Internships
Internships are useful when preparing for a career in editing. They look good on a resume and indicate focus and a strong work ethic. In an industry as competitive as the editing field, internships and other indicators of experience can be the deciding factor in hiring.
Publishing Internships
The publishing industry is highly concentrated in places like New York, Boston, and San Francisco. Therefore, it can be difficult to find internships if you are not in one of those areas. If you are searching for an internship at a big publishing house, you will most likely have to find a place to live in New York. Smaller publishing houses are more widespread and are more likely to offer remote opportunities. Bookjobs.com is a good place to start for a more entensive search.
Big Publishing Houses
Paid | New York City | Departmental
Penguin Random House is a publishing house located in New York City that offers paid internships during the summer, spring, and fall. Each program lasts 10 weeks, with a 14-hour per week requirement during the spring and fall semesters, and a 28-hour per week requirement for the summer. This publishing house offers internships in
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Editorial,
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Marketing,
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Sales, or
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Design
Paid | New York | Departmental
HarperCollins is also located in New York City and it offers paid internships during the summer, spring, and fall. Each program lasts 10 weeks. This publishing house offers internships in
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Editorial,
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Marketing,
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Publicity,
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Design, and
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Managing Editorial
Summer:
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Work Monday - Thursday for 28 hours/week
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Open to rising seniors, grad students, and graduates
Fall/Spring:
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Work 2 days a week for 14 hours/week
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Open to undergraduates, grad students, and graduates
Paid | New York | Departmental
Simon & Schuster - also located in New York - offers paid internships in both child and adult divisions, which last for 10 weeks in the summer, fall, and spring. An intern has to work 35 hours/week in the summer and 16-20 hours a week in the fall and spring. Eligible candidates are current undergraduates (Juniors and Seniors are preferred) or graduate students.
Small Publishing Houses
Paid | Minneapolis
Located in Minneapolis, Coffee House Press offers four-month internships for the summer, spring, and fall, which require interns to work 12-15 hours per week. After the internship, interns earn
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a $1,200 stipend,
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$100 worth of Coffee House published books, and
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A discount on future purchases of Coffee House books.
An intern’s responsibilities may include:
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Editorial duties
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Clerical work
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Writing copy
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Publicity and Sales
Unpaid | New York | Remote
Creative Media Agency is located in Alexandria, New York but interns can also work remotely. All internships are unpaid, but interns can apply for college credit. CMA offers internships in the summer, spring, and fall and requires at least 16 hours per week. Interns will gain knowledge in both the business and editorial facets of publishing.
Unpaid | San Francisco | Departmental
Based in San Francisco, McSweeney’s offers departmental, unpaid internships that last four months. Acceptance is on a rolling basis and an applicant should be able to work 15-20 hours per week. All interns should expect to
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read submissions
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fact check materials
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write headlines and lists, and
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research.
Accepted interns are juniors or seniors pursuing an undergraduate degree and they do not accommodate remote positions.
Newspaper Internships
Internships in Journalism are not as centralized, so there are more local options to choose from. Many editors start out as reporters, so an internship at a newspaper is respectable no matter the department. However, many newspapers offer editorial internships as well.
Paid | New York | Departmental
Based in New York, the Wall Street Journal is a newspaper that offers 10-week paid internships during the summer, spring, and fall in
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Reporting
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Video
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Graphics
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Photo Editing
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Data
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Product Design
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And More
Paid | Washington, D.C. | Departmental
The Washington Post is based in Washington, D.C. and offers paid internships in many departments, including editorial. Internships are only offered in the summer and applicants must be a rising junior, senior, or graduate student. An editorial intern must be able to edit for numerous platforms and be able to edit for grammar and content. Applicants also must have at least one previous news job or internship.
Paid | Washington | Departmental
Located on the west coast in Washington, the Seattle Times offers paid summer internships. Internships last 10 weeks and applicants must be juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Ideal interns are journalism majors and have previous experience at a news organization, but neither specification is required.
Magazine Internships
Editors pursuing a career in the magazine industry should probably gain professional experience at a magazine before applying for an editorial position. Most magazine editors rise through the ranks of fact-checker, editorial assistant, etc. Although many internships are unpaid, the experience gained will help an applicant stand out in a very competitive field.
Unpaid | New York | Departmental
Harper’s Magazine is based in New York and offers internships in many departments, including an editorial internship. Programs last 3-5 months in the summer, spring, and fall. Editorial interns work on a full-time basis and are unpaid, but they do receive unlimited MetroCards for transportation. Interns can expect to work closely with an editor on a specific section of the magazine.
Unpaid | New York | Departmental
Musée Magazine is located in New York and features works of photography They offer unpaid internships in many departments such as:
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Administrative Assistant
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Editorial
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Photo Editor
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Graphic Design
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Digital Media
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Marketing/Business
Interns should expect to work for 2-3 days per week for 4 months. An editorial assistant’s duties include:
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Developing new content
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Transcribing
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Fact-checking
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Copyediting
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Proofreading articles
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Writing book and film reviews
Unpaid | Texas | Departmental
Located in Dallas, Texas, D Magazine offers unpaid internships in the spring, summer, and fall in
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Advertising/Sales
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Art/Production
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Editorial/Journalism
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Marketing/Brand
Editorial interns should expect to work 12-24 hours per week and to perform the following tasks:
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Fact-checking
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Writing
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Researching
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Work on special projects.
Unpaid | Georgia | Departmental
Atlanta Magazine is based in Atlanta, Georgia and accepts students in college and graduate school as interns. The position is unpaid, but interns are given a stipend of $60 per month for transportation and parking. Interns should expect to work 15 hours per week during office hours from 8:30-5 p.m. Ideal applicants will be pursuing or have a degree in Journalism or English. Duties editorial interns can expect to perform are
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Fact-checking,
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Proofreading,
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Researching, and
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Writing