Intern Corner: Josephine Manning
Children’s Editorial Intern at Abrams.
What has been surprising about your experience?
I am most surprised by how much I’ve been able to work on in such a short period of time, and how much responsibility I was trusted with so quickly! To say I learn something new every day would be quite an understatement, it truly feels like I’m taking an accelerated “Publishing 101” course. I have worked on a wide variety of tasks and projects, from reading submissions and helping lay out a manuscript to learning to navigate important databases and publishing jargon that I had yet to learn. It’s a second language! I also think that this being my first full-time, in-person publishing internship, I didn’t quite understand until now just HOW involved and deeply immersed editors are in their projects. It’s been incredible, bearing witness to the lengthy and complicated process of bookmaking.
What are some of the coolest things you’ve done so far?
Besides being able to read and edit some of our amazing works-in-progress, celebrating 900 weeks of Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the NYT Bestsellers list was really cool. There was a little celebration and the whole office came together to toast and eat a huge cake (truly the biggest cake I’ve ever seen) with Greg Heffley’s face on it. It is surreal to be in the same office as the minds behind so many books that were integral to my childhood and millions of other children’s childhoods. This job has showed me how much work and time goes into bookmaking, and the village it truly takes to create something of Diary of a Wimpy Kid’s magnitude and worldwide reach.
What is some advice you have for others starting out in publishing?
My biggest advice is to put care and personality into your applications. I write a cover letter completely from scratch, unique to every company I’m applying for, every single time I apply for a job. Even when I’m applying for 15+ internships in a season, and even though this slows down the application process a bit, it’s worth going that extra mile. I also think that passion comes across, even on a singular page, when you leave a healthy amount of space to convey why you want to work in publishing or the world of books, whether it’s because of a class you took, a great teacher, or a love for a specific book series as a kid. The same goes for interviews— I always come prepared to discuss why I love books and how my passion seeps into my work ethic, as opposed to solely listing off past jobs and achievements, which hiring managers hear enough of.
The last thing I’ll add, which may go without saying, is to READ! I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been asked about my current reads, favorite reads, or been given recommendations from my fellow interns and coworkers this summer. It’s a question that comes up in every interview and can be a really great icebreaker or bonding moment with a prospective employer, or a coworker once you’re in an office! Have a favorite book, maybe have three, and be prepared to talk about why you love it. My answer right now would be Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, if anyone was wondering. Happy reading!
Check out more from the Early Career Committee on our blog.
