Editorial Assistant, Methuen Drama Plays & Musical Theatre

Job description

Bloomsbury is a leading international publisher with strengths in trade, children’s, professional and academic publishing. Methuen Drama is a specialist theatre imprint that sits within the academic division at Bloomsbury. We are currently looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking Editorial Assistant to provide administrative and organisational support for our Plays and Musical Theatre list. The successful candidate will assist the Senior Publisher, working across our fast track plays, play collections and musical theatre books. The list comprises of playtexts produced alongside productions in the UK and USA on our historic Modern Plays list as well as trade and academic play collections and a growing list of musical theatre books across a variety of different product types.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand about a broad range of activities across the publishing business and develop the key skills required for a career in publishing. The successful candidate will join a friendly team based in our central London offices.

To provide administrative support to the Senior Publisher, Plays and Musical Theatre, in the effective management of books throughout the publication process. This includes liaising with authors to ensure manuscripts are delivered on time, preparing manuscripts for production, sending proposals and draft manuscripts for review, managing backlist titles, and other administrative duties.

Tasks will be varied but will include:
• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with authors, volume editors and series editors to ensure a high standard of author care throughout the publishing process
• Keeping the publishing programme on schedule through regular liaison with authors, and by maintaining and updating the frontlist plan for any given year
• Liaising with theatres, authors and agents to ensure on-time production of our Fast Track Play schedule
• Preparing manuscripts for handover to production to agreed standards and on schedule
• Setting up new titles on Biblio (our bibliographic database), and ensuring that any changes to projects are updated promptly and in line with key dates
• Writing and editing marketing copy
• Commissioning peer reviews for projects as requested; ensuring these reviews are delivered in a timely way; recording the progress of all projects under review
• Putting together cover briefs, cover copy and briefing cover designs
• Supporting editors in managing backlist, including monitoring stock levels, reprints and the Print on Demand scheme, as required
• Responding promptly and appropriately to external and internal inquiries
• Providing basic reports and sales information
• Providing administrative support for team (filing, photocopying etc)

The role is based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred). Allocated office days for this role are: Wednesdays and Thursdays

We’d love it if you had…

• Highly organized with the ability to multi-task and prioritize
• Exceptional attention to detail and command of English spelling and grammar
• Proactive and able to take initiative
• Good time management with ability to meet deadlines
• Evidence of project management skills
• Solution-focused, calm and able to logically solve problems under pressure
• Flexible and able to work independently
• Effective teamworking, networking and building relationships
• Excellent communication (oral and written) to internal and external contacts, handling information sensitively and professionally
• Strong IT skills including competency in using Microsoft Office, Word and Excel
• Some commercial awareness and understanding of the publishing industry desirable
• Places a high value on quality of content, author care, company reputation and sustained customer relationship
• A proven interest in theatre, plays and musical theatre is an advantage

Employer details

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read Our Story for how it all began.