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Kandace Coston is LEE & LOW’s summer intern. She is one of five recipients of the We Need Diverse Books Internship Program inaugural grant. She graduated from Barnard College where she majored in music and took every creative literature class possible. In her free time, Kandace pursues her other interests, which include American Sign Language, handmade jewelry, and composing cinematic adventures!

I’ve always loved personality quizzes. As a teenager I was obsessed with brightly-colored magazines promising to reveal and explain different traits of my personality. I spent hours answering quirky questions, deciphering ambiguous logic, and debating results. Often the answers were frivolous and vague like a daily zodiac reading; but every once in a while I got an explanation that cut through my skepticism and perfectly pinched my persona. It felt as though an omniscient force was watching me from within the glossy pages. Those goose bump-inducing quizzes got neatly cut out and taken to school to entertain, and discreetly dissect, my friends.

When I was offered the opportunity to write a personality quiz for Tu Books’ popular YA mystery Ink and Ashes, I jumped at the chance. Creating the quiz would allow me to play haunting omniscient force! I was determined to craft a quiz so poignant and accurate it would induce goose bumps across the arms of every reader in the land! *Evil Laugh*. I immediately set to work in the dark lair of my cubicle.

My first step was to evaluate the six personality types I would use as results: Forrest, Nicholas, Claire, Parker, Fed, and Avery. I assigned each character a different color sticky tab and reread passages of the novel marking moments that revealed their different personality traits. I oversimplified each character’s persona by condensing it into three adjectives. Next I drew a line and plotted the two most opposite personalities, Nicholas and Avery, on either side. Everyone else seemed to fall in between these two characters. I plotted them appropriately completing the personality gradient.

Next, I began building questions that centered around an outing to the mall. The mall served as a great theme because it’s a natural setting for character-revealing situations. I crafted six questions that related to the novel and are circumstances readers can identify with. I thought four multiple-choice answers per question would suffice but it proved problematic. More than two characters were associated with one answer which made the personalities indistinguishable and muddied the results. Although each character is distinct, they possess certain overlapping traits. For example Parker is smart like Fed, who likes video games like Avery, who embraces conflict like Claire, and so on. The characters’ intersecting personalities led me to a significant realization: they shouldn’t be plotted on a line, but on a triangle.

With this new discovery I tried a different tactic. Instead of the quiz determining which character the reader was most like, it would determine which characters the reader was most unlike. The process reminded me of how doctors diagnose patients. The answers to questions would reveal symptoms of personality, and with each symptom the quiz would eliminate the character with contrasting personality traits. Through process of elimination the reader would be left with the character he/she has the most in common with. This seemed like a solid, plan until one of my Quiz Testers managed to perfectly eliminate all six characters with her six answers. This showed me I needed additional questions, more specific answers per question, and that this diagnosis-based grading mechanism was unnecessary.

After a few more adjustments to structure and questioning my quiz was finally complete. It turns out crafting a quiz doesn’t entail the wisdom of an omniscient force but rather focused trial and error. The quiz may not be perfectly accurate or provide poignant personality revelations but that’s not the point. The point is to engage fans of Ink and Ashes by giving them something fun to discuss and results to agree or disagree with. The quiz serves as another way for readers to see themselves in literature.

To take the Ink and Ashes quiz for yourself, check it out here.

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Kandace Coston is LEE & LOW’s summer intern. She is one of five recipients of the We Need Diverse Books Internship Program inaugural grant. She graduated from Barnard College where she majored in music and took every creative literature class possible. In her free time, Kandace pursues her other interests, which include American Sign Language, handmade jewelry, and composing cinematic adventures!

Intimate. Calm. Inviting. That’s the atmosphere of the LEE & LOW BOOKS office in New York City. Twelve floors removed from the noisy hustle and heat of the city streets, this diverse books publisher’s office is a small levitating oasis.

I first noticed the Quiet during my interview in late May for the summer internship position in Marketing and Publicity. I stepped off the elevator, opened the door slowly (in compliance with the instructional sign), and instantly noticed the cool and calm. Initially I found the Quiet unnerving like the eerie silence in a horror movie that cues a tragic event. But the inviting display of bright books put my nervously pounding heart at ease. They make children’s books. I thought to myself. They make magic. I gazed at the sunny, shiny titles and was instantly relaxed.

One month later I started my internship excited to be a small part of the magic LEE & LOW BOOKS creates. I was also excited to step over onto the other side of the Quiet. Now that I was an official member of this exclusive team I was sure my ears would tune into the buzz of the office like a radio tuning into a tricky channel. What I found instead was an immense Quiet accompanied only by the hum of a distant printer and the occasional disembodied sneeze. By July I’d surrendered. My ears stopped scanning for transmissions within the white noise that is the office’s Quiet.

As I ceased my mission for sound, I began my mission of getting to know the office. I made appointments with personnel in various departments to learn how the largest publisher of diverse books in the country operates. Everyone I reached out to was more than happy to oblige me which I was grateful for but not surprised by; the office is incredibly friendly and welcoming.

With each interview I learned new facts about children’s books and the publishing industry:

• Children’s books take over a year to create.
• Marketing a book entails intensely creative work.
• The difference between dystopian and post-apocalyptic.
• How to spell apocalyptic.

With each interview I also noticed a recurrence: every person I spoke to is excited about the work they do here. Their faces lit up as they eloquently, passionately, and patiently explained to me how they contribute to the LEE & LOW BOOKS message. Each person brings pride and a distinct expertise to their work that makes them invaluable. Many people in my life are not content with the way they earn a living. It seems the team at LEE & LOW has that life conundrum figured out. I found everyone’s enthusiasm refreshing and encouraging.

Nowadays when I enter the office I’m not caught off guard by the Quiet. Instead I’ve realized that within the Quiet is progress. The diligent staff members of Lee & Low Books are busy bettering the world through children’s literature. In this intimate oasis of an office the Quiet is a sound; the sound of focus and fulfillment.

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Ever considered a career in Library and Information Studies? …WARA has a great opportunity for you!

WARA is accepting applications for WARC Library Fellow for the summer of 2012.  Funded through a grant from the Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the US State Department, this program is designed to encourage the next generation of Africana librarians and to assist in capacity building at the library of the West African Research Center (WARC) in Dakar, Senegal. The WARC Library Fellow will work with the WARC librarian on electronic cataloguing and use of electronic research databases; nd should have well-developed skills in these areas. Preference will be given to those who are fluent in or have a working knowledge of French.

This internship provides round trip travel to Dakar up to $2,500 and a stipend of $2,500 to cover the cost of living for 6 to 8 weeks. Estimated work hours vary from 25 to 35 hours/ week. This competition is open to US citizens who are enrolled or considering enrolling in a graduate program in Library Science and who plan to pursue careers as Africana librarians. Students from all colleges and universities are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to those enrolled in graduate programs or completing their undergraduate studies at an HBCU.

For more information

 

Filed under: professional development Tagged: Africana, internship

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Vintage Publishing will host a paid internship, with The Bodley Head editor Kay Peddle donating her £1,000 prize money from this year's Kim Scott Walwyn Prize to help fund the four-week one-off internship.

Random House topped up the prize money with £500, with the internship aimed at an individual who might not normally be able to undertake publishing work experience. The internship will take in editorial, marketing and publicity at The Bodley Head and Vintage, as well as one-day of training at the Publishing Training Centre.

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Q: From what I've read, the best way for someone without professional editing/publishing experience to elbow their way into the publishing industry is an internships. All but a few internships are unpaid. Nearly all publishing internships are based in the northern/northeastern states. Of those, most are in New York. Assuming those very general assumptions are correct, here's my question...

What's a broke Southerner to do? Unpaid internships work for those with a nest egg, I suppose, but New York is an expensive place that's even pricier when one factors in relocation. I know this can't be right, but by all appearances, the deck seems to be rigged in favor of New York natives or people wealthy enough to move and live on the pay of a part-time job (assuming they can find one) while interning. Is there something I'm missing? Something that exists that hasn't been said that changes the above set of assumptions?

It is very generous of you to imagine that "this can't be right."  In fact, you are partly right. I'd say the deck is rigged toward a) the wealthy, b) NY natives, or c) the very ambitious, who are willing and able to happily live on a tight budget.

Publishing jobs are very often in NYC or other major cities, and even once you have a real job as an editor, you will in general be paid VERY POORLY. I cannot stress enough that these are not jobs you take because you are money-hungry. Prestige? Sure. Snob appeal? Totally. But 'easy way to pay rent'... not-so-much. I am not saying you have to be a trust-fund baby - I'm saying, you have to prepare to be stone broke for a while.

Agents, as it happens, almost universally make zero (0) dollars when they start, and sometimes for a really long time. When I started at my agency, my boss told me in no uncertain terms that I was unlikely to see money before a year, and unlikely to be able to live off my earnings for five years. I was very lucky and started selling right away... but she still wasn't TOO far off.  This is why many agents are: a) independently wealthy/from wealthy families, b) married, (and/or) c) have a second job/work as an assistant when they are new.

Editorial is slightly different as you'll at least get some sort of paycheck, but, assuming you are coming in with no experience, you'll still have to slog for a long while as an intern or lowly assistant, then slightly less lowly assistant, before you actually become an editor. And even when you are an editor, you aren't going to be pulling in huge dollars. Again, this is a job you take for the love, not for the money.

And it's a part of the reason publishing has a long history of being called things like a "gentleman's business," and why you do find a relatively high percentage of over-educated, privileged white folk in the halls of publishing. (I am not excluding myself from this description.)

Of course this means that, gatekeeper-wise, there can sometimes seem to be a dearth of unique perspectives and world-views. It would be really great if there were more opportunities for people of color, people from different places and socioeconomic backgrounds, etc. All I can say is -- it's a known problem.  Many companies strive to be pro-active about reaching out to different kinds of people. Most major publishers DO offer paid internship programs.  (Click here to find a listing of many internships - you'll see some paid, including Random House, Scholastic, Macmillan...) But of course, those internships are also likely to be very much sought after. And they mostly all in NYC, which, as you mention, is a bear of a place to live in while broke.

Here's what I would do, if I were a Southern college student who wanted to be an editor: I'd try to find an internship at a local small publishing house or literary agency. Yes, these places do exist, even in the south, depending on

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I am seeking an agency intern / reader.

This is an opportunity for a semi-hands-on and fun experience in the world of children's publishing. If you are a motivated self-starter, it will give you real experience in what is (and isn't!) working for agents, and will no doubt sharpen your own critical thinking and editorial skills. Though this is an unpaid internship, my reader can use as me a reference for other internships or jobs in publishing, and I can offer college credit if that is something your institution honors.

The ideal candidate is over 18 years old, a great writer, a current college student or graduate who loves and is very familiar with YA, middle grade and children's books. Location in NY's Hudson Valley or NYC a plus, though not a must. Please be located in the US or Canada.

Additional requirements:

* Superb writing, editing and critical thinking skills
* Attention to detail and a commitment to consistency
* Not only good taste, but taste that is similar taste to mine
* ABSOLUTE CONFIDENTIALITY

If you feel that you would be a good candidate, please email me - JennL at andreabrownlit.com - with the subject line INTERN AUDITION and answer the following questions.

PART ONE
What's your full name?
Where do you live?
How old are you?
If you are in school, what degree & major are you pursuing? What year?
If you are not in school, what is the highest level of school you completed?
Do you need to receive college credit for this internship?
How many hours per week do you have free for reading?
What is your ultimate career goal?
What are you hoping to take away from an internship?
Are you a writer? If so, are you published? And who is your agent?

A big part of an agency intern's job is reading slush (or manuscripts for which I've requested the full) to see if they might warrant further investigation. That means you have to be able to guess pretty accurately what might appeal to an agent, and in this case, me. Ideally, my areas of interest are at least somewhat similar to yours, so you don't have to read whole manuscripts that you hate. I want your honest opinion, whether or not you agree with me! :-)

PART TWO
What are the 10 most recent books you read, any genre or category?
What are 5 of your all-time favorite Young Adult books/authors?
Middle Grade?
Picture Books?
What adjectives would you use to describe your taste in books?
What kind of books do you not like to read?
What are some of your least favorite books/authors?
 
--
I will assess audition emails as they come in. If I feel that you might be a fit, I'll ask you to prepare reader reports on two manuscripts. If our tastes are a good match, we'll go from there.

Full disclosure: I've only had three interns - one is now an agent herself, one is now in the Columbia Publishing Course on track to becoming an editor, and one is now a full-time writer. I take the work that I do very seriously of course, and I am a bit of a control freak, so I have to really feel like it is a great fit in order to take an intern on.

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comments.

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