Editorial Assistant to Publisher at Large

Job description

Canongate Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers and we’re looking for an enthusiastic and hard-working Editorial Assistant to join the department. The role is full time, reporting into our Publisher at Large, and is based in our Edinburgh office.

Key duties will include:
– Assisting Publisher-at-Large with his day-to-day work: liaising with internal staff across departments as well as with external contacts such as authors and agents, foreign publishers; reporting into meetings; general admin inc diary management, processing expenses and invoices
– Adding titles, and keeping copy, reviews and metadata up to date on biblio
– Booking travel and managing trip schedules for the Publisher at Large
– Mail-outs
– Assisting with drafting copy, Heads of Terms, jacket briefs and acquisition forms
– Checking covers and corrections
– Assisting with collations and vertical handovers
– Permissions clearance for text and images as required including accurate record keeping
– Assisting with smooth running of editorial department, including providing cover for the other Editorial Assistants when needed
– Rotate minute-taking at meetings such as Editorial and Acquisitions

To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter to Jenny Fry, Publisher and Commercial Director, detailing why you feel you are suitable for this role, what your favorite Canongate book is and why. Email to recruitment@canongate.co.uk.

We’d love it if you had…

This role supports our Publisher at Large, as well as supporting the Editorial department as a whole. You do not need to have worked in publishing before, but a keen eye for detail and an excellent grasp of grammar are a must, along with exceptional organisational and IT skills. This is a busy role where the ability to juggling priorities and multiple deadlines is another essential skill. But above all, a love of reading is a non-negotiable!

What knowledge, skills, experience we are looking for:
– Meticulous attention to detail
– Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to juggle multiple deadlines and priorities
– Excellent English – good grammar, spelling and fluent command of the language
– Able to respond flexibly to a busy workload
– Passion for reading
– IT skills such as a working knowledge of Office (especially Word, Outlook, Excel)