Skip to main content

Jobs

Canongate Books: Editorial and rights intern

Posted on: 3rd March, 2023. Closing date: 2nd April, 2023

Applications close on Sunday 2 April 2023 for this internship which is open only to individuals from a group under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled people, and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

 

Salary/Bursary: £23,650 per annum

Duration: 12 months

Location: Edinburgh

Start date: End of May / Early June

 

If you’re a bookworm with a hunger for experience in the world of publishing, Canongate Books, a leading independent publisher in the UK, has the perfect opportunity for you!

In this internship, you would work to support both the Editorial (3.5 days per week) and Rights (1.5 days per week) departments and learn how these teams work within a publishing house. You do not need to have worked in publishing before, but good organisational skills, attention to detail, and a love of reading are essential!

This internship is full-time, with hybrid working available, reporting into the Head of Editorial Management, and is based in Edinburgh.

 

What you will learn

  • You will gain an understanding of how a commercial book publisher operates – particularly how Editorial buys and produces books and how important Rights sales are to the profitability of a book
  • How international rights are sold and the stages of pitching, negotiating, and reaching a deal – and the importance of communication with potential publishers and with authors and agents throughout the process
  • How copyright works and how to request permission for using another author’s work in a book
  • How a book is put together, including stages of editing, drafting prelims, typesetting, proofreading, and getting ready to print
  • How to proofread, including working on book covers
  • How best to liaise directly with authors and their agents
  • How quotes promote an author’s work and how to source them through mail-outs and press coverage, and how to select the best quote for the book
  • How to use business systems such as Biblio, Sage, and Slack
  • What it’s like to work as part of a dynamic team, managing a busy workload and multiple demands on your time

 

What we’re looking for

  • Meticulous attention to detail
  • Exceptional organisational skills
  • Excellent English – good grammar, spelling, and fluent command of the language
  • Able to respond flexibly to a busy workload and multiple deadlines
  • Passion for reading
  •  IT skills such as a working knowledge of Microsoft Office (especially Word, Outlook, and Excel)

 

APPLY THROUGH CREATIVE ACCESS

For more details and to apply, see the Creative Access website.