In reality, it’s probably only been a few years, but it feels like I’ve had a deep interest in publishing for quite some time now. Almost as soon as I truly became aware of the work that goes into making a book (and everything else that comes with it) I’ve wanted to be involved. I took classes in editing and publishing, started working for student journals and other publications, and generally tried to get as close as I could, but working for an actual publisher always seemed like a far-off dream. The Literary House Press internship was my first real chance to do exactly what I had dreamed.

I applied my freshman year and was shocked to even get an interview, let alone even being seriously considered. This year I applied again, got an interview, and a few days later was offered and accepted the position. At that point I thought I already had a good handle on the publishing world and this internship would work to reinforce that knowledge. Two months into this thing I’m still not entirely sure whether I was right or not.

I’ve done so much of what I thought—laying out marketing materials, distributing Cherry Tree, doing promotional work, even writing this blog post—but there’s so much more I would have never thought I’d be doing. My first week was spent doing extensive research on possible distribution options for our print publications. After that, I reached out to something like forty other publishers about receiving ARCs (Advance Review Copies) of their titles to support our visiting writer and reading series. In the weeks since we’ve received countless books—most of them not even released yet, with one amazing publisher even sending me books directly as a thank you for keeping them in mind.

I had never realized how interconnected publishing was and the degree to which so many publishers and writers rely on another. A true community exists within the publishing world and it’s one I don’t think I could have ever seen from the outside.