Assistant Editor, HarperNonFiction

Assistant Editor, HarperNonFiction

Application Deadline: 2 August 2026

Department: Editorial

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: London

Compensation: £32,000 / year

Description

HarperNonFiction is one of the leading commercial Non-Fiction publishing divisions in the UK, with a huge range of bestselling authors. We are looking for a creative, organised and driven individual to join our Editorial team, working across a combination of our Thorsons, Lifestyle, Gift & IP publishing which includes personal development, cookery, health, humour and brand partnership titles. Notable successes across our publishing include How I Cook, Think Like a Monk, Good Energy, Dinosaur Philosophy and The Mini Eggs Cookbook.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to develop their editorial skills and career across a unique range of non-fiction publishing, including book and non-book titles. To be successful in this role you will demonstrate a track record in desk editorial work. You will also 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

• Supporting the Publisher, Publishing Director and wider team to deliver best-in-class publishing and author care
• Managing their titles through the editorial and production process while keeping to the critical path
• Contributing to structural and line edits on manuscripts
• Briefing and liaising with freelancers to organise copy edits, proofreads and indexing
• Liaising with production and checking and collating proofs
• ebook editorial checks and creating briefs
• Helping to organise and support photoshoots for illustrated titles
• Preparing cover and launch briefs
• Writing cover and catalogue copy
• Creating Title Information (TI) sheets as requested, monitoring and updating them
• Managing records and optimising metadata across frontlist and backlist titles
• Monitoring Amazon to ensure copy and jackets are optimised
• Proofreading and checking materials, e.g. covers, author pitches, presenters, TI
• Helping manage reprints: responsibilities include organising the re-branding of covers, updating prelims
• Editorial admin, such as proof mailings, processing invoices, progressing contracts, clearing permissions, sending out author questionnaires
• Working cross-functionally across Sales, Marketing and Publicity teams
• Engaging with current events and the literary and media landscape to contribute fresh ideas to our publishing
• Reading and reporting on submissions from agents

Administration:Providing some admin support to the Publisher and Publishing Director, such as:

• Looking up sales and TCM figures
• Organising purchase orders and processing invoices
• Ordering Publication Day presents for authors
• Arranging hospitality for key meetings
• Taking minutes for the weekly in-house editorial meeting and monthly in-house brainstorming meetings
• Providing advance/sample materials to other departments
• Running a weekly report to monitor materials/briefs due to/from Ed ops, design and covers

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Solid editorial desk and editorial project management
• Good understanding of the publishing industry
• Proven interest in commercial trend-led non-fiction in the Thorsons, Lifestyle, gift and IP areas
• Excellent attention to detail
• Proven ability to manage titles through the desk editing process (including overseeing the copy edit, proofread, index and collating proofs)
• Reliable, with the ability to use own initiative
• Organised and able to juggle multiple tasks
• Excellent command of the English language
• Effective communicator at all levels
• Customer focused, ensuring the highest level of author care