Assistant Editor, Clarkson Potter

Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House and a leading publisher of illustrated lifestyle books in the categories of Food & Drink, Design, Photography, Gift & Pop Culture, and Entertainment, is excited to hire an Assistant Editor for our dynamic cookbook team.

Reporting to the Executive Editor, the Assistant Editor will provide administrative and editorial support to senior staff. This role requires recipe editing experience, strong writing skills, and the ability to work in a highly collaborative environment with other members of the editorial team and our design, production, marketing, and publicity departments. We expect the Assistant Editor to develop a strong knowledge of our operational systems as well as an eye towards identifying successful trends and talent. They will closely liaise with authors and agents on the titles they’ve been assigned to support, while also acquiring and editing 1 to 2 titles a year.  Self-motivated and independent, this person will actively contribute as part of a small and highly engaged team.

The ideal candidate will have a keen interest in and knowledge of the food and cooking space and have a proactive work ethic.  They will be committed to both the granular work of publishing and the creative work of supporting storytelling that inspires readers and is representative of the diversity of our society.


The Role:
* Provide editorial and administrative support to senior editors
* Assist with developmental edits of manuscripts, including recipe edits
* Assist in managing the lifecycle of the editorial process from acquisition to publication, maintaining an effective relationship with authors, agents, and other departments
* Serve as primary project manager on select editorial projects and team-wide initiatives
* Write sales and consumer-facing copy
* Read and evaluate manuscripts and proposals, research comparative titles, recommend projects for acquisition, and draft profit and loss statements
* Acquire and edit 1 to 2 titles a year


The Essentials:
* Strong interest in and knowledge of food trends and cooking
* At least 2 years experience in editorial work (preferably 3 years)
* Recipe editing experience
* Impeccable proofreading skills and attention to detail

* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Strong organizational, multi-tasking, and project management skills, especially with tight deadlines 
* Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with team members and authors
* Positive, entrepreneurial spirit