At my last day here at Beaufort I am reflecting on what a great experience this has been. I have learned more about publishing than I could ever imagine, and I am now an expert mailer! Although some tasks may have been quite mundane, I have a new appreciation for and perspective on how labor intensive the publication of books is. This is a detail oriented industry. No matter how many “passes” are done on a book, there is always something that someone will want to change—perfection is something to strive for, but not to achieve.
I am thrilled that I was given the opportunity to take a dip into the publicity area of publishing (writing pitch letters is fun!) and it was something I had zero experience in. However, one of my favorite moments of this internship was meeting a foreign rights representative. She told me one thing that has since become embossed into my mind: people who are passionate about publishing can never stay too far away from books, and most of them are convinced that if they do anything else, they will fail. I can honestly say that this internship has allowed me to become enthralled by an industry that is driven by passion. On that note, when I leave here today, I will not say “good bye” to my fellow associates, but “see you later!”
To new interns and to people who think they may have an interest in publishing: jump in head first! You won’t regret the experience, and the knowledge that you will gain is invaluable.
-ElizaBEAU