Publicity and Admin Assistant, Cornerstone

Publicity and Admin Assistant, Cornerstone

Do you have top-notch organisation skills and attention to detail? Do you enjoy a busy role with no two days the same?

About Cornerstone

Cornerstone is a division within the iconic publisher Penguin Random House UK. Cornerstone is home to seven imprints: Century, Cornerstone Press, Del Rey, evermore, Hutchinson Heinemann, Inklore, and #Merky Books, each with its own specific focus and remit. Every Cornerstone book also goes on to become a Penguin paperback.

Within publishing, Cornerstone has an enviable track record of bestsellers, prize winners and culture-shaping books, working with many of the world’s most interesting voices, often throughout their entire career. Our books span genres, categories and marketplaces globally and include James Clear, Katy Hessel, Chris van Tulleken, Robert Harris, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Lyse Doucet, Ava Reid, William Rayfet Hunter and Lisa Jewell.

The role

We’re looking for a new publicity and administrative Assistant to support the day-to-day running of the publicity team and help deliver campaigns for our authors and books.

This is an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced and creative environment, working alongside experienced publicists and building relationships with colleagues across the business, as well as journalists, event organisers, influencers, booksellers and authors.

You will need to be an organised, proactive and detail-oriented individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and building relationships with a wide range of people. You will need excellent multi-tasking and prioritisation skills, and the ability to be flexible and adapt your approach as needed. While previous publishing experience isn’t required, you’ll have a genuine enthusiasm for books and an eagerness to learn about publicity, media and publishing.

Key responsibilities:

• Acting as a point of contact for the publicity department, liaising with colleagues, journalists and event organisers
• Providing administrative support, including scheduling, chairing and taking minutes for meetings, diary management and maintaining databases
• Responsibility for organising and managing the publicity shared area, managing stationery orders and monitoring stocks of books in the office.
• Organising book mailings and responding to requests for information and publicity materials
• Booking and coordinating author travel and accommodation
• Supporting publicity campaigns through research, logistics and author scheduling
• Managing budget trackers, raising purchase orders and processing invoices
• Monitoring and circulating media coverage
• Maintaining team systems, folders and processes
• Supporting work experience interns Responding to enquiries from media, influencers, booksellers and members of the public

As part of working in PR, this role requires some evening and weekend work assisting at various events. We will be happy to discuss time off in lieu on these occasions.

What you’ll bring

Cornerstone is a goal-orientated division with a clear commitment to high performance at every level. We embrace the following qualities. If this way of working resonates with you, you are likely to succeed as part of our team.

• You bring bold curiosity, question the status quo and take smart, commercially driven risks
• You deliver with pace, resilience and a growth mindset, while collaborating to achieve high impact You build strong, inclusive relationships with authors, agents and colleagues, and contribute to a culture of openness and belonging

Essential criteria:

• An enthusiasm for books, publishing and the media
• Strong organisational and time-management skills, with excellent attention to detail
• The ability to prioritise effectively and manage a varied workload under pressure
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to build relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• A proactive approach and willingness to take ownership of tasks
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Strong problem-solving skills and the confidence to think creatively
• A collaborative approach and enjoyment of working as part of a team Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel and Word

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on …