Editorial Assistant (Non-Fiction and Picture Books) in London

We have a brilliant opportunity for a highly organised and capable Editorial Assistant to support the Nosy Crow Non-Fiction and Picture Books editorial teams on a full-time basis. This is a rare chance to work at the grassroots of children’s publishing, liaising closely with two small, busy teams of editors in an exciting, creative environment. This is an entry-level role, with no previous publishing experience required, but a self-motivated individual with a can-do approach and demonstrable passion for children’s books is essential.

Nosy Crow is a multi-award winning, independent children’s publishing company with many high-profile authors, illustrators, licensors and brands. We make child-focused, parent-friendly children’s books for ages 0–12, and have operations in both the UK and the USA. This role is a full-time position and is a hybrid role, working a minimum of three days per week in our office near London Bridge. The successful candidate will have the right to live and work in the UK.

Purpose of the Job

The role of Editorial Assistant includes a range of administrative and editorial tasks to support and contribute to these two dedicated and vibrant editorial departments, from inputting data and proofreading layouts, to helping authors, illustrators and publishing partners both over email and when visiting our office, as well as liaising with other key areas of the business.

The Non-Fiction team works on an innovative list of illustrated full-colour non-fiction, activity and gift books for ages 3-12 across our National Trust, the British Museum and the University of Cambridge publishing partnerships, covering a diverse range of topics from world history to evolution, as well as our own-brand Nosy Crow non-fiction and activity titles. The Picture Books team publishes commercially focused, immaculate picture books for young children. The list includes high-profile and award-winning creators such as Ross Collins, Jeanne Willis, Chris Naylor-Ballesteros and Kate Hindley. We also publish many gift titles for children, including poetry and classics.

This position involves working 2.5 days per week on the Non-Fiction list, and 2.5 days per week on the Picture Books list. The Editorial Assistant reports to the Publishing Director for Non-Fiction, with a dotted line report to the Publishing Director for Picture Books.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing general administrative support to both editorial teams, including scheduling and Biblio upkeep, managing sales material, preparing for team presentations and external meetings with publishing partners, taking meeting minutes, processing invoices and mailing proofs, advances and contractual copies.
• Providing editorial support across both lists on a wide range of editorial tasks as necessary, including proofreading, copy-editing, reading submissions, and specific editorial checks to ensure adherence to imprimatur guidelines.
• Liaising with other departments in Nosy Crow, working especially closely with the Design, Production and Audio teams.
• Overseeing the reprints process for all titles and working on special sales projects with line management support.
• Working on catalogues and writing copy for Advance Information sheets.
• Acting as a key point of administrative contact for authors, illustrators, and publishing partners, and providing them with excellent care.
• Assisting in the smooth running of the office.

Key Skills, Characteristics and Capabilities

• Strong organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to multi-task, take initiative and prioritise your own workload in a busy and sometimes high-pressure environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a meticulous eye for detail and creative flair.
• To be a strong team player with the ability to liaise and work closely with others.
• A demonstrable passion for children’s non-fiction and picture books.
• A good working knowledge of Office 365 including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Nosy Crow is a Disability Confident, committed equal opportunities employer. We believe that employing a diverse workforce is an important factor in success and make recruiting decisions based on applicants’ experience and skills. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of race, age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy, maternity, marriage or civil partnership. Applications are treated with due confidentiality. Nosy Crow is a member of the Living Wage foundation.