Editorial Assistant

Company Description

Penguin Random House is the leading adult and children's publishing house in North America, the United Kingdom and many other regions around the world. In publishing the best books in every genre and subject for all ages, we are committed to quality, excellence in execution, and innovation throughout the entire publishing process: editorial, design, marketing, publicity, sales, production, and distribution. Our vibrant and diverse international community of nearly 300 publishing brands and imprints include Ballantine Bantam Dell, Berkley, Clarkson Potter, Crown, DK, Doubleday, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Little Golden Books, Knopf, Modern Library, Pantheon, Penguin Books, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Young Readers, Portfolio, Puffin, Putnam, Random House, Random House Children's Books, Riverhead, Ten Speed Press, Viking, and Vintage, among others. More information can be found at penguinrandomhouse.com.

Penguin Random House values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Job Description

Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, seeks an Editorial Assistant to join our team. The assistant's role provides administrative and editorial support to an Executive Editor on an impressive list of fiction focusing on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction. The assistant will liaise with authors, agents, and different departments across Penguin Random House in support of the editorial process and the release of Del Rey titles.

Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is the world's foremost publisher of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction, as well as the premiere publisher of licensed media and pop culture titles. For over 40 years, Del Rey has published and nurtured the careers of countless of speculative fiction authors, including George R.R. Martin, Terry Brooks, Naomi Novik, Pierce Brown, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Danielle Jensen, SenLinYu, Robin Hobb, and Max Brooks. Del Rey values our authors as collaborative partners, and the editorial assistant will act as a liaison between authors, agents, and different departments within Del Rey.

Daily responsibilities include all-around administrative support for two senior editors and the editorial department as needed.

In addition to providing administrative support, the editorial assistant will be responsible for daily editorial activities, proposal/manuscript screening and feedback, manuscript editing, drafting cover copy, and brainstorming creative publishing approaches and solutions to help authors/books through the entire publication process.

We are looking for a detail-oriented, meticulous self-starter with administrative experience and invested in learning about publishing.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Point of contact between authors/agents and the editorial department
• Provide administrative support, including calendar management, answering phones, and booking meetings
• Write catalog/flap copy (the synopsis/sell of the book) and fact sheets
• Run and distribute reports on sales of comparative titles
• Collaborate with all in-house departments (publicity, marketing, sales, production, design, etc.)
• Evaluate manuscripts and proposals and provide feedback to the editorial team on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction manuscripts
• Research trends and competition, including comp titles (books that will compete with sales/reader interest).

Qualifications

• Able to apply organizational methods and strategies to meet deadlines and manage a busy inbox on Outlook
• Timely follow-up skills with the Del Rey editorial team, authors, agents and other departments and able to prioritize and complete multiple projects in a fast-paced and details-focused environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with the team when needed
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel, and an avid interest and ability to learn new applications
• Proficiency in creative problem solving, decision making and time management
• A strong writer who has a broad reading sensibility
• Interest in working on science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction
• Early adopter of fiction and pop culture trends.

Additional Information

The salary for this position is $55,000. All positions are currently eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results.

Please apply using our ATS system by August 6, 2026, and include your resume and cover letter for consideration.

Before applying for any role at Penguin Random House, we recommend you review our applicant resources page and look over our hybrid and open-to-remote guidelines on our FAQs page.

Penguin Random House job postings include a good faith compensation range for each open position. The salary range listed is specific to each particular open position and takes into account various factors including the specifics of the individual role, and candidate's relevant experience and qualifications.

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.