Assistant Editor - Transworld (12-month-FTC)

Are you an editorial assistant looking for your next step? Are you passionate about all things fantasy? We have an amazing opportunity to join Transworld to directly support our Publishing Director and the wider team at an exciting time of growth for our new fantasy imprint, Wayward TxF.

At Transworld, we love great storytelling. In books and stories we find our community – of authors, readers and colleagues. We publish the UK’s very best and most‑liked fiction and non‑fiction. Our authors are master storytellers, commercial giants, and game‑changing experts who challenge readers to open their hearts and minds. A Transworld book demands to be discussed, shared, and loved.

This year, Transworld launched Wayward TxF, a brand‑new fantasy imprint in partnership with the book subscription service, FairyLoot. The new imprint combines Transworld’s publishing expertise, brand building and commercial drive with FairyLoot’s unparalleled taste‑making talent and deeply engaged, growing audience of genre fiction devotees.

The role

This non‑acquiring role will be responsible for supporting, from an editorial, publishing and administrative level, the Publishing Director, the Senior Commissioning Editor, and the Editor, on their fantasy titles, both on Wayward TxF and Bantam Fiction, assisting their acquisitions, having an oversight of the SFF team schedules, and supporting the Publishing Director with the smooth running of the SFF list. You’ll be involved in all processes of book production, from acquisition to publication, to lend your hand to the Publishing Director, championing our brilliant books internally and externally and providing exceptional author and agent care and communication at all stages.

• Assisting the Publishing Director in looking after our brilliant authors and providing exceptional day‑to‑day author care and communication.
• Managing the internal book process of specified books, including scheduling, and compiling the jacket and cover briefs and copy where needed.
• Working collaboratively with the Marketing, Publicity, Sales and Rights teams and being a go‑to point person and champion for our fantasy publishing across the business.
• Helping to manage often complicated, evolving or fast‑paced editorial schedules (and budgets where needed).
• Working with the in‑house Sales, Transworld Managing Editorial, Art and Production teams on special editions – from obtaining author artwork approvals to keeping our critical path schedule on track.
• Supporting the Wayward TxF editorial team where needed on administrative tasks.
• Assisting in reading submissions, providing reader reports, writing vision docs, running audience insight and sales comps.

What you’ll bring

• Passionate about a career in fantasy publishing.
• Experience taking fiction books through the publishing cycle – proven editorial and publishing skills.
• Demonstrable awareness of and engagement with the fantasy and romantasy market – retailers, media, audiences, communities and competitors and all things digital.
• Experience of managing multiple projects at once and confidence to communicate with authors / key stakeholders and internal teams.
• Excellent communication skills and author care.
• Proactive problem‑solver, positive mentality with an ability to remain calm in a pressurised, speedy environment.
• Collaborative team player.
• The ability to multitask, be flexible, resourceful and handle competing priorities.
• Highly organised and great attention‑to‑detail – managing diaries and schedules.
• Good at spotting opportunities for improvement and growth – enthusiastic and curious.
• Confidence in partnering with internal teams across the business to champion books.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on 5th January. Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.

Circa £31,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits. While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will be in our Embassy Gardens office 3 days a week.

Seniority level: Entry level
Employment type: Full‑time
Job function: Writing/Editing
Industries: Book and Periodical Publishing