Agate Publishing On-Site Internships
Agate is seeking interns for its six-month on-site internship program. The internship terms are typically between January 1–June 30 and July 1–December 31. Interns are asked to spend approximately 20-30 hours per week on site, depending on their availability, and receive extensive training as well as credit from their academic institution and a stipend of approximately $80 per week. We offer interns considerable flexibility in scheduling their hours during the work week, to allow them to attend school and/or hold paying jobs while also doing the internship. Agate accepts applications for internships year-round.
Agate has an excellent record in helping interns find publishing industry jobs, whether in the Chicago area or elsewhere. Several Agate interns have been offered staff positions and contractor roles at the company, though there is no formal, structured intern hiring program here, and no interns are guaranteed jobs after completing the program. Most of the Agate staff who oversee our internship program have themselves been Agate interns. All Agate interns are trained in a variety of fundamental publishing and small business tasks, with an eye toward preparing them for different entry-level job opportunities in publishing. All Agate interns participate in eight intensive, in-depth training seminars during the course of the internship, for which they earn a Publishing Basics certification from our Agate Publishing Academy division. These seminars are designed to give interns a 360-degree understanding of basic trade and educational publishing functions by the time they complete the program.
Qualifications: Agate only considers candidates who have completed at least half their junior year of undergraduate studies. Preference is given to enrolled students, whether undergraduate or graduate, who are able to earn credit for their Agate training internship. Strong reading, writing, and personal communication skills are essential, as is a solid grasp of English grammar and style. Previous experience in manuscript editing and/or familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style is very welcome. Solid organizational skills and computer skills are also desired. Experience with the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign) is a bonus but not required.
The internship may entail some or all of the following responsibilities:
- Produce catalog and press materials, including press kits and pitches
- Draft and send out mass mailings
- Assist with publicity campaigns by communicating via email with media organizations
- Assist in pre-publication market research
- Compile and organize media contact information
- Produce social media postings
- Help maintain office inventory
- Write, edit, and post website information
- Read and review manuscript submissions
- Copyedit, proofread, and review educational and marketing content
- Write and research assessment and manuscript content
- Perform administrative and organizational tasks
To apply: Email a resume, cover letter, and two nonfiction writing samples, amounting to no more than 3000 words total, and—if you wish to demonstrate design experience—two design samples in PDF format, no larger than 2MB, to onsite@agatepublishing.com, with the words “On-Site Internship Application” in the subject line of the message.