, for us to support your request.
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 be in the office a minimum of 3 days a week.
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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