The Internship Program at Penn Press is meant for undergraduate students interested in the field of academic publishing.
Running ten weeks, our summer program encompasses the entire publishing process, from manuscript proposal to bound book. All Press departments are represented in the program: Acquisitions, Marketing, Editing & Production, and Business & Administration. Each intern will be assigned to two departments and will spend five weeks in each. Periodically throughout the internship, the internship will have the opportunity to participate in departmental Q&A sessions, forums in which the intern can ask broader questions about the nature of each department’s work and its contribution to the overall operation of the press.
Acquisitions
The Acquisitions department acquires (or rejects) the initial manuscript proposals, guides the projects through the review processes, offers contracts to authors, ensures that all copyright and permissions are cleared, and submits the final manuscript to the editing and production department.
Marketing
Once a book is in print, the Marketing department promotes the book through events and signings, advertises the book in key scholarly and trade publications, exhibits the book at academic conferences and meetings, and digitally promotes the book on our website, blog, and social media pages.
Editing & Production
The Editing and Production department turns a manuscript into a book, from copyediting and compositing to book jacket design and printing.
Business and Administration
The Business and Administration department's responsibilities include rights and permissions management, book order fulfillment, customer service, and expense budgeting.
Interns will be expected to complete daily clerical tasks as well as more in-depth projects under the guidance of Press staff members. Work experience will range from reading manuscripts to researching the prospective market for a book. Interns are invited to attend staff meetings, local conferences, and book events.
Required Skills
- Excellent written and communication skills
- Ability to work in a team and take direction
- Attention to detail
- Rigorous research skills
- Interest in academia and the publishing industry
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and Adobe programs; relational database knowledge is helpful
Schedule
The internship can start anytime between mid-May and June 2024 and runs through August 2024. In-person work is preferred.
Location
Penn Press is located at 3905 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. More information is available at pennpress.org.
Contact
Questions about this particular internship should be directed to:
Walter Biggins, Editor-in-Chief
University of Pennsylvania Press
email: wbiggins@upenn.edu
Cal Turner, Editorial Assistant
University of Pennsylvania Press
email: caturner@upenn.edu
Application Procedure
To apply for this or any of the SHIP internships, please follow the instructions at the Summer Humanities Internship Program homepage.