I did my time! Four weeks of it… at The Bookseller! by Mirjam Coenraads

When the call for a paid three-day a week internship at The Bookseller came, I simply had to try and obtain it — I joined this programme with the intention of learning how to sell books better and with a developing personal interest in digital publishing it seemed like a perfect match. The Bookseller has such a sexy history in publishing altogether and is clearly on second-base terms with the future of it, so for the internship (with a focus on marketing and events) to culminate with the FutureBook conference felt like getting the keys to a dingy London flat together.

In the weeks leading up to FutureBook, I was working closely with the Sales and Marketing teams at their Southwark office. Anna, Sophia, and my direct chief-in-command Blake Brooks made me feel extremely welcome and appreciated, and fed me biscuits and endless streams of tea. Maria Vassilopoulos (one of us, one of us!) would always find the time to have a chat and then feed me more biscuits, bless her. That might sound a bit trivial, but I take these little things as a sign of a positive office environment which fuels everyone to tackle whatever lies ahead for the day. And boy, did we get to tackle things!

From phoning guests and clients to designing conference programs and other bits and bobs of marketing material, to finding the perfect venue for a Rising Stars social event where publishers and authors could mingle whilst enjoying their first mince pie of the party season. Every day I spent with The Bookseller was a wild ride of different tasks. But hey, I’m the kind of girl who doesn’t mind that rattling safety bar on a rollercoaster. So, bring it on!

We roped in a couple of UCL volunteers to help stuff some goodie bags and it was great to represent the MA together. More volunteers, from other MA programmes as well, joined us for Author Day and FutureBook and Zoë Sharples has a more detailed post about this from an earlier date. Read it here for a more detailed overview of these events, because to be frank — I was running around with Blake, clipboard in hand, doing 20,000 things at once, having the time of my life. And I will cherish that for quite some time, because it made me realise that when it comes to the publishing industry I want to make things happen, whether it’s selling books or getting bums on seats.     

If that sounds like you too, be sure to apply the next time The Bookseller requires an intern. Just be sure to expect anything! Be proactive! Dive in and get stuff done! And, perhaps most of all, have fun!

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