Editorial trainee

Closing date for applications: Monday 1st June 2026 at 11.59pm

Salary: Real UK Living Wage

Location: Liverpool, hybrid

Duration: 6 months

Working hours: 35 hours per week

Start date: Early September 2026

Interviews: 13th & 14th July 2026

Ready to launch your publishing career? Gain hands-on experience and learn how bold, original books are brought to life, from acquisition to publication.

Dead Ink Books is an independent publishing house based in Liverpool and an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, as well as a member of the Publishers Association. Its books are beautifully designed, sharp-edged, and disruptive. Over the years, Dead Ink has published award-winning authors, revived cult texts, and launched wildly inventive, experimental projects. Rooted in Liverpool but global in outlook, it offers something just outside of the expected by rewarding deep reading, transgressive imaginations, and counter-cultural tastes. As a trusted curator of original storytelling and a commercially sharp creative house, Dead Ink invites you to step outside of the mainstream and into something a little more interesting. Its books have been listed for or have won the following awards: the Nero Prize for Fiction, the Women’s Prize, the RSL Ondaatje Prize, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and the Shirley Jackson Awards amongst others.

Embedded within the editorial department, this traineeship offers an introduction to the full publishing lifecycle of a title, from acquisition through to publication. The editorial trainee will work across the business, gaining hands-on experience of how books move through production, sales, and marketing. This traineeship includes a typesetting training session, with the opportunity to directly apply these skills to Dead Ink titles providing a practical, transferable skillset to support future employment or freelance work.

Alongside core editorial work, the traineeship includes a series of industry placements and visits. The trainee will spend time at Audio Always, the largest audio studio outside London, experiencing audiobook production and the proofing process. They will also spend time in an independent bookshop, gaining experience of how titles are presented and how the work done within the publishing house translates to a retail environment. The editorial trainee will also visit one of Dead Ink's key print partners to observe the physical production process of titles and understand how key decisions filter through to manufacturing.

By the end of the traineeship, the editorial trainee will have gained a thorough understanding of the full publishing process and an appreciation for the thinking behind the key decisions that lead to publication. They will have gained hands-on experience of key editorial tasks, including reading agent submissions, reviewing profit and loss projections, proofreading print files and communicating across departments.

Key activities

• Reading and assessing submissions, providing feedback to the wider team
• Assisting commissioning editors with editorial processes
• Supporting communication between departments including sales, marketing, and publicity
• Assisting in the assessment of profit and loss (P&L) reports and contributing to discussions on acquisitions
• Engaging in and contributing to wider team discussions around design, production, sales, and marketing strategies
• Spending time within each department to understand how editorial decisions filter through and influence the business
• Participating in industry placements and visits, including:
  • A two-day secondment at Audio Always contributing to audiobook production
  • A one-day secondment in an independent bookshop, supporting the retail of Dead Ink titles
  • A visit to a key print partner to observe the manufacturing process
  • A visit to a literary agency to understand the decision making that takes places upstream of Dead Ink

What you will learn

This traineeship will provide first-hand experience in publishing, helping to demystify the entire process behind how books are brought to market while building a foundation for a future career.

The trainee will learn the various influences that contribute to editorial decisions and how these decisions in turn impact other departments. By the end of the traineeship, they will have a clear understanding of the publishing process, from acquisition through to sales.

What we are looking for

• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A demonstrable interest and passion for literature, shown through engagement with the space e.g. through reading widely, creative work, or engagement with arts and cultural activity
• Confidence using a computer and familiarity with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) or Google Workspace equivalents (Docs, Sheets)
• Good numeracy skills, with GCSE-level Maths or equivalent qualification/experience
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Initiative and self-motivation, with the ability to work independently as well as part of a team
• A willingness to contribute ideas and engage actively with the work of the team
• Previous experience of working in an office environment would be useful but is not required

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk

This opportunity is open to individuals from groups that are under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who identify as Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, or people of any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, people with the characteristic of gender reassignment, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers and asylum seekers.

The successful candidate for this opportunity will also participate in a Creative Access support programme that sits alongside workplace training. This includes a programme of induction training, monthly masterclasses, wellbeing support, buddying/mentoring and more.