Careers

Acquisitions Internship

Acquisitions interns work with USC Press acquisitions editors—the staff members who evaluate and solicit book proposals, edit manuscripts, and shepherd projects into production. Interns will hone their writing, research, media literacy, and scholarly communication skills. They will learn the steps a book takes from proposal to production and will have a hand in the process for multiple USC Press titles. The details of interns’ work will vary depending on their interests and the acquisitions calendar.

The acquisitions intern will:

• Prepare manuscripts for transmittal to editorial department 
• Read and report on book proposals 
• Record proposals in the Press's book database
• Research and identify potential authors and peer reviewers
• Compile and update metadata 
• Create committee memos and presentation materials for upcoming books 
• Review text and image permissions
• Attend departmental and Press-wide meetings 
• Participate in professional development activities with other interns 
• Proofread books and other documents
• Assist with administrative tasks

Marketing Internship

Interning in the Marketing, Publicity, and Sales department of USC Press offers the unique experience of learning how the marketing side of academic publishing functions. Our goal is to teach our intern the importance of audience awareness, as marketing is a public-facing department. We talk directly to readers, interviewers, endorsers, authors, and reviewers, and it’s important to understand the language necessary for each conversation. Our intern will also gain experience working in a collaborative office environment. In a small department, we rely heavily on one another, and each member of the team plays a vital role. We are in constant communication with one another and with other departments to ensure the daily and weekly tasks of each publishing season are completed on schedule. Interpersonal communication skills are a necessity for any job you will have afterwards, and we hope to give you valuable tools to carry with you long after the end of your time with us.  

The marketing intern will:

• Create review copy mailing list
• Attend Marketing meetings
• Maintain the pitch list
• Process reviews received
• Update content database
• Create press releases
• Build custom publicity outreach pitch lists
• Add contributors to metadata for edited collections
• Draft email pitches with pitch letters
• Social media collaboration (copywriting/graphics making). This depends on how much interest the intern has in social media marketing.
• Participate in professional development activities with other interns 

Publishing Internship

The Publishing Intern supports our Rights and Contracts Coordinator. This is the staff member who drafts contracts with authors, ensures each book we publish is registered with the US Copyright Office and the Library of Congress, and pursues licensing opportunities (e.g. with audiobook companies and foreign publishers) to bring our books to new audiences both within and beyond the South.

The publishing intern will: 

• Monitor the submissions inbox and review incoming book proposals
• Create first drafts of contracts for books in development; help maintain the Press’s contract files
• Record basic contract terms and copyright details in the Press’s title management database
• Prepare orders for author and office copies of newly published books
• Complete applications to register new books with the US Copyright Office
• Review text and image permissions for books slated to be reprinted
• Proofread catalogs, rights guides, and other materials to be used for pitching books
• Read at least two unpublished books and write reader’s reports
• Assist with administrative tasks
• Attend departmental and Press-wide meetings
• Participate in professional development activities