As a creative writing major at Hamilton, Laurel Symonds '10 (Harwinton, Conn.) is always working with manuscripts, but this summer is special. Symonds is an editorial intern in the children's books department of Bloomsbury USA, a small publishing house in New York City. She reads solicited manuscripts (those the company has received from literary agents) and decides whether she thinks they are worth publishing. If so, a second reader also reviews the submission, after which it is considered in a department-wide meeting. If not, Symonds writes a "reader's report," summarizing and analyzing the manuscript, and if the report is approved by an editor, the manuscript is rejected.
The responsibility that comes along with her job can be a little frightening, Symonds says, since the publishing field is so subjective. A manuscript that one publisher rejects could be published by another firm and then go on to be a success, which famously happened with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the U.K. "I can't imagine what those editors are thinking now," Symonds says.
When not reading solicited manuscripts, Symonds writes book summaries and researches art for book jacket covers, corresponds with Bloomsbury authors, and reads unsolicited (non-agented) work. She says that she enjoys working at a smaller company such as Bloomsbury because she is experiencing all aspects of the publishing field, and not just the editorial department where she's interning.
Her interest is still primarily editorial, however. Symonds refers to her own interest in reading, which was slow to develop: the turning point came when a teacher showed her "the right type of book," that excited her imagination and showed her the possibilities of reading. Now, she hopes to find a career in publishing, and eventually to write her own children's and young adult books. "Working in the publishing field, I hope to publish books that will do the same for other children," she says.
Symonds was especially interested in Bloomsbury after she met in January with Caroline Abbey '06, who works there as an assistant editor. As a result of the meeting, Symonds says, she was intrigued by the quality of Bloomsbury's publications. The opportunity to intern there was "too great to pass up," and as the internship was unpaid, she applied for and received a summer stipend from the Joseph F. Anderson Internship Fund. The fund, established in honor of a 1944 Hamilton graduate, provides individual stipends to support full-time internships for students wishing to expand their educational horizons in preparation for potential careers after graduation.
Symonds' advice to students hoping to find internships is to go to the experts. The Career Center, she says, was instrumental in guiding her through the entire process of finding an internship, from helping her research publishing companies to networking and providing funding for her internship. "The Career Center is so helpful," she says. "You should take advantage of all they have to offer."
At Hamilton, Symonds is involved in the Oratorio Society, Hogwarts at Hamilton, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and ProjectSHINE. She also works on The Continental and Writer's Bloc, an informal creative writers' group on campus that meets to workshop original pieces written by its members.
-- by Laura Bramley
The responsibility that comes along with her job can be a little frightening, Symonds says, since the publishing field is so subjective. A manuscript that one publisher rejects could be published by another firm and then go on to be a success, which famously happened with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in the U.K. "I can't imagine what those editors are thinking now," Symonds says.
When not reading solicited manuscripts, Symonds writes book summaries and researches art for book jacket covers, corresponds with Bloomsbury authors, and reads unsolicited (non-agented) work. She says that she enjoys working at a smaller company such as Bloomsbury because she is experiencing all aspects of the publishing field, and not just the editorial department where she's interning.
Her interest is still primarily editorial, however. Symonds refers to her own interest in reading, which was slow to develop: the turning point came when a teacher showed her "the right type of book," that excited her imagination and showed her the possibilities of reading. Now, she hopes to find a career in publishing, and eventually to write her own children's and young adult books. "Working in the publishing field, I hope to publish books that will do the same for other children," she says.
Symonds was especially interested in Bloomsbury after she met in January with Caroline Abbey '06, who works there as an assistant editor. As a result of the meeting, Symonds says, she was intrigued by the quality of Bloomsbury's publications. The opportunity to intern there was "too great to pass up," and as the internship was unpaid, she applied for and received a summer stipend from the Joseph F. Anderson Internship Fund. The fund, established in honor of a 1944 Hamilton graduate, provides individual stipends to support full-time internships for students wishing to expand their educational horizons in preparation for potential careers after graduation.
Symonds' advice to students hoping to find internships is to go to the experts. The Career Center, she says, was instrumental in guiding her through the entire process of finding an internship, from helping her research publishing companies to networking and providing funding for her internship. "The Career Center is so helpful," she says. "You should take advantage of all they have to offer."
At Hamilton, Symonds is involved in the Oratorio Society, Hogwarts at Hamilton, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and ProjectSHINE. She also works on The Continental and Writer's Bloc, an informal creative writers' group on campus that meets to workshop original pieces written by its members.
-- by Laura Bramley
