Assistant Editor, HQ Digital

HarperCollins; Greater London; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

HarperCollins UK is seeking an Assistant Editor for HQ Digital. You will provide editorial and desk editing support to the Publishing team, helping with submissions, metadata, and author communications, while coordinating with marketing, sales, rights, and digital departments.

The role suits digitally-savvy candidates with initiative and energy, eager to grow in a dynamic publishing environment and to contribute to best-in-class publishing and author care.

Qualifications

• Experience working at editorial assistant level or above.
• Strong knowledge of the digital publishing market and emerging trends.
• A love of commercial fiction.
• Proven editorial skills, including desk editing work, copywriting and accurate proof-reading.
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities and work independently.
• Excellent command of English, with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• A collaborative team player with excellent communication skills at all levels.
• Advanced MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint.

Responsibilities

• Editorial: Maintain communication with authors and agents; develop publishing strategies; assist publishing director with their list; liaise with teams across marketing, sales, rights, operations and digital; coordinate with freelance editors; manage titles from acquisition to publication; ensure metadata is up-to-date; draft cover/catalogue copy; use AI tools to streamline processes; track submissions and draft responses.

Skills

Editorial experience

Digital publishing

Commercial fiction

Desk editing

Copywriting

Proofreading

Project management

English proficiency

Communication

MS Office

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

HQ Digital is the digital-first list of HQ, specialising in innovative digital publishing across the commercial fiction market, from contemporary fiction, romance, historical fiction to crime and thrillers. Combining rapid growth with commercial success, we’re proud to have launched stellar careers for a host of digital bestselling authors both in the UK and internationally, including Rebecca Raisin, Portia Macintosh, Faith Martin and Neil Lancaster.

As Assistant Editor, you will provide editorial and desk editing support to the Publishing team at HQ Digital. This is a role with a great amount of potential for growth, and the new Assistant Editor will be an important member of our small and dynamic team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to develop their editorial skills and career across a unique range of commercial publishing. It will suit digitally-savvy candidates who have both initiative and energy, and who are excited to think creatively about how we publish our books.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate a track record in editorial work, enjoy working on your own initiative, have the ability to juggle competing priorities and be able to anticipate the needs of the Publisher in delivering best-in-class publishing, publishing comms and author care. You will be an excellent communicator who combines creative flair with an eye for detail and can work co-operatively within the team.

Key Responsibilities:

Editorial:

• Maintaining communication with authors and agents and developing publishing strategies
• Assisting the publishing director with their list of authors, providing support and responding to authors in a timely manner
• Liaising with authors over the progress of their book, as well as liaising with teams across the business including marketing, sales, rights, operations and digital
• Liaising with freelance editors for projects
• Project managing titles from acquisition through to publication
• Ownership of metadata/AIs for individual authors ensuring up-to-date information is available internally and externally
• Writing cover/catalogue copy as required
• Use AI tools within our internal systems to streamline editorial and administrative processes, with a proactive mindset to experiment and find innovative ways to simplify day-to-day tasks
• Track and read submissions for the Publisher and draft responses or respond direct

Administration:

• Act as a key point of contact for authors, agents, and internal departments on behalf of the Publisher
• Arrange meetings, book fair appointments, and other logistical support for the Publisher
• Take minutes at internal meetings when required
• Looking up sales and total consumer market figures
• Manage submissions for prizes
• Any other ad-hoc tasks as instructed

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise:

• Experience working at editorial assistant level or above
• Strong knowledge of the digital publishing market and emerging trends
• A love of commercial fiction
• Proven editorial skills, including desk editing work, copywriting and accurate proof-reading
• Strong organisational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities and work independently
• Excellent command of English, with strong attention to detail and accuracy
• A collaborative team player with excellent communication skills at all levels
• Advanced MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint

About HarperCollins UK

With a history stretching back over 200 years, HarperCollins is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world. Here at HarperCollins UK, we publish around 1,500 books a year for readers of all ages and interests.

Our bestsellers include Bernard Cornwell, Adele Parks, Jonathan Franzen, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Memoirs of British prime ministers. Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy. George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And legendary titles by legacy authors J.R.R. Tolkien, Agatha Christie and C.S. Lewis.

We’re home to the most iconic bears, Paddington, Rupert and Winnie-the-Pooh, and Judith Kerr, Rob Biddulph and Michael Morpurgo, Mr Men & Little Miss, Thomas & Friends and Minecraft for our younger readers.

We have offices in London, Honley, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin. In London, we’re in The News Building with News UK. Keeping our historic connection to Glasgow, we’re also based in the Robroyson district where each week, our distribution centre sends up to 3 million books around the world.