Publishing trainee

Closing date for applications: Sunday 24th August at 11.59pm

Salary: National Living Wage

Duration: 6 months

Working hours: Mon-Fri, 35 hours (flexible start/ end times between 8am and 6pm; 1 hour for lunch each day)

Location: Edinburgh, UK

Start date: 29th September 2025

Learn the ropes of academic publishing with this varied 6-month traineeship based in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh University Press is the premier Scottish publisher of academic books, ebooks and journals. Our ambition is to create a community of authors, editors, advisors and practitioners committed to publishing world-class academic research that amplifies the critical role of the humanities and social sciences in shaping the way we think about and tackle global and local issues. Sharing our University Press knowledge and expertise, we nurture every project from idea to publication and beyond, to maximise its influence and impact. We work with academics from across diverse backgrounds, and from early and mid-career researchers to professors, to give voice to a wide range of international perspectives. And we are building partnerships to create and deepen connections with our parent institution, the University of Edinburgh, and with wider civic society.

The publishing trainee will be based in EUP’s books editorial department. They will have the full support of 3 experienced members of staff who will lead and guide them as they are introduced to life in an office setting. For the first month, they will spend most days of the week in our Edinburgh office to facilitate learning and development. After that they will follow our standard hybrid pattern (2 days per week minimum in our Edinburgh office and the option of being based either in the office or at home on the other 3 days).

To ensure that the publishing trainee learns as much about academic publishing as possible, they will, while being based in our editorial team, also have monthly rotational placements in other EUP departments. This will include journals, marketing, sales, rights and production. They will spend 2 days a week in each department, alongside their 3 days per week in the editorial department, to gain further skills and see which area of publishing suits them best.

What you will learn

Within each part of the placement the trainee will learn the fundamentals of academic publishing. Beyond that they will:

• Attend in-person academic committee meetings, conferences, book launches and sales conferences, in addition to gaining an understanding of the core functions of each department.
• Learn how to manage a Title Management System, a CRM system, and use key partner platforms like MDL and Ingram iPage.
• Build a fully rounded understanding of publishing.

The trainee will be supported throughout the six months by experienced colleagues within the Press, an EUP buddy, and a mentor, as well as a learning and development budget (funded by EUP), supplementing the training covered by the Springboard programme, to help them prepare for work in the long term.

Key activities

On a day-to-day basis, their main areas of training will cover:

• Contracts
• The importance of author care
• Peer review
• How to...
  • Keep book records up to date
  • Get books ready for paperback publication
  • Secure permissions for illustrations
  • Process payments
  • Prepare metadata for books before publication
• The implications of Open Access and AI
• Developing their knowledge and customer-service skills to be able to answer general queries about our books.

This will be supplemented with additional areas of training within the rotational placements in other EUP departments.

What you will bring

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail
• An understanding of the importance of a customer-focused culture
• Prioritisation skills and the ability to meet deadlines and think creatively
• Collaborative team player with a proactive approach
• Digital skills including working with systems, using Microsoft Office, writing emails, and using AI tools appropriately

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 Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates.

This role is part-funded by the Mo Siewcharran Memorial Fund which support internships for young talent from ethnicities that are under-represented in the theatre, publishing and music industries.