Editorial Assistant

Title: Editorial Assistant

Reports to: Associate Editorial Director and Director of YA Publishing

Location:Boston, MA

Job Category: full- time

Hours/week: 35

Editorial Assistant Job Description (updated 5/9/2025)

The Editorial Assistant will assist a senior-level editor in completing routine editorial support work. They will be politically engaged, intellectually curious, and attuned to what makes a powerful reading experience.

This position requires excellent written and oral communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently toward the collaborative and common goals of the lists, the editorial department, and the Press. It entails keeping up on trends within publishing, and requires excellent time-management and organizational skills, and the ability to manage detail-oriented projects with overlapping deadlines.

Specific job responsibilities:

--Assists another editor in manuscript preparation including processing author contracts, research, preparing proposals and memos, and evaluating permissions and notes.

--Weekly check ins with supervisor.

--Reading and evaluating proposals and manuscripts on an as-needed basis.

--Co-supervises an editorial intern for the department.

--Completing editorial support work required to convert books to paperback.

--Actively participate in weekly editorial meetings, editorial retreats, staff and marketing/publicity meetings. Foster strong connections with all departments—sales, marketing, design, publicity and production. Share ideas to improve processes or to increase efficiency.

--Shepherd books from the proposal stage to final book, including:

• Track permissions, as needed. Prepare manuscripts for transmittal to production department.
• Work with authors and in-house colleagues on titles and subtitles and draft title information sheets.
• Launch titles inhouse and as needed with Beacon’s distributor, Penguin Random House.
• Draft and circ design memo.
• Draft all copy—online copy, flap copy, back panel copy.
• Solicit blurbs.
• Collaborate with publicity and marketing on developing publication strategy.
• Send out complimentary copies of printed book to endorsers and influencers.

• Submit books for awards.
• As experience increases, acquire 1-2 books or work with senior level editor on editing manuscripts.

--Take on other departmental tasks as needed.

--Participate in cultural change process at Beacon Press.