What I Learned as a Spark Press Intern

by Elizabeth Schroeder

For the past few months, I have been interning with SparkPoint Studio as the Editorial/Publishing intern. I currently attend Arizona State University’s honors college and I am double majoring in Creative Writing and Film and Media Studies with a minor in Business. In order to better understand the publishing industry, I was able to work hands-on with the editorial team at both SparkPress and She Writes Press. Starting out, I had no idea what to expect, but throughout this experience I have been able to constantly learn new things about an industry I love while work with an amazing group of women.

What do I do Day-to-Day?

On my very first day, my supervisors walked me through the process authors go through to publish their book. Since then, I have helped with many different aspects of the publishing process. One of my primary responsibilities is writing for the Spark Press blog. Over the past few months I have written twelve blog posts on a wide variety of topics, from author birthdays and national holidays to round ups and grammar tips. I have also done a lot of work on the company’s website by uploading Author and Book pages to both the SparkPress and She Writes Press websites.

Favorite Part of Internship?

I would definitely say the office environment was my favorite part of this internship. When deciding where I wanted to intern, it was extremely important to me that I enjoyed who I was working with. The editorial and publishing team has been extremely supportive, helpful, and kind to me throughout this internship! Regardless of how much work I have on my plate, having supportive coworkers and supervisors has helped make this a fun and exciting internship.

Most Useful Thing I have Learned from this Experience?

Each day when I went into work, I would try to be open to each new opportunity and learning experiences. Even if that meant I went outside of my comfort zone or tried something new, I pushed myself and never regretted it. A major skill I gained from this internship is time management. When I first started writing blog posts, I would spend one or two days working on the first draft alone. Once I gained more confidence in my writing and a better understanding of the blog itself, I was able to finish posts faster and become more efficient with my time. Also, communication was extremely important throughout this experience. Whenever I had a problem or question, I wouldn’t waste too much time trying to figure it out on my own. Especially at an internship or first job, it’s okay to not know all the answers. By speaking up, asking question, and talking with my supervisors, I was able to become more efficient and gain a better understanding of the tasks I was doing. Through this experience, I have learned valuable life skills as well as career ones that I will be able to take with me wherever I go in life!

Any Advice to Future Interns?

My overall advice is to take a chance and apply for internships that truly interest you! I didn’t know much about the publishing industry beforehand, but I knew I loved writing and wanted to know more about what went into publishing a book. If I hadn’t taken the risk and applied, I wouldn’t have had the amazing experience I did or gained the transferable skills that I can now take with me wherever I go. For future SparkPoint editorial interns, my main advice is to be flexible and stay organized! One day you may come into the office to find stacks of books that need to be wrapped for a promotion, causing you to postpone the tasks you planned on doing that day. Be willing to help out however you can, while still staying on top of other tasks you need to complete. Also, don’t be afraid to pitch your ideas! From blog post ideas to being more efficient, voicing your ideas is extremely important and will help make this internship your own.

Click here for more information about internships at SparkPoint Studio.