Jobs/Internships

STAFF POSITIONS

Openings for staff positions, when available, are listed first on the main University of Wisconsin–Madison employment web page. Search on the word “Press.”

Non-discrimination in UW Programs.

PUBLISHING INTERNSHIPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN PRESS

The UW Press is located at 728 State Street, inside Memorial Library. We typically have 5–10 students per semester working at the Press; some are undergrads, and some are grad students. Some earn course credit for their internship, and some are in paid student jobs or graduate assistantships. In general students work about 12 hours per week, though a few positions require 15–20 hours. Interns have the opportunity to sharpen their design, research, writing, editing, and/or organizational skills and to work as a colleague in an intellectually lively atmosphere.

We place students in several areas. In the marketing department, there are internship positions related to publicity, author events, exhibits, sales, copywriting for book jackets and catalogs, advertisements and brochures, website, database, social media, et cetera. Many of these are part-time paid student hourly positions for one year (or more), but some of them can be for just one semester. Both undergrads and grads are welcome to apply.

In the rights and permissions program, interns assist with matters related to intellectual property, including processing requests for permission to re-use book or journal content and helping the rights manager in her efforts to license translations, book clubs, film options, etc. Students who can work part-time for one year or more are preferred.

In the digital program, students assist the efforts of the production, rights, and marketing departments to create, license, and sell e-books. Students who can work part-time for one year or more are preferred.

In the manuscript editing department, the managing editor seeks editorial assistants, usually graduate students or advanced undergraduates with some editing experience, who are able to work part-time for at least a year in this paid position. The interns format, clean up, and code electronic manuscript files for sending to professional freelance copy editors; send edited manuscripts to authors; enter author changes in the electronic file, check page proofs, and edit indexes.

In outreach, there is a position for a grad student or advanced undergrad as grant writing and fundraising assistant, assisting with researching and writing grant applications and other funding-raising efforts. The position also helps coordinate grant-related activities and reports.

In the acquisitions department, there are two highly responsible acquisition assistant positions for graduate students, each a 20 hrs/wk position. One of the positions is usually a graduate assistantship, the other a student hourly position. These positions assist the acquisitions editors with the peer review process, publishing contracts, profit and loss analysis, assembling manuscripts, illustrations, and permissions for turnover to manuscript editing, and related duties. Students who can work in the position for at least one year are preferred.

If you want to earn credit for an internship, see an appropriate faculty member in your department and ask them to sponsor you for course credit. If you are accepted for an internship at the Press, discuss with your supervisor the requirements you must fulfill to earn credit. The credit is given by your college, not by the Press.

To apply, prepare a cover letter and a resume and send them by email as PDF attachments. Be sure the PDF names include your last name (e.g., JacobsonResume.pdf). In the letter and resume, tell us where you are in your education, the kinds of course work you've taken, your work experience and any volunteer experience, computer software you've learned, any knowledge of foreign languages or other special skills, your hobbies and interests, and your career aspirations (if you have identified any yet). All this helps us in placing you in an appropriate position at the Press. We try to place as many applicants as we can.

We'd also like to know your wishes and expectations regarding practical aspects of working at the Press, such as when you'd like to start and how many hours you want to put in. For example:

“I am a junior English major and am most interested in working in marketing or rights. However, any position at the Press would be educational for me, so please consider me for any opening. I expect to graduate in May 20XX. I would like to work at the Press starting in June and could continue through May. I could work up to 15 hours per week. Perhaps I could work up to 25 hours per week during the summer and during winter break. For scheduling purposes, you will want to know that during the fall semester, I will have Tuesdays and Thursdays free, and maybe Friday mornings.”

Please email applications to Lisa Learish at lisa.learish@wisc.edu.