My search for an internship that I really wanted to be a part of was quite a ride. I started applying for summer internships as early as January 2023. My plan was to get into a paid internship, and at the same has something to do with children’s book publishing or children’s literature.
I began building my portfolio around 2022 to give myself enough time to curate and have a good collection of my works. As for my resume and cover letter, I had one of my professors go over it for me, and I also asked my siblings to proofread it as well.
I did not initially start at children’s book publishing companies with my internship search ; I also went with a variety of options that I thought were interesting. Around February 2023, an art gallery in Manhattan offered me a position the day after the interview. I decided not to continue with the job, though, due to a scheduling conflict.
By February 2023, I shifted my focus solely to children’s publishing. I did most of my internship search online through Google. I also scoured organizations such as SCBWI and AIGA.
After shifting my focus, I received an interview offer for a graphic design internship position for MacMillan Children’s Book Publishing. It was nerve-wracking, so I asked for advice and help from my professors. Even though MacMillan chose another candidate over me, I was still grateful for them since it was a learning experience.
After that, I then received a few more opportunities for interviews with other publishing houses, such as Hachette’s Little Brown Books for Young Readers and Barefoot Books. Hachette, unfortunately, had to cancel their internship program while Barefoot Books, although they didn’t choose me in the end, they mentioned in their letter that they “strongly encourage” me to reapply for the fall or spring semester and that they would love to work with me in the future is possible. Although it was a bit disappointing, I felt very lucky to get an opportunity to have these publishing houses recognize my work and give me a chance.
The final interview offer I received was from the Highlights Foundation, an organization under Highlights for Children magazine. At this point, I was more familiar with the interview process. After a week or so of waiting, I was offered a paid internship at their Pennsylvania campus that will run from June to August.
