INTERNSHIPS
RainTown Press is a startup company. We don’t hide that. What that means while we get things going, is we need a handful of highly skilled interns. We are looking for interns with varying interests to join our band of misfit bookmakers. If you have a flair for book design, a skilled editorial eye, mad event organizing skills, or just damn good people skills… think up your dream job and pitch it to us.
Here’s what you get for the heap of unpaid work we will pile on top of you: We really want you to get the most practical experience possible out of interning for us. That’s a fair trade, really, for your blood, sweat, and tears (and we don’t mean a CD by that ’70s band in the used bin at Everyday Music). What it means is, we know your time is valuable, and there are a million places you could choose to donate your time. Your hard work will not go under-appreciated at RainTown Press. As we take interns into the fold, we hope to mold them into future executives as the better paying gigs become available. So, if you love YA and don’t want to move to New York, shoot us an email with the proposal of a lifetime. Don’t be afraid to dream. Tell us what you would really like to do with us. You’ve seen our website and probably have a pretty good sense of what we’re all about, but if you still have some questions, write to us at interns@raintownpress.com and the boss will get back to you.
What we expect of you as an intern: We may make books for teens, but we consider what we do to be the big leagues. If we bring you on as an intern, we expect you to be on time (seriously) and do your very best work for us. We want to allow you the flexibility of working when you want to so you can do the things you’re trying to accomplish. In exchange for that, we only ask that you meet deadlines and exceed our expectations. There may be opportunities as an intern to serve as project manager on certain jobs. If you sign on for this responsibility, we expect you to be willing to see that obligation through to the end. That could mean working with us for close to a year or more. Making a book is a complicated process, and at the end of the day, it’s a big deal to us. We will teach you everything we know, and then some. If you don’t get the experience of a lifetime working for us, we’ll give you your money back (get it?).
Here are our current openings:
MARKETING & PUBLICITY:
Here we are looking for a self-motivated, high-caliber, outgoing professional capable of performing many duties. As stated earlier, we are a small company, so not only are we looking to market our books, we are looking for individuals to be the face of RainTown Press at public events and other publicity endeavors. You will be working directly with our Marketing & Publicity Managers to help not only promote our books, but also possibly work with community contacts at schools, libraries, foundations, festivals, workshops, and in the media. This internship is very hands-on. Expect to use your creativity to come up with new and innovative ways to make the press and our books stand out from the rest. Expect to roll up your sleeves to do the down-and-dirty tasks of marketing, which include networking and creating contact lists. Professional development benefits include gaining a greater experience of how to work in a niche market.
Requirements: It will be really helpful if you have experience or class work related to sales and/or online marketing.
EDITING (1 position open):
We are looking for a well-rounded editor who is willing to wear many hats. We are a small organization, so you must be willing to jump in and get dirty with whatever work comes up. This position can (and will) require that you read incoming submissions to the press, critique manuscripts, write developmental letters to authors, write rejection letters, as well as work on the various stages of editing (line editing and proof reading) on current press projects. Professional development benefits include increasing editorial exposure and creating a list of titles you have had an editorial hand in.
Requirements: Preference will be given to candidates who are willing to commit to one year of internship. We feel you will gain a better experience if you are able to commit to a longer time frame, but certainly understand if you are only able to commit term to term. The position will require a 10–12 hours of your time per week and regular attendance at RainTown Press meetings. You will be working directly with our Acquisitions Team, so you must play well with others. Prior editing experience preferred.
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Please send an introductory letter, resume, and samples of your work relevant to the position you are applying for. Attach these documents to an e-mail and send them to interns@raintownpress.com
You will be notified directly if we are interested, or you will receive an encouraging “we’re sorry” e-mail if the positions have been filled. Thank you in advance for your interest.