Elizabethtown College third-year professional writing major and Assistant Campus Life Editor Natalie Meyer has an internship with Dzanc Books, a non-profit publishing company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This publishing company strives to distribute experimental writings that would not usually gain commercial attention or success. Along with that, they aim to uplift diverse authors, stories including underrepresented groups written by people from those communities. The company also does E-book re-issues for books already published.
When I asked Meyer about how she likes the internship so far, she responded, “I really like it, it’s pretty laid back.” She went on to discuss the workload of the internship, which consists of one assignment a week plus extra optional assignments. At the time of this interview, the internship assignment was to evaluate manuscripts. Meyer described how there are 30 interns in total, and five to six get assigned per manuscript each week to evaluate. They get emailed the manuscript, read around 100 pages of it and then provide feedback on whether they think it is a good fit for the company. The interns also get feedback on their evaluations of the manuscript, which Meyer says, “So far, I’ve gotten pretty good feedback.”
Other aspects of this internship include Zoom meetings and the extra assignments. The Zoom meeting is held once per week and lasts for 45 minutes. It is like a lecture, focusing on the publishing industry’s various aspects. As for the extra assignments, those vary depending on the week. Some include emailing book reviewers to see if they would be interested in reviewing any books, writing editorial letters and copy editing manuscripts.
As for most students, balancing an internship and schoolwork can be tough. Meyer states however that, “I’ve been managing.” She describes how many of her assignments are due during the week, which take precedence over the internship. The internship assignments, on the other hand, are due on Sunday afternoon. Meyer admits that at the beginning, she would do the assignment on Saturday night, and it would be slightly rushed. However, after adjusting, she now breaks it down and works on it throughout the week, so she can complete it and not rush at the last minute.
I asked Meyer what the most difficult part of her internship has been, and she immediately responded with comparative titles. Comparative titles are part of the evaluation process, and overall, an essential part of the publishing industry. The task includes finding books from the past 20 years that are similar in some aspect to the manuscript she is reading. However, this can be difficult since the manuscripts this company receives are often unique.
I asked Meyer what her favorite part of the internship was, and she responded saying, “I really like it, it’s hard to pick a favorite because we’ve really only been doing one thing so far.” One part Meyer is certain of is her appreciation of Michelle Dotter, the editor-in-chief. Meyer went into how understanding Ms. Dotter is of the intern’s time. Ms. Dotter, according to Meyer, said that she would not want the internship to be a breaking point, so if the interns must miss an assignment on occasion, it is alright. Another aspect Meyer likes is being able to read a wide range of stories that she would not normally pick up, she likes to see what is out there and what is being written. Lastly, Meyer said she likes that she has an impact, at least on the company, since the feedback she gives on the manuscripts is used.
The last question I had for Meyer, which many would want to know, is if the internship is a paid one. Meyer is not being paid for the internship, but she takes it in stride saying, “It is a really good experience, I have learned a lot. It balances out.” To sum up, Meyer has thoroughly enjoyed her internship with Dzanc Books.
