My time at Pelican has been an incredibly helpful learning experience. The general internship really helped me to get a taste for each of the departments within a mid-size publishing company and to figure out where I would best be suited. I really wish I could have done a full-time internship so that I could have spent more time working in editorial, sales, and production. I felt that my time in these areas was a little stinted since I only got half a day in each. I realize though the time constraints of a three-day a week schedule.
Promotion was definitely the most rewarding department to work in. I’m an English major with the hopes of making writing a career, so creating author bios, press releases, and pitch letters is something I thoroughly enjoyed. It was a challenge at times to figure out exactly what needed to be said about an author or book, which pushed me to be more aware of what I was writing. Katie, Suzanne, and Melanie helped me to learn how to write in an effective manner that gets a message out in an interesting way. The writing experience I have gained will not only help me in the publishing industry, but in journalism, a career path I am considering. My work in all of the departments is valuable but what I learned in promotion will probably help me the most on my career path.
Before coming to Pelican I had considered becoming an editor. After working within the editorial department I have realized that this is probably not the best place for me. The work takes a lot of patience and one must have a good eye for detail. Even though I realized that it wasn’t the position for me, I really like working in editorial. It felt like I was doing really important work because mistake the editor doesn’t see can greatly affect the finished product. I had to proofread The Diabetic Pastry Chef at one point and remember thinking that if an incorrect measurement wasn’t caught it could potentially do a great deal of harm. The work the editors do is an essential part of the publishing industry.
My favorite part of working at Pelican was evaluating the mail submissions. I got to see what makes a manuscript worth considering and what gets it thrown out. I will be able to use this knowledge when pursuing my writing career as well as if I secure a job in the publishing industry. The editorial board meeting also gave me a lot of insight into what it takes to get a book published. Hearing the thoughts of people who have been involved in publishing for years made me think about and see the books in a different manner.
My experience in the sales department was pretty average. I mainly did contact updating in Acumen, though I did get to make a few pitch emails. I don’t think I learned much about selling books except that you have very little time to convince buyers that they want your book. I’m glad that I wasn’t required to do any actual sales work because I am in no way a sales person. I would have liked to do more than research work and pitch emails though, as it got a bit monotonous.
The production department was by far the place where I learned the least. I did the weekly report every week and not much else. There was some filing and I created a couple of pdfs for the web, which only required me to save current pdfs into new folders. I realize that I do not have the knowledge required to do any actual production work so I understand why I was given such tedious tasks, but it felt as though I was being given the jobs no one else wanted to do. I feel like that my time could have been better spent in another department. I do not know anything about the production department that I did not before, which is not much.
There are only a few suggestions I have for making the internship program better. I would eliminate the production department portion unless the intern is able to do more productive work. I know that they are setting up an intern email, but I also think it would be beneficial to set up an intern Acumen account. Acumen training should also be provided because I found it very hard to maneuver at times.
Other than that I really enjoyed my time at Pelican. I have learned a great deal about the ins and outs of the publishing industry that I was completely unaware of before I began my internship. I am now completely sure that this is a business I want to be involved in.