Interning is a way of life in the publishing industry. You want to work in publishing? Well, get out there and start interning!

I just wanted to quickly share one of my interning experiences in London. I’ve done an overall of three internships, each was unique in it’s own way. 

My latest internship was at Crimson Publishing, an independent education publisher that also releases a lot of other business start ups, parenting and British heritage and culture books. 

For four weeks I was paid minimum wage (SEE! They DO pay sometimes! Totally win!), working four days a week to update their annual title HEAP. It’s a reference book used by student who have completed, or are going to complete their A-levels. It shows which uni’s around the UK accept what grades. It’s a fantastic guide to use when revising for the exams. 

During those four weeks I fact checked notes from the editor of the book. I updated changes through Crimson’s HEAP database, with the updates going live on the website. We had a pretty tight deadline so I have to get through amounts of pages and chapters in a set timeframe, learning to prioritise ad make sure I hit my targets in order for the book to be published on time. I learned Crimson’s House Style, always a great thing understand a publisher’s house rules for copy. 

I got to know members of the sales team as that’s who I was sitting with, and it was great to see how the inside ‘works’ for a medium sized publisher. 

I really enjoyed my time at Crimson. I learned so much and it was a joy to work on a project that was completed in the selected timeframe. Culturally, I learned so much about the demographic of England, as well as their education system, that it was only unavoidable that I feel more in love with the country. 

I’m so grateful for being chosen for such a great opportunity. It wasn’t what most editorial interns dream of doing, but I am also happy to learn whatever I can. Each publisher is different and no matter what  one is doing, it’s the skills and contacts learned that make mostly every internship totally worth it. 

If you’re in London and looking to begin working in publishing, check out the SYP’s latest panel discussion on Your Rights as an Intern!