TULIPWOOD IS INTERVIEWING for

Lead Graphic Designer

Join a new independent press

Gain publishing experience in collaboration with an editorial team

[SEATTLE, WA, June 2026. Open until filled.]

Tulipwood Books publishes full-length poetry collections, collaborative anthologies, and an annual journal of poetry, prose, and visual art. We strive to create the highest quality books, and we want to put them into the hands of readers everywhere. The Lead Graphic Designer will support the press’s visual presence with images for social media and ad design, with the opportunity to contribute to book and broadside design. The details and frequency of these duties is determined by the Lead Graphic Designer, in consultation with the Marketing Director and Publishing Editor. The workload should feel reasonable, achievable, and fun.

Purpose

Tulipwood Books is a collective of artistic collaborators. We support the press’s long-term sustainability by sharing the work between us—in a way that fits our individual strengths. The Lead Graphic Designer is an active participant in the press, and offers skills in image creation, design, aesthetics, and outreach. The ideal candidate is a natural collaborator with an enthusiasm for our shared goal of supporting authors and artists, emphasizing art and craft in book creation.

Compensation

All lead positions at Tulipwood Books receive a stipend of $100 per month and two copies of each new title. We hope to increase this stipend as we grow, and we are actively pursuing grant funding to make this possible.

You determine the amount of work that you do for the press, and you decide how much of your time to contribute in return for your compensation. Since the task list at an indie press can become overwhelming, please be realistic about your capacity and set a schedule that you can sustain over the next few years.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Generate customer-facing content, in consultation with Tulipwood’s Marketing Director, in support of books, events, and authors.
• Craft the visual art elements for poetry broadsides, in collaboration with the Publishing Editor.
• As desired, assist in book design for publication. 
• Work remotely; attend monthly operations meetings online (during Pacific Time working hours).
• Tulipwood provides a user license for Adobe Express. Access to Adobe Fonts and Adobe Stock are available through the Publishing Editor.
• We share files through Google Workspace.
• Please note: the use of generative AI is not allowed. The AI features that come bundled with software tools (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite) should be avoided wherever possible. Tulipwood Books is values-aligned against AI tools because of their negative impacts on the environment, intellectual property, workers’ rights, and the artistic health of our culture. No AI.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Adobe Express and Illustrator.
• General knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud tools.
• Access to a private computer and internet connection that will support video calls, as well as a personal mobile device running an app-based operating system.
• Demonstrated interest in, and dedication to, collaborative artistic communities.
• Preferred: 2+ years experience in book and/or magazine publishing, or college degree equivalent.

About Tulipwood Books

Tulipwood Books is a developmental-editing press. We value authors and artists over product, and we work to reduce the harmful effects of anonymous rejection in publishing. In our first two years, we published five titles: three single-author collections of poetry and the two issues of seedfall, our annual journal of poetry, prose, and visual art—all created by women, nonbinary, and trans voices. We produce events in collaboration with Seattle artistic powerhouse Common Area Maintenance. Find us online at tulipwood.org, and on socials @tulipwoodbooks.

To Apply

Please send 3-5 recent works, along with an Artist Statement (500 words max) and bio (about 100 words) via our Submittable portal. Give us an idea of who you are and what you do. We care most about the artist, not the resume.

Tulipwood Books is a developmental-editing poetry press. We work with authors to develop a full-length manuscript toward publication, and we're excited to get the chance to collaborate with you. Please read more about the press at our website: tulipwood.org

We read on a rolling basis, and all manuscripts receive editorial feedback. If you wish to forgo feedback, please indicate this in your cover letter. We aim to respond to all submissions within one year.

Please send 10 pages of poetry and a 500-word description of the project, along with any questions that you might have for us. 

This is not a vanity press—we develop poetry, not product. Our focus is on collaboration with poets to co-create works of literary art. 

We do not consider previously-published manuscripts. The individual poems contained in the collection may be published elsewhere.

Project Proposal

 Submit 10 pages of poetry from a manuscript in-progress. 

• .docx or .pdf format
• Please start each new poem on a new page.
• Use a 12-point font or larger.

Provide a 500-word max. description of the project and your goals for collaboration with an editor.

Policies

• We charge a $20 reading fee, to support the operations of the press.
• All authors receive editorial feedback on their 10 pages, unless otherwise requested.
• Please indicate if you prefer general critique or line edits.
• All poems will be individually considered for development toward publication in our annual journal seedfall.
• There is no guarantee of publication.   

Collaboration

• If your manuscript is chosen for development, we will contact you for a video call to discuss the shape of our work together and what to expect from us as a press.
• We will communicate via email and text, meet regularly on video call, and share files via Google Drive.   

Compensation

• Full-length book authors receive ten free print copies of their book and percentage profit share.
• Contributors to seedfall are currently uncompensated, but it's our goal to change that.

 Terms of Use

• Please submit only work that you are willing to develop and publish with Tulipwood Books.
• Poems may have appeared individually in journals, but as a whole this project is previously-unpublished.
• At this time, we are open only to adult (18+) persons residing in the United States.
• Please make sure that you've read and understand our policies below. Any work that violates these policies will be destroyed without acknowledgement or refund.
• No hate speech. This includes: racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, ableism, or any other oppressive or shameful language of any kind.
• No sexual violence. Other violence is also not recommended.
• No depictions of self-harm, suicide, or suicidal ideation. No exceptions.
• No AI-generated or AI-collaborated work. This should go without saying.