Please let me know whether or not you guys think this is a good idea. If you’re not enjoying this feature, let me know, and I’ll move my intern babble over to my own personal blog. The focus of this blog is all things bookish so for now I thought it would be alright to post my experiences here.
So I started to intern for a lit agency that will for now be left unnamed and it has already been a fun experience. I technically work from the computer so I can read manuscript submissions / queries from the comfort of my dorm room. That’s mainly the difference between my previous internship at the editorial department at Scholastic and this one. The lack of physical office. But other than that, I’m doing the same thing: I’m reading, assessing, sometimes going in depth in analyzing submissions from wannabe clients to actual clients. Fun stuff. So far so good.
Right now, the toughest part is being on the same page as my mentor, the agent I’m working with. He is looking for specific manuscripts and likes certain things and dislikes other things. So I’m reading more and trying to judge submissions based on mostly his taste and also on my tastes. I think he’s quite clear on what he likes, which makes my job a lot easier.
I just finished my first assignment this morning – a middle grade fantasy – and sent back my assessment. My second assignment sounds like an even more fun read and I can’t wait to start it. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my laptop at the moment, since I’m home for a day and a half so it will have to wait until tomorrow night. 24 hours… I can’t wait! I hope it’s a fun read. I have a little less than two weeks to complete the assignment but I’m aiming to have it done sooner.
My semester at school just started to I’ll have to see how to manage reading for school, reading for pleasure, and reading for internship all at the same time! I desperately want to make sure I accommodate all three into my schedule, but it may be tough! Wish me luck. 
Questions? Comments? I’ll address anything you’re wondering about internship-related things all at my next Internly Insights post!
Great idea! I recently started editing for a publishing company, too. Where did you look for internships? How did you land one?
How fun! I like your new meme! I freelanced from home a few months ago for a marketing person and it was fun, but tough. My family was around practically every second– and all I wanted was to have peace and quiet to work!!!
I understand what you mean about knowing one’s taste. At Valhalla Motion Pictures, it became very clear that I wasn’t reading scripts based on my likes, but by his!
Very insightful, thanks! This is exactly the kind of work I want to get into. I, too, am curious how to land this kind of position.
Wow, it sounds like your internship is going great so far! What could be better than a semester full of reading, eh? And I like this weekly post that you’ve decided to do. I know that I’ll find it really insightful. Especially the bit about working and looking for things that your mentor is looking for. I’ve always wondered about that–it must be quite the experience. Thanks Cia, and keep it up! ^_^
I’m enjoying this feature!
I’m going to add my vote to the pile — I like the idea for this feature, too. A couple of thoughts:
1. I’m also curious how you landed the internship. I’m out of school and looking for a job, but I really would have benefited from getting an internship like this years ago. Since several of your readers are interested, you might describe how you get an internship in the literary world.
2. I’d be interested in hearing more about how you assess manuscripts. Is it like writing book reviews for your site? What kinds of things do you include? Did you do the same things at your other internship? :-)
Thanks!