As a trainee, you’ll dive into the heart of publishing, helping bring groundbreaking fiction, memoir and poetry to readers.
At Jonathan Cape our publishing has been setting trends for a century. Our carefully curated list, respected and admired across the globe, ranges from commercial to literary fiction, pioneering graphic novels to award-winning poetry, and rich non-fiction spanning memoir, nature writing and ground-breaking ideas books. But regardless of form or genre, excellence, and a rebellious and courageous spirit, is at the heart of all we publish. Our recent titles include What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong, Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart and the winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, Orbital by Samantha Harvey.
As an editorial trainee with Jonathan Cape, you’ll gain an overview of the publishing and commissioning work that takes place within an award-winning literary fiction and non-fiction imprint. You’ll be involved in four key areas: helping to prepare our spring and summer books for success; researching and helping to develop ideas for new publishing projects; contributing to a reissue programme of novels; and working with the Senior Commissioning Editor on paperback planning.
Knowledge and skills you’ll gain: an insight into all aspects of editorial and the lifecycle of books; researching book ideas and offering feedback on manuscripts and book proposals; project management skills; organisational skills; market awareness; IT proficiency across Microsoft Office, Biblio, PowerBI, Bookscan and Keyword Management System.
If you love great writing and storytelling, and are curious about new ideas and creative work, this could be the role for you.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2026 programme will open on Monday 13th October and will close at midnight on Sunday 26th October.
No need to spend ages crafting the perfect CV and cover letter – to apply to The Scheme, you will answer three short questions on an inclusive hiring platform called Applied. We’ll ask you about three of the core qualities or universal skills that we’re looking for in all of our trainees. In this application form, we’ll also ask you to tell us your top 3 preferences of the roles available on this year’s programme. We will anonymously score answers to determine the highest scoring applicants.
While we have publicised this opportunity, please note that: (i) the application and selection process is managed by the advertising company/organisation; and (ii) we rely on them to: provide accurate, up-to-date details about themselves and the opportunity; ensure that opportunities are ethical and paid fairly. To report a listing, please email [email protected].