#publishing internships

[thefeministpress]

IT’S CANADA DAY, which means... your window of opportunity to become a Fall 2019 intern at the Feminist Press is rapidly closing!

In honor of our grand return, Interns Chloe and Ella will be doing an Ask Me Anything--about publishing internships, the Feminist Press, or whatever it may cross your mind to ask the interns of an indie publishing house/feminist nonprofit.

[cbcdiversity]

Interns Speak Up! Candlewick Interns Share their Experiences

Shadin Al-Dossari, Publicity Intern:

Candlewick was my first real publishing internship. I had interned at a literary journal and a creative writing center, but my time at Candlewick really gave me a complete idea of what the book industry is like. The people who work at Candlewick truly do their best to help make themselves available to you, even for something as simple as chatting over a cup of coffee. The entire office environment is friendly; it felt so nice to be surrounded by people who are just as passionate about children’s literature as I am.

Through the warm and friendly publicity team I learned industry lingo I had never heard of, enhanced skills that were previously mediocre, and gained knowledge about different facets of the book world. Another fun part of the internship was the “Books We’re Reading” board, which is exclusively for the awesome people who make up Candlewick’s Publicity and Marketing department. The board is a fun way to get book recommendations, start a conversation about what others are reading, and is a cool way for interns to feel included.

Another time I consistently felt included was every Tuesday at 11 am. I was giddy because I got to sit in on the publicity meetings which were such a treat. During those meetings, I was almost spellbound by the mundane things that were discussed such as who would go to what conference, bulletin updates and our next pre-order campaign. I couldn’t help it, I was getting to see what went on behind the publicity door, no one else got to hear these things.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been given this internship opportunity and won’t forget the people I met here, nor the things I learned. Plus, what other publishing company has a ‘bring your dog to work’ day?

Shadin Al-Dossari is a WNDB grant recipient, Publicity intern at Candlewick Press, and a student in Emerson’s Writing, Literature and Publishing program. She’s an avid reader of all things, particularly YA and an enthusiastic hockey fan, as well as a part-time knitter.

Michaela Glover, Editorial Intern: As a WNDB Internship Grant 2018 recipient, my internship at Candlewick Press has been an enormous blessing and a great opportunity. When I first entered through the glass doors, I immediately saw the Candlewick bear made entirely out of legos.  Then I saw a huge wall of books on the left side of me and more books, just above the receptionist desk, to my right.  I knew from that moment that this internship was going to be fantastic. On that day, I met my supervisor, Melanie Cordova, and she was full of positivity and smiles. From then on my experience at Candlewick was just like my first day; it was filled with positive people, smiles, and beautiful books. The atmosphere was amazing and I loved how my opinion and thoughts were truly appreciated. I even made it onto one of the illustrator search meeting notes!

During my time at Candlewick Press, I wrote several reader’s reports and with Melanie’s guidance, I became a better writer. I learned to slow down and reflect on what I had written and learned to trust myself. Overall, the Candlewick experience was amazing and I would do it all over again.

Michaela Glover is a WNDB Grant Recipient and Editorial Intern at Candlewick Press. Michaela has recently graduated Cum laude majoring in English from the illustrious Spelman College. When Michaela is not reading, she’s learning ASL, performing the Moulin Rouge soundtrack at random times, and getting beat up by her 7-year-old niece, Nyla, frequently.

Mikaela Luke, School and Library Marketing Intern: When I meet up with friends after work, they often jokingly ask me if I spent the day reading. The truth is, I really do read a lot on the job. The office truly is decked out in colorful posters, my team is incredibly affirmative and incredibly stylish, and yes, there is a stack of picture books on my desk right now. I try to tone things down – out of kindness, of course, to my other college-aged friends with much more bleak cubicle spaces for the summer – because I know I’m lucky. As a sociable bookworm who loves all things cozy, a day job in book publishing is not just something I commute to with happy satisfaction. I wake up every day and revel in the perks.

But really, it isn’t just these perks of being in a homey office, where I feel so welcomed and myself in that contribute the most to this sense of gratitude. While out for a quick check-in over ice cream with my two supervisors one mid-internship afternoon, it dawned on me. I like working with children’s literature because we’re talking to librarians, teachers, instructors, parents, reviewers, award committees … all these different groups of non-children. It seems that inevitably, through books, we engage in a grander conversation about what we all want for the next generation and generations to come. As much as I soak in the luxury of being in a comfy bubble where nerding out about books is the norm – this much more serious, educational, dialogue-driven, visionary aspect of working in children’s publishing, to me, is the greatest perk of all.

Mikaela Luke is the School and Library Marketing intern at Candlewick Press and a fourth-year English student at UC Berkeley. When she isn’t chattering away about books or her home (and dog) in Canada, you can usually find her listening to podcasts, adding to her notebook collection, or shopping for gifts.

[literallycait]

Hi, Caitlin, big fan of your blog! I was wondering if you had any tips for someone who's interested in working as an agent? I graduated a year ago and now work for a mid-sized publishing company. Since helping authors is my favorite part of my job, I'd love to give agenting a try. But I don't have many connections that could lead to internships, and I'm not in NYC yet. Is it okay to send my resume to agencies I like (just to inquire), or is that frowned upon?

Some agencies may not like that, but honestly, it doesn’t hurt to try. Lots of publishing positions that open up are not advertised publicly, but are instead circulated around publishers and agencies asking “if they know anyone” they can recommend--so, yes, there’s a lot of networking involved. Since you’re already in a publishing house, you’re already in a better position to network than most, plus you’ll have some extra credibility if you reach out to agencies cold. Reaching out may at least get you a notification when such a position becomes open. Also keep an eye on agencies’ social media accounts; sometimes internship openings are posted there. 

It is going to be harder to find something if you’re not in NYC, but not all agencies are NYC-based, and remote internships do exist--we have them at DMLA, in fact. Also, aim for paid! Publishing has long been an industry that doesn’t pay its interns (I started that way; it sucks), but that is starting to change, and more and more agencies offer stipends or hourly wages. You deserve to be paid for your work! 

However, I’m going to give you the honest truth about agenting: it is very, very hard to get started as an agent without some additional means to support yourself. Ideally, you’ll start in an assistant position to an agent who will mentor you and support you, and you can start building your own list within a couple of years. An assistant position is a great place to start not only because it’s how you learn, but also because it is salaried. Once you become a full agent, you will be paid based on commission instead... which means you only earn money when your authors do. Given the slow nature of publishing (typically 2 years from deal to pub date), this means it can be years before you start really seeing an actual return on your time. The general rule of thumb is that it takes about five years for agents to be able to support themselves on their agenting income alone. So be ready with a plan for how you’ll stay in the game when the going gets rough--because it will get rough sometimes. 

If that doesn’t deter you, then great! Wanting to help authors is why I went into agenting as well, and it’s honestly such a wonderful part of my job. I hope you have luck with the job search, and feel free to ask if you have any more questions!  

[minoritiesinpublishing]

Internship Grant Program

The Internship Grant program awards supplemental grants to diverse students pursuing a career in children’s publishing.

**APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN**

The submission window for the 2022 grant season is open until May 1st at 12am PST

Click to visit the application page and learn how to apply.

[minoritiesinpublishing]

“Yes it’s okay to ask (for more work), but be specific in your asking. Have a goal in mind of what kind of jobs you do want to perform and then try to find the people who are doing jobs similar to that. So that when you’re going out to people on your team you’re actually going out to people who have a job that you have an interest in learning.” --Talia Chaves

Helpful advice on the latest MiP episode from 2016 @weneeddiversebooks intern Talia Chaves on how to learn more of what you’re interested in during your internship.

[bellesbooknook]

Hey, so I’m sorta freaking out about the end of my editorial internship (which is coming up in a few months) because like, where do I go from here?  If anyone knows of any paid publishing internships besides the big ones (Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, etc.) I would appreciate it immensely!

x Thanks!

[booksandpublishing]

Saqi Books is offering eight-week part-time internships to bright, talented and committed individuals, who are interested in a career in publishing.

This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to get into publishing. 

[literallycait]

Hi Ms. McDonald, I'm an NYU student looking to get into publishing, specifically in children's, YA and genre fiction. Is Sterling Lord looking for summer interns? Hopefully this is a more convenient asking venue - I'm sure your inbox is full enough!

We do have a summer internship program, but unfortunately we’re already full for the summer!  We also do fall and spring internships, though, and I’ll post here when we’re open to applications for those.