Breakthrough Traineeship – Production & Marketing Placement, Horsham
About Breakthrough
Breakthrough is a 6‑month employability programme designed as a stepping stone to get you workplace experience and all-important employment skills. This short placement gives you insight into a future career in the Creative Industry, supporting your confidence and professionalism in the workplace, and helping you to break through into a career that matters to you!
Read more about Breakthrough here:
The role
The placement holder will support both production and marketing activities, taking a project from the raw manuscript stage all the way to getting a book into a reader’s hands, in order to gain insights into the full lifecycle of publishing projects. The role combines administrative, creative, and research-based tasks across departments.
Production Support:
- Assisting with manuscript preparation for production (formatting, proofreading, checks)
- Liaising with editors, translators, and designers to track project progress
- Supporting the management of production schedules and workflows
- Preparing files and materials for print and digital publication
- Maintaining accurate records (metadata, title information, internal databases)
Marketing & Publicity:
- Drafting marketing copy (catalogue text, website content, social media posts)
- Supporting campaign planning for new and backlist titles
- Researching target audiences, comparable titles, and market trends
- Assisting with events, launches, and festival submissions
- Monitoring and reporting on marketing performance and outreach
Cross-Departmental Work:
- Collaborating across editorial, production, and marketing functions
- Participating in team meetings and project discussions
- Contributing to new publishing ideas through research and analysis
- Supporting general administrative tasks as required
Who we are:
Sinoist Books is a West Sussex-based indie publisher of diverse narratives from Sinophone communities around the world. We publish translated modern classics from some of the best-known authors within China, as well as up-and-coming novelists emerging onto the global literary scene for the first time.
The press works across rights, translation, editorial, production, and marketing to bring the best of the Sinophone works to a global Anglophone audience. Our output ranges from literary fiction to genre-bending historical and crime fiction, as well as a small range of children’s literature.
This placement offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the front lines of this evolving segment of UK publishing within a small, collaborative team.
Deadline for applications
The deadline is 11:45pm, on 27 July 2026
You will need to download the job description below and read it carefully, and review the eligibility criteria below to ensure you are able to apply.
You then need to fill out the form below to submit your application.
All of the job descriptions include an “Employers advice” section and we strongly recommend that you tailor your answers to ensure they cover that advice given for the specific role you are applying for.
You can apply for more than one role if you wish to, but you will need to submit separate applications using the same process.
We strongly suggest that you research travel options for the role before applying to ensure travel is feasible.
To be eligible to apply for a Breakthrough traineeship, applicants must:
- Be aged 18-25 on the 28 September 2026
- Have the right to work in the UK
- Available to start work on the 28 September 2026 and available for the duration of the placement (until 28th March 2027)
- Have no or little (less than one month) previous experience of working in an arts, creative or voluntary sector organisation
In addition to the above, applicants should also meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Currently not in employment, education or training (NEET)
- Be disabled and/or Neurodivergent
- Have current or prior mental health issues
- Have experienced racism, homophobic or transgender discrimination
- Be a recent school or college leaver (A level or equivalent)
- Are struggling to find work due to lack of employment or training experience
Please note that this programme is not suitable for those on a degree placement year or an MA programme.
Download the full job description
This contains more information about the role, including advice from the employer.
Breakthrough 2026 Application Form
Contact us
If you are unsure if you are eligible, have any other questions, or need information in a different format, please email our Careers team:
FAQs
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If you have applied for a Breakthrough placement in a previous year and been unsuccessful, then yes you are very welcome to apply again if you meet this years eligibility criteria!
If you have already successfully undertaken a Breakthrough placement before, you won't be eligible to apply again.
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Please do. You will need to submit an application for each role you are interested in and should check that the travel to the workplace is realistic for you before applying.