Advice to a Would-Be Publishing Intern

I was recently contacted by a younger (ahem!) college-aged friend, who is pursuing a degree in writing. They wanted my advice on pursuing an internship with a publishing company (specifically a Christian publishing house where his college is located). Here is what I had to say:

I would advise you to figure out which publishing companies publish books that you respect--the kinds of books you enjoy and that get you excited. That will narrow the field to companies you are really interested in and learning from. In [your city], publishing companies range from the more corporate to the smaller, family-owned houses. Then there are the ones that are more middle of the road in their size and scope. I would have you look at each company and really see what kinds of books they publish--ask yourself if they publish the kinds of books you respect. 

I also asked him what he wants to do with his degree, because that will focus the direction I give him and the people to whom I refer him. There are so many hopeful publishing industry professionals out there right now, looking for great internships that will help to propel them into their chosen careers. My advice to all of them would be the same: take a good hard look at the companies where you might want to intern—what books do they publish? Do you respect and enjoy the books they publish? What is their direction? What is their philosophy? What is their view of the publishing industry at a whole? There are many other questions to ask, but starting with these is a great way to begin your search.