Canelo - Assistant Editor

Dorling Kindersley Limited; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading publishing house in London is seeking an Assistant Editor to support their fiction team. The role involves desk editing, overseeing cover designs, and communicating with authors and agents. The ideal candidate will have a passion for commercial fiction, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently. This position offers a competitive salary of up to £27,000 plus benefits, including generous holiday entitlement and a hybrid working model.

Benefits

25 days paid holiday entitlement

60% discount on company books

Cycle to work scheme

Discounted gym membership

Flex Fridays (1pm Finish)

Qualifications

• Experience in desk editing and publishing is essential.
• Ability to balance administrative and creative tasks.
• Self-starter with strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Desk editing, including managing freelance editors and proofreaders.
• Oversee the cover design process from briefing through to production.
• Maintain metadata for multiple titles.
• Communicate with authors and agents regarding edits and updates.
• Ensure adherence to project timelines.

Skills

Creativity

Copy writing

Cover design ability

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Job description

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Are you passionate about commercial fiction and eager to take the next step in your publishing career? Canelo is looking for a dedicated Assistant Editor to join our thriving fiction team.

With the recent acquisition by DK, this is an incredibly exciting time to join our team. You will have the fantastic opportunity to support Canelo in bringing an exciting and varied list of books to market.

You'll be at the heart of our publishing process, and get to work across a variety of fiction genres, focusing on our popular crime list. We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running, who is able to juggle admin and creative tasks with ease.

As our Assistant Editor, your main responsibilities will be:

• Desk editing, which involves booking and checking the work of freelance editors and proofreaders.
• Overseeing the cover design process from briefing through to production.
• Creating and maintaining metadata for a large number of titles.
• Communicating with authors and agents regarding edits, covers, and other updates, ensuring they feel supported and informed.
• Ensuring all projects adhere to the critical path.

Our ideal candidate is a real self-starter, who can bring creativity to the role with good copy writing and cover design ability, so a solid understanding of publishing and desk editing is essential. You will be organised and confident in communicating with internal teams and external stakeholders. You will also have the opportunity to bring ideas to editorial, cover, and launch meetings and comment on potential acquisitions.

If you want to build upon your love for commercial fiction and are eager to learn a lot about successfully publishing across a variety of genres, formats and territories, please apply with your most recent CV and cover letter!

Closing date for applications: Monday 18 August 2025
Salary: up to £27,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits

We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our people, some of which are:

• 25 days paid holiday entitlement in year one, plus bank holidays
• Volunteering policy and charity matching
• Employee assistance programme
• 60% discount on company books
• Cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership
• Flex Fridays (1pm Finish*)
• Up to 30 days remote working from abroad*

And we plant a tree for every new employee to our business

DK is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the varied communities that read our books across the world. We encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of age, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or social background. DK is proud to announce that we have adopted The Halo Code.

DK is a member of the disability confident scheme. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies.

DK supports flexible working and has introduced a new ‘smart-working’ policy with a hybrid approach of working weekly from home and in DK’s office.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade, but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews or undertaking internships. For more information, visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org

*Subject to certain criteria being met.

About our Company:

We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

We are the world's leading illustrated publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann, creating cutting-edge design and stunning visual books for the whole family.We are passionate about inspiring curiosity and bring people to books through their thirst for knowledge.With a global book loving community of over 800 colleagues in the UK, US, Germany, India, China, Spain and Australia, we produce books in over 100 countries and over 60 languages. Find out more ondk.com .

Company: Dorling Kindersley Limited | Job ID: 281868

Date: 1 Aug 2025

Location:

London, LND, GB, SW1V 2SA

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