Join Bloomsbury’s Children’s Books, the British Book Awards’ 2024 Children’s Publisher of the Year and home to picture-perfect picture books, thrilling middle school adventures, young adult fantasy blockbusters and award-winning nonfiction. The award-winning, diverse roster includes authors and illustrators such as Katherine Rundell, Kalynn Bayron, Catherine Doyle, Jessie Burton, Tom Percival, Katya Balen and Lex Croucher. We’re also home to the world’s most famous children’s book brand: Harry Potter.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and organised team player and invite you to start your career in publishing in this award-winning and pioneering PR team at a time of exciting growth for the company. You will be part of a highly collaborative and supportive team, reporting to the PR Director. As a PR Assistant, you will be a key member of the team, providing administrative support to ensure the day-to-day running of the business. Your responsibilities will include producing internal and external communications documents, scheduling meetings and communicating with the media and colleagues across the business. This role requires organisation, efficiency, exceptional time management and confident communication skills. You will also assist with campaigns and events and have the opportunity to plan and execute your own.
You don’t have to have ever set foot in a publishing house to catch our attention! We are looking for a proactive candidate with initiative and a love of books who thrives in a fast-paced environment.
In return, we’ll offer you valuable PR experience, a thorough understanding of the publishing process and the opportunity to work with a wide range of industry stakeholders. You’ll hear first-hand how we plan and execute industry-leading PR campaigns, interact with key external stakeholders such as journalists, booksellers and event organizers, and have the opportunity to cultivate your own relationships.
Our work is informed by diverse perspectives and we strive to ensure our culture is one of belonging. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and identities.
If you would like to apply, please send your CV and a covering letter identifying a campaign for a book, film, play or exhibition (e.g. art) that caught your attention and why, as well as the book you enjoyed reading most in the last year.
The role
- Administrative support to the PR Director and Children’s PR team, including scheduling, invoice processing, record keeping, travel booking
- Providing campaign support to the team where appropriate, such as booking author trips, entering expenses into the budget, organising mailings, accompanying authors to events and interviews and organising events
- Responsibility for some advertising campaigns to develop skills and knowledge in campaign work and contribute to the whole department
- Managing departmental processes including awards ceremonies, festivals and conferences, creating documents for internal communications, managing departmental invoices, book orders and more
- Act as a point of contact for the public and the media by phone and email so that all communication with external stakeholders is efficient, friendly and timely
- Be the PR team’s first point of contact for internal colleagues
Knowledge, skills and experience
- Excellent organizational and scheduling skills to deliver tasks on time. Ability to set priorities
- Great attention to detail
- Strong interest in all types of media, such as print, broadcast and online. Including social media and new media to keep up to date with changes in the market
- Strong oral and written communication skills are required for copy editing, writing press releases, etc., as well as for keeping all stakeholders informed and updated.
- Strong relationship building skills, internal and external, to build and establish relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Passion for reading to stay up to date with Bloomsbury books and market trends
More information
The role is full-time
Salary point: £27,000
The role is based in our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP and is based on a hybrid working pattern of 2 days in the office / 3 days from home (or fully office based if preferred). The office days for this role are Monday and Tuesday.
As an assistant, this role is eligible for Bloomsbury’s Tenancy Deposit Loan Scheme. To support candidates looking to start and build a career in publishing, Bloomsbury offers an interest-free tenancy deposit to help secure accommodation. The tenancy deposit loan can be up to £3,000 and is repaid over 2 years.
Please apply with a CV and a cover letter addressed to HR (in Word or PDF format only) using the “APPLY NOW” button, including a campaign for a book, film, play or exhibition (e.g. art) that caught your attention and the reasons behind it, as well as the book you enjoyed reading the most in the last year. 23.August 2024.
For best results, apply from a desktop computer, as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal.
Bloomsbury reserves the right to close the position early if we exceed the required number of applications.
Additional services from Bloomsbury
In addition to a fantastic opportunity to become part of a global award-winning company, Bloomsbury offers the following attractive benefits package:
Work patterns
- Hybrid working pattern: 2 days in the office / 3 days from home (or fully in the office if preferred)
Holidays
- 25 days vacation
- 3.5 days Christmas company holiday
Further advantages
- Two paid personal wellness days
- Flexible Fridays – Take Friday afternoon off by working an extra 3 hours and 30 minutes earlier in the week
- Work from anywhere for two weeks – For two weeks in any calendar year. The minimum duration for Working Anywhere is one week and the maximum duration is two weeks.
- Season ticket rental
- Share Save Schema
- AXA Health Plan (Private Health Insurance)
- Company doctor
- Voucher system for eye care
Company culture – staff meetings, staff networks (Bloom (BAME), accessibility, mental health, pride and parents, guardians and carers, multi-faith) and 21 mental health first aiders trained across the UK offices, publishing events and access to free publishing resources
For further benefits see below
Bloomsbury is a place where everyone can thrive, feel comfortable, heard and accepted, regardless of their background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability or socioeconomic status. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all walks of life.
We are willing to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let the recruitment team know if this is required.
Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK – Bloomsbury Publishing does not support visa applications.
The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people who want to enter the publishing industry. For more information and to contact them directly, please visit: http://booktradeentrysupport.org
The company
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publisher founded in 1986. Its authors include Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prize winners. Bloomsbury is also the original publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s academic division, the company publishes under Bloomsbury as well as a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read our story to find out how it all began.
Bloomsbury is committed to creating a working environment that encourages creativity and collaboration, respects difference, is inclusive and ethical in its practice and promotes wellbeing. We are committed to supporting and developing our people to reach their full potential and we know that our success is built on the passion, commitment and hard work of our talented staff. We recognise the urgent need to attract and support applicants from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry and give diverse voices the opportunity to reflect and shape our culture and society.
Please read more about our missions and values Here.
Please read our environmental policy Here.
