HarperCollins Publishers UK
Editorial Assistant, Pavilion (12 month FTC)
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Application Deadline: 8 September 2026
Department: Editorial
Location: London
Compensation: £29,000 / year
Description
We have an exciting opportunity for someone looking for an Editorial Assistant role within 4 colour publishing. Pavilion is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers specialising in illustrated non-fiction publishing across food & drink, craft & lifestyle, gift & popular culture. We create confidently unique titles and take pride in building a strong identity for each book with our integrated editorial and design team.
As Editorial Assistant, you will facilitate the smooth running of the department and provide administrative and editorial support to the publishing director and commissioning editors. As an efficient and hard-working member of the team you will, amongst other things:
- Maintain the smooth running of the division alongside the other assistants, managing the division’s roster of meetings and collating minutes as required
- Assist with desk editing
- Liaise with external freelancers on bookings and purchase orders
- Ensure that books meet critical path in conjunction with the HQ design and production teams
- Archive materials and deliver sales material to export, marketing and publicity teams
- Read and report on a range of non-fiction submissions
- Briefing illustrated ebooks and ensuring accessibility
- Researching and organising text and image permissions
- Communicate with authors and agents on a regular basis
- Offer significant support to the publishing director and commissioning editors as necessary.
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In addition to this, there will be regular opportunities for the successful candidate to develop their editorial skills, working on edits, assisting with creative briefs for books, writing creative copy, and booking and attending photoshoots. In time, the editorial assistant will take on their own authors under the supervision of their line manager.
This role is ideally suited to an organised and detail-focused candidate who has both initiative and energy and is looking for their first entry-level role in commercial publishing. They will have a keen interest in all genres of commercial non-fiction, read widely, and be excited at the prospect of applying creative flair to the editorial process, ensuring that our publishing continues to stand out at the forefront of a competitive market.
Key Responsibilities
- Reading submissions and submitting reader reports.
- Managing freelance editorial bookings.
- Supporting on editorial work as necessary.
- Taking on responsibility for authors as arranged, with assistance from a designated managing editor.
- Proofreading jacket copy, catalogue copy, AIs, and divisional documents as necessary.
- Organising and creating marketing and pitch materials, as well as extra endmatter.
- Writing copy as required.
- Creating cover briefs and briefing designers
- Liaising with the production team and editors, helping to ensure critical path is met.
- First point of contact with other departments for general editorial queries.
- Take ownership of creating effective metadata for the publishing director as requested.
- Raising purchase orders as necessary.
- Sending books to authors and agents as requested.
- Pulling together PowerPoint presentations.
- Collate and distribute the weekly updates and minutes to the team.
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Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- Some administrative and organisation experience.
- A passion for Pavilion titles and voracious reader or consumer of lifestyle content.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- Advanced MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint knowledge.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
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