Assistant Editor - Vintage (12-month-FTC)

VINTAGE are looking for an enthusiastic and creative Assistant Editor to join our Chatto & Windus editorial team. This is a role for someone with a love of literary fiction and non-fiction who will relish the chance to join our prestigious, creative and wide-ranging imprint.

Reporting to the Associate Publishing Director, the primary role will be to assist with the book publication process and provide support on their list of fiction and non-fiction titles.

The role

As the point of contact for all departments, in addition to authors and agents, you will be a friendly and efficient team player with excellent communication skills. You'll need to be able to multi-task and organise yourself effectively and be proactive in following up on deadlines. You will need to have some prior editorial experience, making this a great opportunity for an Editorial Assistant looking to develop and progress their career.

Key responsibilities:

• Working closely with the Associate Publishing Director on key author relationships and managing books through the publication process
• Helping to manage the Chatto poetry list, working with our external poetry editor, from submission and acquisition to jacket design, production and publication
• Reading and reporting on submissions from agents, evaluating commercial and literary potential and assisting with acquisition process
• Drawing on data resources to analyse a book’s sales performance and that of comparable titles
• Contributing to structural and line edits
• Preparing and managing the schedule for the Associate Publishing Director’s titles and ensuring the critical path is implemented on time
• Creating and updating AIs, drafting cover copy and cover briefs
• Organising proof mailings
• Monitoring Amazon to ensure copy, keywords, metadata and jackets are up to date
• Liaising with colleagues across Sales, Rights, Marketing and Publicity to help promote our titles
• As part of the Chatto editorial support team (alongside another Assistant Editor), providing broader assistance on imprint strategy and management

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

• Brings prior editorial experience and is motivated to build on this, making a strong step-up opportunity for an Editorial Assistant
• Confident, friendly point of contact for internal teams, authors and agents, with clear and professional communication
• Strong ability to plan and prioritise, manage multiple tasks at once, and keep workstreams moving efficiently
• Takes initiative to track actions, chase outstanding items, and ensure deadlines are met

Preferred criteria:

• Experience of publishing poetry, and/or an interest in poetry, would be an advantage

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing [email protected]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter addressed outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on 3rd of June 2026.

In your cover letter, please tell us, in no more than 200 words, about a book you read recently that inspired you to recommend it to others and why.

• Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.
• We anticipate 1st stage interviews will start from week of 8th of June. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Use of AI tools

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Salary

Circa £32,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Hybrid working

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 come to our office in London three days a week (Monday, Tuesday,Thursday).