Edits, Drafts & Rock ‘n’ Roll- Interning With New Haven Publishing Ltd.

I never thought I’d be working for a cool, international publisher, but here I am!

The first of my two internships/placements is with New Haven Publishing Ltd. New Haven is an international publisher which focuses primarily on music and entertainment publishing. New Haven has over 100 active titles from 55 authors, including some of the coolest names in the media industry such as, rock icon Suzi Quatro and pop idol turned actor Luke Goss.

This virtual internship began at the start of the year when I spoke with Teddie Dahlin,  N.H.’s owner, managing director and first author. Teddie set up N.H. in 2012 to publish her book about her friendship with Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols – I know, cool, right?!

Although the company is quite young, N.H has become a large international publisher with authors from across the globe and an equally widespread distribution. While Teddie is based in Norway, N.H. is a UK company. She has two other companies, New Haven US and Phoenix Press, which is dedicated to crime writing and also in the UK.

New Haven also has a press dedicated to crime writing.

So, you can imagine my excitement when Teddie agreed to have me on board. It seems both of us are treading on new ground, since she has never had an intern before, let alone a virtual one.

In the first few weeks, I’ve learned the basics of how N.H. acquires its authors; from submission, to signing the contract and sending a raw manuscript to Teddie.

This is where I come in.

My first job for Teddie was simple but crucial. She asked me to read a raw M.S. for clarity and give my opinions on it. In this case, she suspected it needed an editor and she was right.

Another book published by New Haven – ‘Fast Living – Remembering The Real Gary Holton’ by Teddie Dahlin

It was a great way of easing into things, but now it gets more interesting. New Haven also publishes e-books so, my next task is to prepare a completed manuscript for digital publication.

My first thought is, “Oh god, how do I do that?”

But there’s plenty of support at N.H. and I’ve been given a template to follow. Despite the nerves, I’m excited to learn and pick up some handy new skills. Fingers crossed it goes well!

Come back in a week or so to see how I’m doing…

If you can’t wait to read more of my work, head over to my brand new website.
It looks pretty slick if I do say so myself!

H.M. Hussain