Who we are and what we do
About Hachette UK
Hachette UK is a creative powerhouse and the UK's second largest book publishing group. Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.
We're made up of 10 autonomous publishing divisions and over 60 imprints with a rich and diverse history and an incredible range of authors. We're also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.
Our award-winning adult publishing divisions are Little, Brown, which won Publisher of the Year at the 2026 British Book Awards; Orion (2021 Publisher of the Year Award Winner); John Murray Press; Hodder & Stoughton; Headline; Octopus, and Bookouture. They publish fiction and non-fiction in digital, audio and print format, from the world's best and most diverse authors, including Brit Bennett, Candice Carty-Williams, Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Maggie O'Farrell, Delia Owens, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling, Colson Whitehead, and Malala Yousafzai. Hachette Children's Group publishes a wide and vibrant range of books for children across all age ranges, while Hachette Learning is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.
Hachette UK is part of Hachette Livre, the world's third largest trade and educational publisher. As well as our headquarters in Carmelite House, London, and our state-of-the-art book distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, we have recently opened five new offices in Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. The UK region also includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, and Ireland.
It's an exciting time to join our business because the publishing market continues to grow and thrive. The UK remains the largest exporter of physical books in the world and book adaptations for film and TV are the foundation of the UK's creative industries.
What you'll be doing
Please only apply if you are available to attend our next Talent Assessment Centre on 23rd September 2026.
An Assessment Day comprises a series of assessments, including individual tasks, a group task, and an interview. The day lasts around 3-4 hours and is held in person at our London office. It is a great opportunity to join our talent pool and, of course, get to know us better and meet with some of our best talent.
Joining our Talent Pool
Our goal is to build an excellent talent pool of potential applicants we can contact directly about entry-level roles across our business.
We don’t know what roles may come up in the business or when, and we can’t guarantee anything, but as part of the Talent Pool, we will look to you first when new roles come up internally or, in some cases, before advertising externally.
This means your application will already be part of a pre-screened group of candidates whose skills and potential we have seen first-hand, giving you greater visibility with our Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition team and a simpler, more focused recruitment process when suitable temporary or permanent opportunities arise.
Who we are looking for
We’re always on the lookout for the best talent - focusing on talent first and the job second. We're looking for curious, collaborative and commercially minded people who are excited to bring fresh ideas, transferable skills and new perspectives to our business.
At Hachette UK, we know what amazing talent is out there, especially those just entering the employment market. We are looking for potential. The aim is to grow and foster exceptional talent that will one day become the next best Publisher, Sales Director or Head of Production.
Our mission at Hachette UK is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity and our four key pillars of Understanding Consumers, Owner Mentality, Changing the Story and Growth Mindset help us deliver on this business strategy.
We would like to hear from individuals who are ready to start their careers in publishing and are open to all parts and functions of the business.
We’re looking for people who are curious about our consumers and audiences, able to spot commercial opportunities, and excited by the role books, content and storytelling can play in people’s lives.
You’ll be someone who collaborates well with others, communicates clearly, takes ownership of your work, brings energy, organisation, and a willingness to learn, and likes to take on new challenges. You will already have good Microsoft Office skills.
Most importantly, you'll share our passion for the power of books, content and storytelling and support our ambition to Change the Story.
The Assessment Day is designed for people interested in all parts of the business; if your passion is purely Editorial (or a very niche part of publishing), it’s better to keep an eye on our website for those specific roles when they come up.
What we offer
Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:
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28 annual leave days per year, increasing to 29 days after 2 years' service and going up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
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Private medical insurance
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Dental insurance
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Generous pension schemes
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Rent deposit loans
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2 community days per year
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Summer hours (finishing at 1 pm on Fridays during the summer months)
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Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
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Cycle to Work scheme
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Eye care vouchers
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Wide-ranging training library
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Development programmes (including mentoring)
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Up to 70% off book purchases
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A charity bookshelf
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An active range of staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing, Women in Tech and religious networks
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Season ticket loans
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And much more!
We offer hybrid working with a blend of in-office (3 days) and home working (2 days) per week.
Our commitment
Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, you can let us know at the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application. We’ll make sure you’re supported throughout the process.
The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org
