The University of Nebraska Press offers a number of internship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in acquisitions; editorial, design and production; journals; and marketing. We strive to support career diversity across the humanities and in the field of academic publishing and are dedicated to helping students explore wide-ranging career options and obtain relevant skills that may be used in future endeavors.
Internships are unpaid, but it is possible to earn course credit under the supervision of a faculty advisor. If you are interested in earning credit for your work at the Press, you must coordinate and register with your department after you’ve been selected for an internship.
The University of Nebraska Press also has a limited number of paid student worker positions. See below for more details.
Acquisitions Department
The internship with the University of Nebraska Press’s acquisitions department is a weekly six-to-nine-hour working internship for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students will work directly with acquisitions editors and staff. The internship will offer students hands-on experience through day-to-day tasks in the business of academic publishing, wherein editors select, review, contract, and prepare manuscripts for publication.
Internship responsibilities may include:
—Screening manuscript submissions
—Formatting and reviewing manuscripts
—Writing book copy and preparing memos for editorial and advisory board meetings
—Assisting editors with special projects
—Attending department and press meetings
Students interested in an internship should fill out the internship application and email it and a resume to Emily Casillas at emily.casillas@unl.edu by the following deadlines:
For spring semester internships: November 15
For summer internships: March 15
For fall semester internships: April 15
History Internship (Graduate Students)
The internship with the University of Nebraska Press is a weekly nine-hour working internship. Students will work directly with the editor in chief. The internship will introduce the business of academic publishing through reading assignments, discussion with Press staff, and professional experience. Additionally, students will learn what publishers look for in a manuscript and how to craft a book from a dissertation.
Internship duties include:
—Evaluating and screening manuscript and proposal submissions
—Researching potential acquisitions
—Finding reviewers for manuscripts under consideration
—Weekly discussions with the history editor
Email cover letter and resume to Bridget Barry at bbarry2@unl.edu.
Editorial, Design, and Production Department
The Editorial, Design, and Production Department oversees the manuscript editing and design and production book processes. EDP handles freelance manuscript preparation and copyediting, book design, typesetting, page proof review, indexing, cataloging-in-publication data, printing, book delivery, and ebook building. EDP editorial interns primarily provide manuscript-related assistance and some clerical support to the press’s project editors, each of whom oversees a number of assigned titles per season. The work includes a variety of tasks, from tagging manuscripts, to assisting with the press library, to copyediting indexes, to dealing with the press database, to clerical duties and other special projects. We encourage interns to set their schedules to be able to join either the EDP Department meeting or the presswide launch meeting to learn how books are put together (the former) and how presses discuss individual books, current scholarly fields, and the marketing of our products (the latter). Interns are required to be available for no fewer than three or four hours per shift and at least eight to ten hours per week.
Students interested in an internship should fill out the internship application and email it and a resume to Abby Kwambamba at akwambamba@unl.edu.
Journals Department-Marketing
The Journals Department at the University of Nebraska Press publishes over thirty journals in a variety of academic areas. It has its own marketing personnel who are independent of but work in cooperation with the UNP Marketing Department.
The marketing internship in Journals is designed for students who want exposure to
—marketing to both individuals and businesses
—efforts to attract new subscribers and online readers and retain existing ones
—branding and product development initiatives
—finding creative ways to maximize the impact of a limited marketing budget
Juniors and seniors in marketing, advertising, or a related field are preferred, but other students with an interest in publishing and a desire to learn more about marketing scholarly journals will be considered. Scheduling is flexible, with an eight to ten hour per week commitment preferred. Experience with Microsoft Office applications is necessary, and experience with Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign and/or Illustrator, is preferred.
Interns will work under the supervision of the Journals Assistant Marketing Manager but will have the opportunity to work with other staff members. Responsibilities can vary depending on the department’s current activities and the intern’s strengths and interests, but may include:
—Assistance with social media efforts
—Development and preparation of promotional materials such as ads, flyers, and exhibit displays
—Web site updates
—Customer service activities
—Working with advertising sales
—Analysis of sales and readership data
Interested students should send a resume and cover letter to Joyce Gettman at jgettman2@unl.edu. There is no specific deadline for applying.
Journals Department-Project Assistant
The University of Nebraska Press’s journals project assistant is a weekly, 15-hour, paid position for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students work directly with the project supervisor and the rest of the journals staff. This position offers students experience with the editorial process, manuscript production, and project management. $12 per hour.
Responsibilities may include:
—Prepare journal issues for launch and copyediting
—Review typeset journal issues and mark for corrections
—Correspond with editors, managing editors, or editorial assistants as directed
—Create gratis lists and distribute gratis PDFs
Preferred Qualifications:
—Proofreading/editing skills
—Good communication and organizational skills
—Familiarity with Microsoft Office
If interested please send a resume and cover letter to Shannyn McEntee, Journals Project Supervisor, at smcentee2@unl.edu.
Marketing Department
Working with UNP publicists, direct mail coordinator, sales specialist, creative specialist, and marketing manager, the marketing student worker will be expected to process in-house marketing materials, engage in on- and offline research and other general office duties as needed. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, able to work on multiple projects at once, has excellent written communication skills, has an interest in books and book publishing, and can work under direction and independently. Familiarity with standard Microsoft Office software, basic Adobe Acrobat software, and knowledge of InDesign is preferred. Sophomores and juniors seeking degrees in English, business, marketing, public relations, journalism, or the humanities are encouraged to apply. 10-15 hours per week, $12 per hour.
Email cover letter and resume to tlord2@unl.edu, addressed to Tayler Lord, Publicist.
