Elijah Ritz Baet, COL ’24, Philadelphia, PA
Thanks to the grant given to me through Career Services, I was able to continue my internship at Olive Street Publishing, a new and upcoming publishing company focused on books for women made by women. I have always dreamed of working in editing and publishing, and I was able to further my experience this summer. I worked closely with the executive director and publisher in managing and refining manuscript submissions. This internship introduced me to the inner workings of how a book is published. Through this experience, I gained a better understanding of the publishing world.
As an intern this summer, I had the opportunity to read manuscripts everyday. I scrolled through the submission box and read the stories people pitched to the company. It helped me gain insight into what queries were fit for our publication standards. I learned what made a manuscript a great submission as well as what made a manuscript become rejected. I took notes on each query, observing what could be improved upon. Others might say it seems repetitive, but I liked being able to read different stories with different writing styles. I filtered through the submissions and contacted the executive director, letting them know my thoughts and notes about each submission.
Additionally, I engaged in copy editing and developmental editing. For copy editing, I read a manuscript with intense focus and concentration, ensuring that there were no grammar or spelling errors. I also ensured that each sentence flowed well and made sense so that future readers can thoroughly enjoy the book. As for developmental editing, whenever I read a submission, I took note of what parts of it did not work and suggested ideas for how to fix and enhance it. Because of this, I assisted in publishing a well-written book. This summer, I gained much knowledge and skills in regards to not only editing but publishing as a whole.
My experience with Olive Street Publishing was very educational. I did not just learn many things; I enjoyed my time as an intern as well. I look forward to using my newly sharpened skills and seeing where they take me in the future.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2022 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here.
