Some of you might be crying, wondering where the final HELLO INTERN interview is. Yes, that’s right — your favourite blog series with a capital-lettered title (so as to create interest where only salutation exists) is on hiatus for a couple of weeks. Not to worry — you will forget all about it, and then it will pop up on the front page here or in your RSS feed like a friendly chipmunk and you will practically have to tie yourself to the chair to keep from shaking with ecstasy and anticipation. Also, next week will be DAVID FOSTER WALLACE WEEK (note to self: calm down with the caps; it looks vulgar) at 3000 BOOKS. So don’t fret, my loves.

To tide you over, something I always enjoy on other blogs: a trawl through the Google search terms that led some unsuspecting folks here. Hereby:

raymond carver favorite ice cream When I was a kid, I delighted in knowing trivia about my future husband, Darren Hayes. This is the kind of thing I would have Googled, probably, had Google been around when I was thirteen or whatever. But I’m afraid that Raymond Carver is dead, and cannot be your future husband, Unknown Googler.

how can you tell a woman is interested according to philosophy Don’t ask Nietzsche.

how can you tell the name of cigarets you looks on the packit.

hated the slap christo tsiolkas Christos! You have sparked the need for a literary therapy group.

Sometimes, it gets a bit personal.

kate faber anal sex? I don’t know, honey.

buck tooth estelle Hey! Come now. I have pretty nice teeth.

I really like it when people treat Google like the food machine in Enid Blyton’s Land of Do-as-you-Please (or is it Take-What-You-Want?), and just type in whatever it is they hope to receive from the bounty of the internet. Anyhow:

ruby in the smoke book review in 200 words And for me, Frank Camorra as personal chef!

please let me be quiet Christos, I think I’ve found another member for your therapy group.

and my favourite:

grug de maupassant Now, that’s a literary combination I never have thought to desire. But now, how could I wish otherwise?

* Okay, in these fraught times, I realise you can’t really say things like this anymore. From Google homies to Orwellian shackles, right?

(Don’t ask: this is the picture Jen gave me.)

How do you know the internet doesn’t know as much about me as you do? Have you googled me? Hmm?

Yes, I have, but I got numerous results for Bill Murray’s ex-wife, so I thought it better to desist.

Okay, fine, there’s not much about me out there. Here’s a bio I wrote about myself for an upcoming book (the book is not an OUP publication, so in deference to my mentors I won’t name it):

Jennifer Butler completed her undergraduate degree at the Queensland Conservatorium and her PhD on nineteenth-century Russian opera and literature at the University of New South Wales. She then lived in various parts of Russia for two years. She has written liner notes for Decca and Deutsche Grammaphon, and reviews of Mariinsky Theater productions for The Moscow Times. Her hobbies include languages, literature, and slowly sightreading her way through the piano repertoire. Bach is a particular favourite. From time to time she plays badminton. She currently lives in Melbourne, where she teaches English.

I’m interested in publishing because I like being part of a creative process and I like big projects. As for reading, after many years reading obscure nineteenth-century Russian literature I’m trying to get a hold on contemporary literary fiction. That broad enough for you? I also like Ian Rankin and Reginald Hill.

The internship is structured according to your needs and those of your host. You need to be there for 100 to 120 hours, and complete a research project which helps your host in some way. I’m working on a top secret project involving new editions. I’m not studying anything else at the moment, so fitting it in with other studies is not an issue. Fitting it in with the rest of my life is another matter.

I don’t know if all students do internships, but I think they’d be silly not to. At some point you need a chance to prove yourself.

Did you have a say in where you did the internship? Why did you pick OUP? How did you prepare the internship application?

Yes, we had a say. I chose OUP because I wanted to work for an educational publisher with a good reputation. The internship application involved nominating the publishers and the type of work I was interested in, and sending them my resume via the course co-ordinator. Then I had a meeting with my mentor to discuss the type of work I’d be doing, and that was that. Other students’ applications were a bit more complicated (writing tests, reference checks and so on) but OUP seemed very trusting.

That strikes me as unfair, seeing as I had to do an editing test and two interviews to get my job. But tell me a bit more about the Editing and Communications course.

After you’ve completed some core subjects (Editorial English and Structural Editing) you can continue as you wish, adding subjects to match your interests. I’ve also done Print Production and Design (indesign training) and the Contemporary Publishing Industry (finding out about current industry issues).

Yep. There are lots at funky literary magazines (including The Lifted Brow), some doing communications work with the government and charities, and others are with fiction publishers. As far as I know I’m the only one with an educational publisher. Aren’t textbooks sexy enough?

That my instincts are often right, and they are not only applicable to theses on Russian opera. Constant self-doubt is a common side effect of finishing a PhD, not preening arrogance, as you’d assume.

Dave Eggers’ What is the What.

Guess what? It’s part four of HELLO INTERN, your favourite series of interviews with extremely literate and fun members of society: the people taking part in the Australian Publishers Association‘s internship program. There are six of these internships on offer this year, and they cover a broad range of roles with equally diverse publishing houses. Today’s parley is with Sophie Splatt, editorial intern at black dog books.

Before I sat Sophie down for a chat, I perused black dog books’ titles on their website. Tell me you don’t want to buy Saving Pandas right away. Wait until you see the one with the lamb on the front cover.

Sophie, you must be in the running for the intern with the best name. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I finished a Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT last year. Before that I have completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Diploma of Modern Languages (Italian) and worked in Japan, among other things. I also have my own business designing and making crafty goods which you can see here: http://www.mistressoftheupperfifth.com.au/

How did your interest in publishing develop, and what steps did you take to get involved? Can you talk a little bit about your interest in children’s publishing specifically?

I have always loved reading. I went back to study because I wanted to get work in the publishing industry, ideally as an editor. I chose the RMIT course because I had a friend who had done it and really recommended it as being very practical (I love TAFE!). During my time there I did a placement at Allen & Unwin which really confirmed for me that I wanted to work in publishing.

I guess my interest in children’s publishing really stems from my love of all things childlike. I collect picture story books from the 50s, 60s and 70s and vintage children’s fabrics too. I love toys as well and I spent 6 years working in a toy shop on Brunswick St. At RMIT I studied writing for children and writing for young adults and found that as well writing for this age group I still loved reading for it too. It’s wonderful to be working for a publisher who focuses on making great books for kids.

What was the interview process like?

I had two interviews for the internship. I already knew quite a bit about black dog books but of course I prepared for the interview – just like I would for any job.

How is your internship structured?

I am an editorial intern so I am doing mostly editorial work. I have already studied editing but I am learning a lot as I go (and really enjoying the chance to put what I have learnt into practice).

What’s an average day in the life of an intern at black dog books?

I like the fact that every day here is different. While I have some long-term projects that I’m working on, there are always lots of other things to be done. It’s great to work in a smaller company too, so that I get the chance to find out about all the aspects of the publishing industry and not just the editorial side.

You must have been pretty excited at the opportunity to step into the publishing world. What have been the highlights?

Getting a job! I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to find work when I finished my course so I feel very lucky to have this opportunity.

Any advice for people who are interested in working in the industry?

Make a plan – whether this is going back to study, getting work experience or applying for jobs. It’s not impossible!

Welcome to the third instalment of the HELLO INTERN interview series. You’ve already said HELLO INTERN to two of the APA‘s interns. (Well, you’ve said hello to one; the other is actually a publishing assistant…never mind.) Sonja Heijn is carving it up at Scribe Publications‘ Carlton North office; giving editorial lip to the likes of Ben Naparstek and Cate Kennedy, no doubt. That’s Sonja’s desk to the right. It’s where she makes the magic happen. Two screens, people.

In case you’ve just tuned in, HELLO INTERN kicks off with a no-longer-funny/was-it-ever-funny gimmick: bylines ganked from The Poker Star website, in honour of my friend Chris, a contestant on said reality TV show.

Sonja Heijn is…friendly, enthusiastic and tenacious.

Sonja, hello. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m an editorial intern at Scribe. When I’m not editing, reading, or making lists of books that I simply must read, I like making cakes, swimming, and going on long roadtrips. My goals are to make editor, live somewhere I can grow vegetables, and swim a whole lap of backstroke without crashing into the lane divider.

How did your interest in editing develop, and what steps did you take to get involved? Can you talk a little bit about your interest in Scribe specifically?

It developed pretty naturally from being an avid reader as a kid. It’s always been my absolute favourite thing to do, and I’ve always been fascinated by how the English language works. I started a dictionary collection in my teens, but it still didn’t occur to me to make a career out of it until a few years ago, after a succession of different jobs that didn’t quite hit the spot, when I decided it was time for a serious think. I thought about what I enjoyed, what I believed mattered, and what I was good at — and came up with editing. It made perfect sense then and it still does now. So I moved to Melbourne and enrolled in the Diploma of Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT, did prac. placement at Allen & Unwin, and when I saw the internship come up at Scribe, I applied quick smart. I was very interested in Scribe because it’s an independent publishing house and their list is informed by a strong belief that the book itself — especially what it has to say — is (at the very least) as important as its sales potential.

What was the interview process like?

Ah … nerve-wracking! I’d already read everything I could find about Scribe before I sent my application letter, so I knew what a rare chance this was, and I was really just trying not to get my hopes up too high. It was a two-interview process, and the first interview was with the publisher and non-fiction editor and involved an editorial test. The editorial test had 2 components: copyediting and manuscript assessment. I got some very good advice from a friend at Allen & Unwin in regard to the manuscript assessment, and I read and re-read all my grammar and markup notes from the RMIT course for the copyediting test. The first part of the interview confirmed what I had already felt — that I wanted to work at Scribe — and the test went well, so I was over the moon when I got a call back to come in for a second interview. The second interview was with the publisher and a representative from the APA, and we talked about the internship program and what would be expected. After the second interview, I don’t think I breathed properly until I got a call from the publisher saying I’d been successful and how soon could I start …

How is your internship structured?

My internship is quite informal. Scribe is a small publishing house, so there’s lots of opportunities to see how other parts of the business work and how editorial fits into that. Another advantage is that I can always just pop upstairs and ask one the editors or the publisher if I have a question about something. Having that kind of immediate access is invaluable. I started off my internship reading and reporting on submissions, which I love, and then gradually moved on to proofreading and copyediting, getting familiar with house style, and recently got a book of my very own to edit.

Describe the average day at Scribe.

I’m not sure there is an average day! If I’m in the middle of a big editing job, I’ll usually just check my emails and then get stuck into it straight away. If it’s a smaller job, I might spend the first half of the day reading submissions and writing reader’s reports for the publisher, and edit in the afternoon. Usually there’s a convergence on the lunch room at around 12.30, when everyone catches up.

Scribe is renowned for its serious non-fiction and quality fiction. What have been the highlights of working at Scribe for you?

The highlights have been seeing the finished products: seeing a manuscript go through the editing, cover design, sales and marketing, and publicity processes and come out at the other end a new, beautiful book at a book launch. Another highlight, is that, as you say, Scribe is renowned for its serious non-fiction, so I get to read a lot of high-quality submissions on important topics. I’m learning every day, and I feel pretty lucky to have a job where that’s possible.

I’m sure you remember what it was like to wonder about publishing and how on earth it was possible to get in. Do you have any advice for people who are interested in working in the industry?

Well, doing a publishing-specific course worked for me, and I’d recommend it as a way to learn the basics, get an idea of how the industry works, and make contact with people already working in publishing. That last bit is the most important. In my case, prac. placement led to freelance work at Allen & Unwin, which in turn gave me the experience I needed for the internship at Scribe. It is a hard industry to get into, and I think you need to spend a lot of time reading about it and talking about it with people who are already on the inside to give yourself the best chance. Without that kind of contact it’s very difficult. And you need to be persistent. It might take ages to get a foot in the door, but you have to keep trying and let people know that you’re serious about it.