Reflecting back on my internship at AJB, I think I learned a lot. Obviously being an intern entails doing a lot of the less glamorous work, like mailing things out, packaging things up, answering the phone, etc. But I also got to do some things that I really enjoyed, like researching poets and leafing through manuscripts. I even enjoyed designing fliers and press releases-- I've never really been too much of an artistic type, but learning how to use Adobe InDesign and Photoshop are things that will come in handy in the future, I hope.
I also liked getting an inside view of how a small press works, because I was pretty unaware of everything that had to be done. Rather than just getting some manuscripts, reading through them, and then magically publishing them, there's tons of stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Just organizing the manuscripts themselves is a lot of work, and they all have to be entered into a data program along with the manuscript fee. Then the manuscripts have to be alphabetized, and consolidated, and then packed all up into a car so that the AJB director (a poet herself!) and the managing editor can drive them down to New Jersey, where the AJB board meets to read and discuss them. Another interesting thing that I wasn't aware of before I interned there-- AJB is a nonprofit poetry cooperative, meaning that when you publish a book with them, you normally have to serve on the AJB board for three years. Then the board decides and votes on which books get published-- the books aren't the decision of just one editor, which is what I thought AJB would be like.
Plus there's also all the inside views I got into the everyday running of a nonprofit press-- sending out appeals, sending out newsletters, mailing out reviewer copies of books, etc. The AJB interns are integral to keeping the press running by helping out with most of these everyday tasks. I really liked meeting the other interns, who all went to UMF. Getting out of the Colby bubble is always helpful and eye-opening.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time at AJB, but it also helped me realize some of the realities in publishing right now, especially how difficult it is to get a job at a small press. The experience has left me with a lot of things to think about as I try to figure out what I want to do when I graduate. Publishing remains one of the things I'm considering trying to find a job in, thanks to my experience and knowledge gained at Alice James Books.
