When well-known author Adam Gidwitz stopped by the offices of Penguin Publishing, English major Rachel Wease got to sit with him as he signed books "and talk about books all day."
Wease said that the author of "A Tale Dark and Grimm," "In a Glass Grimmly," and "The Grimm Conclusion" gave her valuable insight into the other side of the publishing industry.
She interned with Penguin for 14 weeks last semester.
Twice a week, she reported to the Young Readers Division, part of Penguin's School and Library Marketing Department in New York City.
Wease's primary job in the office was to send books to teachers, librarians, and even reviewers.
She was also given the job of submitting books to state and national award committees.
She was also responsible for collecting advertisement copies, organizing promotion rooms, and helping to plan local and national conferences.
The last day of Wease's internship happened to coincide with the 2014 Winter Librarian Preview, when about 30 librarians from New York City came to preview the books that Penguin would be publishing in the first half of 2014.
The event was also attended by some of the publishers and editors from the Young Readers Division, who discussed what books they would be publishing.
"It was amazing to see the publishers and editors express such love for the stories," Wease said.
She found out about the internship through Penguin Publishing's website. She applied and within a few days of the applications deadline, was called for follow-up questions and to schedule an interview. Because Penguin is one of the "Big 6" publishing houses, and one of the only ones that offers year round internships, it was a very competitive internship, with only about 40 positions being offered. Wease said that this internship showed her what working in the publishing world would entail.
According to its website, Penguin Group (USA) Inc. was formed in 1996.
The Penguin Group is "one of the largest English-language trade book publishers in the world." It has published the works of authors such as the Dalai Lama, Tom Clancy and Al Gore.
Elena Vitullo can be reached at elena.vitullo@student.shu.edu.
