Internships: A Rundown
JA
October 05
Over at 3000 books, Estelle Tang is conducting a series of interviews with the lucky grads currently taking part in the Australian Publishing Association’s Internship Program for 2009. Estelle, who is at Oxford University Press herself, provides some great insight into the ins and outs of working at a publishing house at entry level, something that many students or aspiring editors may know very little about. The first interview is with Stephanie Stepan of Text Publishing and the second is with Belinda Leon from OUP. The program, funded by CAL for its second year running, is set to go ahead again in 2010, so it’s definitely worth a read if you’re interested in applying.
Professional internships have been common practice in the US for a while now, and the idea seems to have really taken off in Australia over the past few years. This can probably be put down to the fact that many publishers are increasingly short on staff, and also the growing competitiveness between those eager to crack into the industry. A while ago, I gave a short talk at the MWF on how internships can not only help you get your foot in the door as an editor/publicist/agent or general whathaveyou, but also improve your writing. A few thoughts from that session, and since, are below.
Why do an internship?
If you’re interested in publishing, then it’s pretty self-evident that internships can help in terms of experience, exposure and networking etc. The best thing of course is that you get to mix with some very talented, very brilliant folk and hopefully absorb some of their wisdom along the way.
If you’re an emerging author, I also think that internships can be good way of getting a feel for the industry without taking too much away from writing. Getting to know the basics, such as how to write a good cover letter, a sensible bio or synopsis, can really help in the long run. Additionally, you’ll become familiar with the editing process from the other side of the fence and the overall standard of work out there, all of which can help when it comes to assessing and editing your own fiction or poetry.
What are the general tasks/responsibilities?
Anything goes really – you’re often there to do what needs to be done, but an upside is that you’ll get to dabble in lots of different areas. Programs may vary from place to place – they can either be very structured or very informal – but a few general duties will probably include:
Reading through the unsoliciteds
Manuscript appraisals or reports
Helping draft press releases, media kits etc.
Helping with grant applications
Helping with launches, festivals etc.
Copyediting, proofreading, basic editing
Sourcing images
General admin
Will you be paid?
If you’re lucky enough to get one of the CAL funded places, then yes, but – and here’s the cruncher – most positions are voluntary. I know that this is a broad concern for both employers and employees, and while every effort should be made to pay interns, I think it’s also important to remember that it’s more about learning, as clichéd as that may sound. If you do get an internship, you should try and get as much out of it as possible to make it worth your while. Once you build up your skills enough to try and get paid work, you should (although another plus of interning is that it can often lead to paid work in any case). In my experience, most publishers are well aware that you’re volunteering and are correspondingly flexible.
How do you go about getting one?
Some publishers will put information on their websites, so check these regularly. Otherwise it doesn’t hurt to send out a short, friendly email to see if they’re currently looking for help, as things can also be a matter of timing. A lot of things can happen via word-of-mouth as well, so let people know that you’re interested in interning and something may just come back.
Our Friends
- Overland
- Alien Onion
- Ampersand Duck
- Andrew McDonald
- A Pair of Ragged Claws
- Arts Victoria
- Australia Council for the Arts
- Ben Eltham
- Bookshow blog
- CAL
- City of Tongues
- Crikey
- darkly wise, rudely great
- David Astle
- Elmo Keep Does Stuff
- The Ember
- Fly the Falcon blog
- Going Down Swinging
- Griffith Review
- Hackpacker
- Harvest
- HEAT
- Island
- Killings blog
- Literary Minded
- Lorraine Crescent
- Lynden Barber
- Mandy Ord
- Marcus Westbury
- Matilda
- Meanland
- Melbourne University Publishing
- Mel Campbell
- The Monthly
- Musings of an Inappropriate Woman
- Oslo Davis
- Paul Callaghan
- Read, Think, Write
- Sleepers Publishing
- Sorrow at Sills Bend
- SPLOG
- Tom Cho
- Virgule
- Wet Ink
- Wheeler Centre
Comments
05 Oct 09 at 9:28
For an alternative view of internships:
'In most of the world when a person works long hours without pay, it is referred to as “slavery” or “forced labor.” For white people this process is referred to as an internship and is considered an essential stage in white development.'
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/07/20/104-unpaid-internships/
*equally substituted for 'Asian', especially at the Meanjin offices.
...05 Oct 09 at 16:27
See also: http://carrotworkers.wordpress.com/
...