Editorial assistant, history - Bloomsbury Academic

Closing date for applications: 25 September 2025

Salary: £27,000

Start your publishing career at Bloomsbury, supporting the development of influential history titles and learning first-hand how great academic books are made.

Bloomsbury is a leading international publisher with strengths in trade, children’s, professional and academic publishing. We are currently looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and hardworking editorial assistant to provide administrative and organisational support for our academic history list. The successful candidate will assist and report to the editorial director for European history, supporting them to achieve agreed revenue and profitability on the list and developing strong working relationships with authors.

We publish a range of history titles for scholarly and student audiences, including bestselling titles such as Germany since 1945, Valkyrie and So, About Modern Europe…. This is an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand about a broad range of activities across the publishing business and develop the key skills required for a career in publishing. The successful candidate will join a friendly team based in our central London offices.

The role purpose is to provide administrative support to the editorial director for European history in the effective management of print and electronic products throughout the publication process. This includes liaising with authors to ensure manuscripts are delivered on time, preparing manuscripts for production, sending proposals and draft manuscripts for review, managing backlist titles, and other administrative duties.

Responsibilities

• Developing and maintaining strong working relationships with authors, volume editors and series editors to ensure a high standard of author care throughout the publishing process
• Keeping the publishing programme on schedule through regular liaison with authors, and by maintaining and updating the frontlist plan for any given year
• Preparing manuscripts for handover to production to agreed standards and on schedule
• Setting up new titles on Biblio (our bibliographic database), and ensuring that any changes to projects are updated promptly and in line with key dates
• Writing and editing marketing copy
• Commissioning peer reviews for projects as requested; ensuring these reviews are delivered in a timely way; recording the progress of all projects under review
• Putting together cover briefs, cover copy and briefing cover designs
• Supporting the editorial director in managing backlist, including monitoring stock levels, reprints and the Print on Demand scheme, as required
• Responding promptly and appropriately to external and internal inquiries
• Providing basic reports and sales information
• Providing administrative support for team (filing, photocopying etc)
• Creating and managing companion websites

Knowledge, skills & experience

Essential:

• Highly organised with the ability to multi-task and prioritise
• Exceptional attention to detail and command of English spelling and grammar
• Proactive and able to take initiative
• Good time management with ability to meet deadlines
• Evidence of project management skills
• Solution-focused, calm and able solve problems under pressure
• Flexible and able to work independently
• Effective team working, networking and building relationships
• Excellent communication (oral and written) to internal and external contacts, handling information sensitively and professionally
• Strong IT skills including competency in using Microsoft Office, Word and Excel

Desirable:

• Will have knowledge and/or experience of Biblio and other relevant processes, systems and websites
• Some commercial awareness and understanding of the publishing industry desirable
• Places a high value on quality of content, author care, company reputation and sustained customer relationship
• An interest in academic publishing, and in developing industry and market awareness
• Some prior publishing experience an advantage

Additional information

The role is a full-time, permanent position based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid-working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred). Allocated office days for this role are Wednesdays and Thursdays

As an assistant role, this position is eligible for Bloomsbury’s Rental Deposit Loan Scheme. To assist candidates who want to start and to establish a career in publishing, Bloomsbury offers an interest-free rental deposit to support securing somewhere to live. The rental deposit loan can be up to £3,000 and will be paid back over 2 years.

Please apply with a CV and answer the application form questions via our website detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by 23:59 on Thursday 25th of September 2025. For best results, please use a desktop to apply as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal. We do not require a cover letter for this vacancy. Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

Bloomsbury benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

• Hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)
• 25 days holiday and 3.5 days Christmas company holiday
• Two paid Personal Wellness Days
• Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional3 hours and 30 minutes earlier in the week
• Work Anywhere Fortnight – For two weeks of any calendar year. The minimum period for Working Anywhere is one week, the maximum period is two weeks.
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• Peppy Health App
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme
• Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom, Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers, Multi-Faith) and Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

The Book Trade Charity provide financial assistance for people looking to get into the publishing industry; you can find more information and talk directly here: Book Trade Entry Support: http://booktradeentrysupport.org

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.