I’m a bit late with this one because there has been a lot going on, but I can finally sit and write about this great experience.
I realise I’ve been very fortunate in my internships and have done and learned a lot of exciting new things.
A couple of weeks ago, I made my way down to Manchester for a few days of work experience with Saraband.
Although not quite a full week, I was surprised at how much we managed to fit in.
Proof Reading
As a bit of a warm-up before getting to Manchester, Sara Hunt had given me a manuscript to proof. This was a good way of getting a feel for the type of books Saraband (and its crime imprint Contraband) publishes.
Proofing was something I’d done a little bit of before, but not professionally. So I had to take extra care that my attention to detail and my knowledge of grammar was on point.
A lot of the skills from uni came in handy; attention to detail, being thorough in my work and analysing the text. I was glad to get the practice and found it really enjoyable.
I’m realising that I enjoy working closely with the text and can see myself as an editor in the future.
InDesign
Another thing I’ve come to love doing is working on InDesign.
I got a chance to practice those skills again here in a few different ways.
Similar to updating the catalogue at Peepal Tree, I was responsible for updating Saraband’s Highlights sheets, making sure all the relevant information was there.
Working on InDesign is great because there are so many things you can do really easily and really quickly.
For example, Saraband has a new book coming out called The Boxing Diaries which needs a cover design. Using InDesign, I was able to be quite creative and use my own boxing experience to come up with a mood board for the cover.
I put together a few images and example book covers for the boxing book and another book. I loved doing this because it was a chance to get creative and excited about the new books.
Marketing
This was something new and a lot of fun!
The title I had proof read needed a marketing plan, so we brainstormed and thought of different ways to make the title, a historical-fiction creative, appeal to people. Based on the themes of the book, I had to come up with ways to promote it.
This was a very collaborative task where I had to think outside of the box and use my knowledge of social media.
Together we came up with the start of a social media plan, some ideas for events and even an idea for a promotional video.
All in all, it was a busy few days packed with lots of interesting tasks.
If only it had last longer!
