For the last few months, I’ve been the publishing intern at SparkPoint Studio, working with both SparkPress and She Writes Press. I’m currently finishing my final semester at Arizona State University where I am majoring in English with a concentration in writing, rhetorics, and literacies. I absolutely love books, so I am so grateful I had a chance to intern at SparkPoint to observe and participate in the behind-the-scenes work that leads up to publication day.

What did I do day-to-day?

As an intern, one of my primary duties was to create content for the SparkPress blog. I wrote a total of 26 blog posts on a wide range of topics, from advice on hosting author events to a list of book recommendations based on your favorite coffee order. I worked with a team to brainstorm blog post topics and pitch ideas for the Behind the Book series, an opportunity for SparkPress authors to share insight into publishing and writing.

Another large project I worked on was gathering book information for the She Writes Press and SparkPress Spring 2021 book catalogs and creating website pages to display these new titles.

I also completed a number of other publishing-related tasks, such as organizing data or file links on central spreadsheets, completing pre-publication quality checks of book listings across retail platforms, updating website pages, registering books for copyright, and applying for ISBNs.

What did I enjoy most about the internship?

One of my favorite parts of this internship was the opportunity to brainstorm blog post topics. I absolutely love tapping into my creativity to generate interesting new ideas for a niche audience. (I’ve always liked the invention stage of the writing process best.)

I also enjoyed organizing company information on Google Sheets. Call me a spreadsheet nerd if you will, but there’s something absolutely satisfying about being able to see all relevant information in one place.

Lastly, I appreciated the Skype meetings with the editorial project managers, Samantha and Shannon. It was fun to get to know the team and work with like-minded book lovers.

What does the internship look like during COVID-19?

My internship took place from late May to early December 2020, a busy time for many businesses as we switched to remote offices in light of stay-at-home orders and COVID-19 concerns.

Although I had to forgo the typical first-day handshakes and in-person tour of the office, I was still able to complete many tasks as a remote intern. Thanks to video conferencing, screen sharing, and creative problem solving, I still learned several new skills, met team members, and had a productive internship.

My Advice to Future Interns

Ask questions.

First and foremost, don’t be afraid to ask questions about the publishing process or your intern tasks. Remember that your internship is a great learning opportunity, and know that you have a wonderful team to support you in this experience! It’s a chance for you to explore your career interests, get to know the company, make connections, and build professional skills. Make learning—and asking questions—a focus in your internship.

Take notes.

You will have the opportunity to complete several different tasks as a publishing intern. Many of these tasks will utilize different digital tools. To keep track of all of the task instructions, be sure to take notes during the various trainings throughout the internship. Personally, I took all of my notes in a notebook that I kept at my desk while working. This way, I could easily refer to old notes if I ever needed a refresher.

Stay organized.

You’ll have a number of deadlines during the internship, and sometimes you’ll be working on a few overlapping projects at the same time. To keep track of these tasks, I used a planner and the team’s “Intern Task Tracker.” I also created a folder on my laptop to house the rough drafts of current projects, such as blog posts or the Spring 2021 catalogs, so I could quickly locate and access appropriate documents.

More from Rachel: Happy World Emoji Day!, 6 Steps for Hosting the Perfect Virtual Book Club, Happy Birthday, Emily Bronte, Three Writing Routine Lessons from Famous Authors, Happy 75th Anniversary to Animal Farm!, Literary HBO Go Adaptations for Every Mood, A Brief History of Bibliotherapy, The Pros and Cons of Writing Groups, Should You Join a Writing Group?, SparkPress Book and Coffee Pairings, Getting Out of Your Head: 6 Remedies for Writer’s Anxiety, Happy 70th Anniversary to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!, 8 Scary Short Stories for Halloween, NaNoWriMo Strategies: How to Stay Focused When Life Feels Chaotic, Genre 101: Delving into Dystopian Fiction, How to Support Indie Bookstores this Small Business Saturday, Engaging Formats for Virtual Author Events, Writing Games to Help You Think Creatively,7 Strategies for Helping You Build Narrative Empathy, Literary Adaptations to Watch on Disney+ for Family Movie Night, 10 Best YouTube Channels for Writers, Genre Fiction 101: The Foundations of Fairy Tales, A Brief History of eBooks, The 411 on Literary Magazines, Black-Owned Bookstores to Support this Black History Month, and The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for Your First Writers’ Conference.

Click here for more information about internships at SparkPoint Studio.