Editorial Assistant (Pan Fiction)

Pan Macmillan; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days’ annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Group income protection scheme

Flexible working hours

Volunteer days per year

Staff book sales discount

Job summary

Pan Macmillan's Pan Fiction team is seeking an Editorial Assistant to support the editorial process across a crime and thriller list and help keep projects on track from submission through to publication.

You will manage bibliographic data in Biblio, assist with costings, coordinate meetings, prepare production handovers, and handle author copies and permissions. The role is full-time, hybrid in London with some home-working and a competitive salary (£28,000) and benefits.

Qualifications

• Administrative excellence with ability to prioritise tasks across multiple projects.
• Clear written and spoken communication skills.
• Demonstrable knowledge of commercial fiction, especially crime and thriller.
• Proactive problem-solving and adaptability to changing business needs.
• Experience with MS Office, Adobe CC, Google Workspace, Canva and Biblio.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate bibliographic data in Biblio and book metadata.
• Assist Publishing Director with costings and market research.
• Prepare agendas and take minutes; act as main contact for internal schedule queries.
• Coordinate production handovers and keep the production process on track.
• Code invoices, approve author payments, and send author copies.
• Assist with permissions research and image clearance.

Skills

Administrative excellence

Communication skills

Industry knowledge

Problem solving

MS Office

Tools

MS Office

Adobe Creative Cloud

Google Workspace

Canva

Biblio

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Editorial Assistant to join the Pan Fiction team, supporting the publishing process across an industry-leading list of commercial fiction, with a primary focus on crime and thriller titles.

Your team:

Pan Fiction is home to the biggest and best commercial brands, including Peter James, Ann Cleeves, David Baldacci, Stuart MacBride, Kristin Hannah, Danielle Steel and Lucinda Riley. We publish critically acclaimed and award‑winning commercial fiction from Jane Harper, Alice Feeney, Alexandra Potter, Rosie Walsh and Lucy Jane Wood, as well as exciting debuts including Jo Murray, Steph McGovern, Robert Hutton and Jeffrey Boakye. We relentlessly drive creativity and innovation whilst supporting each other to deliver the very best work for our authors and to define the future of commercial fiction.

Your role:

As the Editorial Assistant, you will play a crucial role in supporting the editorial process and be responsible for the smooth running of our administrative processes. You will have the opportunity to assist in the development and production of a wide range of commercial fiction, with a focus on crime and thriller titles, and be a key support in keeping books on track from the moment of submission all the way through to publication and beyond. We are looking for someone who is passionate about commercial fiction and can multitask and meet deadlines.

Your key responsibilities:

• Metadata & systems administration: Keeping our bibliographic database (Biblio) and book metadata accurate and up to date.
• Acquisition support: Assisting the Publishing Director with acquiring books by creating costings and researching market competition.
• Departmental coordination: Writing agendas and taking minutes for departmental meetings, and acting as the main point of call for internal publishing schedule queries and external enquiries.
• Production liaison: Preparing texts for handover to the production team and keeping the production process on track in line with the critical path.
• Author & agent care: Coding invoices, obtaining approval for author payments, and sending author copies of finished books.
• Permissions & research: Helping with picture research and clearing permissions as required.

Essential experience, abilities and knowledge you’ll need to succeed:

• Administrative excellence: Effective organizational skills with a proven ability to prioritize tasks and manage a varied workflow effectively across multiple projects.
• Clear and effective communication: Effective written and spoken communication skills, with the ability to share information reliably and professionally.
• Industry knowledge: Demonstrable knowledge of and interest in commercial fiction, particularly Pan’s crime and thriller list, and a strong awareness of current market trends.
• Solution‑oriented: A proactive approach to problem‑solving and the ability to adapt to changing business needs while maintaining high standards of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Software/tools: Experience working with systems and tools such as MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, Canva and Biblio.

Inclusion and representation:

• Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.
• Curiosity: A strong drive for learning and a readiness to embrace different perspectives.
• Integrity: A foundation of openness and honesty, taking responsibility for actions and learning from mistakes.

Desirable skills we’d love you to have:

• Industry experience: Previous experience working in the publishing industry or related creative fields.
• Creative input: A proactive desire to contribute editorial ideas and feedback during list meetings.

What you’ll get in return:

In return we can offer you a range of great projects, a supportive and collaborative working environment as well as a competitive salary and benefits package.

Salary: £28,000

Closing date: 27 September 2026

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounted private medical insurance
• Group income protection scheme
• Enhanced family pay and leave
• Flexible working hours and summer hours (early finish on a Friday during summer months)
• 2 Volunteer Days per year
• 75% off all Pan Macmillan books and regular staff book sales (highly reduced rates)
• Season ticket loan/advance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on shopping, Tastecard+ and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
• Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

This is a full time, permanent role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

At Pan Macmillan, we are highly committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at every level of our organisation. We welcome applications from all individuals, including any age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief. We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process, if you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements please do let us know. Our efforts to promote DEI are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve our policies and practices. You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion

Please note that all personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice available here: https://panmacmillan.com/recruitment-privacy-notice. Please read our Recruitment Privacy Notice before submitting your application