Interning @ Biblioasis
I started at Biblioasis as an intern two months ago after a professor of mine introduced me to Dan. It started as 9 hours a week but thanks to a grant I am currently working full time! (yay for a real job!) When I started I had no idea what the day-to-day looked like at a literary press, so my first week was packed with new information. I learned the difference between galleys, ARCs, and finished copies, found my way around the mailroom and even hand-sewed some chapbooks (full post to come later about this lovely process). I was introduced to everyone at the office and given a rundown of what they do here, and then forgot their names almost immediately. Now that I’ve gotten to know everyone, I feel qualified to introduce them to you! (in order of desk location which you can also see here!)
- Casey Plett: Publicity and Marketing Manager
Whose second toe is longer than her first toe, but only on her right foot - Vanessa Stauffer: Director of Marketing
Can deadlift 225 lbs, which is approximately 220 copies of The Children’s War! - Meghan Desjardins: Operations Manager
Learned how to knit in order to make a Harry Potter scarf - Dan Wells: Publisher
Sails the high seas of Lake Saint Clair on a sailboat named The Peripat(h)etic - Ellie Hastings: Production Assistant
Can play the bagpipes - Chris Andrechek: Production Manager
Keeps a baseball bat labeled ‘Production Manager’ in his office - Sharon Hanna: Regional History Editor
Kind of has a biology degree - Emma Rock (me!): Intern
Knows American sign language
A more in-depth introduction of everyone is coming!
As time has gone on I’ve gotten to be more involved in projects such as outreach for our upcoming title Be With: Letters to a Caregiver, and now this Wednesday post! I’ve gotten to know some of the office antics such as office bingo and adding ‘moose’ to titles of books. I’ve also been introduced to customer reviews of “How to Avoid Huge Ships” and discovered that Vanessa is oddly good at guessing a professor’s area of research based only on their faculty photo.
Even when I’m doing the boring intern tasks (such as mailing 200 copies of Be With to Alzheimer’s Societies across North America), I’m in an environment where I get to see how a literary press runs, and every step of publishing a book.
