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Exploring the World of Children’s Publishing with a PRH Internship

Whether you’re seven, or twenty-seven, or seventy-seven, you’re never too old to read a children’s book. My university’s library has a whole section of picture books, and sometimes I grab a huge stack and sink into a chair to read. The colorful illustrations always captivate me, and the stories remind me of my childhood.

I enjoyed using my passion for children’s literature during my publicity internship at Penguin Young Readers (PYR). PYR is the home of popular children’s and young adult books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Magic Treehouse series. As a publicity intern, I worked with titles across all of PYR’s imprints. Each imprint is a brand that focuses on a different type of book: Flamingo Books is a picture book imprint, while Speak publishes books for teens. I enjoyed learning about each imprint and working on a variety of projects.

My biggest responsibility was researching bloggers and reporters who could promote upcoming PYR titles. Sometimes I looked for general book-review blogs, and other times I searched for niche media sources that related to the topic of an upcoming book. For example, PYR was publishing a holiday picture book, so my supervisor asked me to compile a list of Christmas podcasts. I assumed that I would only be able to find one or two sources—nobody would actually create an entire podcast about Christmas, would they? My doubt disappeared when I typed “Christmas” into Apple Podcasts and found dozens of results. Every day was like a scavenger hunt, and I never knew what I was going to find.

One of my favorite experiences was attending the fall 2022 launch where the PYR editors presented titles that will be published next year. The editors introduced each book, talked about the author, and showed pictures of the cover and interior illustrations. Attending the launch was like looking into a crystal ball and getting a preview of the books that will populate shelves in the future.

The best part of my internship was discovering how the content from my college classes applied to real-life careers. I took a children’s literature class during the same semester as my internship, and I enjoyed seeing the parallels between these two experiences. One day my professor handed out copies of BookPage magazine in class, and the next day my internship supervisor asked me to create a slideshow of PYR books to share with the BookPage editors. Working at a publishing house showed me that I can use my English degree in a future career.

I’m thankful to Sigma Tau Delta and Penguin Random House for giving me this opportunity. The people at PYR made me feel like part of the team, and they were always willing to teach me about different aspects of publicity. My appreciation for children’s literature has grown now that I’ve met the people who bring books to life behind the scenes.


Brooklynn Gross
Penguin Random House Internship Recipient, Fall 2021
Alpha Xi Mu Chapter
Augustana University, Sioux Falls, SD

 


Penguin Random House Internships

Paid internship opportunities are available from Penguin Random House to provide interested undergraduate and graduate student members of Sigma Tau Delta with experience in the publishing industry.

Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Internship

The Penguin Random House internship program offers candidates the opportunity to work in the Penguin Random House Adult & Children’s divisions, attend weekly professional development programming, and learn about the world of publishing. This program is intended to provide opportunities for racially/ethnically underrepresented groups in the publishing industry. Active chapter members interested in learning about the world of marketing in book publishing are encouraged to apply. No prior publishing experience is required.

Fall/spring interns will work remote for 14 hours per week at a pay rate of $20/hr. Intern schedules will be flexible to account for candidates who may be located in a variety of time zones.

  • Fall 2024/Spring 2025 PRH Internships Likely Offered: Marketing and Publicity
  • Internship Dates: ten weeks in fall 2024 and ten weeks in spring 2025

To apply for priority consideration, applicants must apply BOTH to Sigma Tau Delta’s AwardSpring platform AND Penguin Random House’s Application portal by the following due dates:

  • Application to Sigma Tau Delta for priority consideration: February 5 at 11:59 p.m. CDT
  • Full application to Penguin Random House: TBA

Past Penguin Internship Recipient Blogs

Hidden Heroes: Working as a Production Editorial Intern at Penguin Random House
Interning at Penguin Random House through Sigma Tau Delta
An Internship Like No Other: Perseverance and Publishing at PRH
Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together: My PRH Internship
The One Where I Remotely Interned at Penguin Random House
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome to Apply for a PRH Internship
Saying ‘Why Not’ to a Career at Penguin Random House
Publishing in the Time of Covid: My Virtual Internship at PRH
Not So Random Memories from My PRH Internship
Making Protagonist Choices: My Internship at PRH
Perfect is Penguin: My Internship at Penguin Random House
My 140 Hours Interning at PRH’s Razorbill
How an Internship Shaped my Career
Spending Summer in an Igloo: My Editorial Internship with Penguin Random House
Interning at Penguin: Life of a Book Nerd
The Halfway Point: Penguin Group (USA) Summer Internship


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