INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES
As a midsized general trade and children’s book publisher with more than 2,500 titles in print, Pelican Publishing Company offers interns a complete overview of the publishing industry. This includes experience in the sales, editorial, promotion, and production departments. Internships are available year-round and last a minimum of 10 weeks. Arrangements are sometimes made to work less due to school requirements, or more according to the intern’s wishes and availability of office space.
We accept applications on a rolling admission.
Pelican offers an intern the opportunity to learn the basics of the publishing industry, receive hands-on experience, and polish communication talents in an intimate, supervised atmosphere. The internship requires an individual who is both responsible and versatile. An effort is made to show the variety of skills needed to work in the industry.
Editorial Department Internship
College Credit: Interns can receive college credit (usually equal to one class) for their time at Pelican. Arrangements must be made with a college advisor.
Hours: Business hours are flexible. Pelican requires that interns work a minimum of 20 hours per week with a preference to those available full time.
Books: The intern should be familiar with Pelican’s lists of titles. (See www.pelicanpub.com.)
Reports: The intern will be responsible for writing a daily report covering tasks accomplished.
Meetings: In most cases, the intern will attend weekly departmental meetings.
Resources: All interns are encouraged to read the trade journals and magazines to which Pelican subscribes to learn about the industry. Copies are received in-house for such publications as Publishers Weekly and ForeWord Reviews. All industry magazines Pelican receives are available to interns.
Please note that internship space fills up quickly, particularly for the summer months. Only applicants in consideration for a position will receive an interview.
Application Requirements
Specific information about each internship follows below. Regardless of the program to which the intern is applying, all applicants must submit the following:
- Cover letter
- Résumé
- Clear indication of available start date and desired end date.
- FOR STUDENTS: Every intern applicant under the age of 21 from outside New Orleans must include a letter from his/her parent or guardian indicating that he/she knows the student is applying for an unpaid internship in New Orleans.
Applicants should also include a nonfiction writing sample in English, no more than two pages. Poetry will not be accepted.
Submissions can be sent via e-mail in Microsoft Word format. Attachments should be numbered and named per the applicant’s last name. For example: Smith1.doc, Smith2.doc. E-mail submissions should state the total number of included attachments.
Editorial Department Internship Guidelines
Supervised by the editor in chief, this position focuses on the stages of reviewing and editing manuscripts.
Position Description
The task of the editorial department is to help acquire new titles for the company and to prepare contracted titles for publication. This is accomplished by critiquing submissions, editing manuscripts and computer disks (manuscript editing, line editing, and copyediting), checking artwork for accuracy and relevance, proofreading the typeset books, editing indexes, checking typesetters’ corrections, checking the books’ layouts, and checking the printers’ bluelines. This staff works closely with the production department to put manuscripts and artwork into correct book form.
Required Skills
* An interest in reading
* Detail oriented, resourceful, self-motivated, and team oriented
* Strong organizational and interpersonal skills
* Able to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
* Reliability and punctuality
* Familiarity with Microsoft Word
* Facility with Internet research
The ideal candidate will have two years of college courses and be working toward a degree in a related field or an equivalent background.
Representative Editorial Tasks
Manuscripts: Returning rejected manuscripts.
Manuscript Review: Reading and writing a critique of a manuscript Pelican is considering.
Queries: Reading initial submissions to determine if additional material should be requested.
Proofreading: Reading typeset books for typographical and formatting errors.
Clerical: Filing for CIP data and copyright; faxing letters; miscellaneous typing/computer inputting.
Final Type: Checking corrected proofs and layout. An editor will supervise.
Bluelines: Checking projects at the blueline stage, following a detailed checklist.
Artwork: Reviewing sketches and final artwork for editorial accuracy.
Indexes: Copyediting and proofreading author indexes.
Editing: Under editorial supervision, the intern will “practice edit” a children’s book or any other project that may be in the schedule.
Submission Guidelines
Send a résumé and two-page essay sample to be considered for an Editorial Department Internship to:
Nina Kooij
Editor in Chief
Pelican Publishing
New Orleans
editorial@pelicanpub.com
Intern Application Checklist
- Cover Letter
- Résumé
- Indication of the program to which intern is applying
- Clear indication of available start date and desired end date
- Writing Sample (as appropriate)
- Design Samples (Production Internship only)
- Parent Letter (for all student applicants from outside New Orleans)