Project Editor (12 month FTC)

Hachette UK Limited; Camden Town; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent UK publishing company seeks a Project Editor to manage fiction and non-fiction titles from manuscript to publication. The successful candidate will coordinate with authors, freelance professionals, and cross-department teams, ensuring projects adhere to quality and schedules. Essential skills include project management and copy-editing. The role offers a blend of in-office and remote work in London, with an attractive benefits package, including generous leave and a strong commitment to diversity.

Benefits

28 annual leave days

Generous pension schemes

Rent deposit loans

Summer hours

Retail discounts

Eye care vouchers

Training library

Development programmes

Book purchase discounts

Charity bookshelf

Qualifications

• Proven track record of project editing and project managing trade non-fiction.
• Excellent organizational skills and great multi-tasking abilities.
• Meticulous copy-editing and proofreading skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Manage authors through the editorial process.
• Commission freelance copy-editors and proofreaders.
• Ensure projects meet schedule, budget, and quality standards.

Skills

Project editing

Project management

Organizational skills

Copy-editing skills

Proofreading skills

Communication skills

Job description

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Managing Editor of PCR, you will deliver a wide range of fiction and often complex non-fiction titles, from handover of manuscript to publication, with expertise and autonomy. Tasks will include:

• Managing authors through the editorial process
• Commissioning freelance copy-editors, proofreaders, indexers and illustrators
• Clearing permissions and working on legal reads
• Collating and checking proofs at each stage
• Checking covers

You will be working closely with many other in-house departments, particularly production and the wider editorial team. The position holder will ensure that allocated projects keep to schedule, budget and quality standards, and other business areas are aware of each book's progress.

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates with a proven track record of project editing and project managing trade non-fiction and preferably fiction, who have excellent organisational skills and are great multi-taskers. Meticulous copy-editing and proofreading skills are essential. You must be proactive, a good communicator and show confidence dealing with colleagues both internally and externally.

About the Role

Little, Brown's identity is personified by our innovative, dynamic and free‑thinking people. Across our thirteen imprints, you won't find a wider range of titles anywhere in UK publishing. We pride ourselves on quality and diversity. A repeat recipient of the Publisher of the Year award, we're one of the most successful and dynamic publishers in the UK. Little, Brown is a division of Hachette, one of the largest publishing groups in the UK, with 10 publishing divisions and over 60 imprints. Everyone here is proud to be in the business of opening doors and minds.

This is an exciting opportunity to join PCR, a division of the Little, Brown Book Group, and work on a huge variety of non-fiction and fiction titles across the Constable fiction, Piatkus non-fiction and Robinson lists. The position is due to start in March 2026. The PCR division combines three successful imprints at the award‑winning Little, Brown Book Group. Across the Piatkus, Constable and Robinson non-fiction lists, we publish everything from popular psychology, self‑help, business, personal development, health and wellbeing, parenting, history, cookery, humour, biographies, popular culture and how‑to books. Across the fiction lists, we publish compelling crime fiction alongside big‑name women's fiction authors and romances.

For more information about financial support for people looking to enter the book trade, visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org.

Benefits

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewardsCycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide‑range training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 staff‑led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Working Arrangements

The role will be based at our London office, with a blend of in‑office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week. Our commitment is to employ people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio‑economic, regional and cultural backgrounds. If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend an interview, please let us know.