Guess What? I'm Hiring!

I'm not kidding! I am looking for a new associate development editor to fill the position that was vacated last August. You can see the posting here.

I held off on hiring a new person last summer in light of year-end budget crunch issues. Since then I have been doing all acquisitions, development, copy editing, and production editing for two product lines (around 20 products a year). Needless to say, I feel like I am always behind, and my ability to think proactively and creatively has been severely hampered. I need someone to take over development on revised editions, and production editing on new titles. Since the job search book market is pretty hot right now, I think we can justify hiring someone.

Please don't contact me directly or send me your resume. I am required to funnel everyone through Monster.com. I am excited to see whether the bad job market might yield some superior editorial talent!

It's Internship Season at Wiley (Again)

Ah, spring, when a young man's (and woman's) fancy turns to thoughts of...internships! Wiley has just announced three areas for which it is seeking summer interns:

• Information Technology: A structured ten-week summer internship program is available for students typically between their junior and senior years of college who aspire to careers in Information Technology. The program provides students with the opportunity to gain practical experience and learn from IT professionals and combines on-the-job training with seminars and group luncheons. The program offers coverage of the following IT technologies: Client management and trouble shooting, IP addressing, Network hardware, Storage Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Network storage, and network backups. The summer IT program offers a weekly stipend of $550 and runs from May through August. If you are interested in applying for an internship, submit a letter addressing why you would like to be selected for the program and areas of interest along with a resume. Summer internship applications should be submitted by May 1.
• Acquisitions/Editorial: A structured ten-week summer internship is available for students typically between their junior and senior year of college who are interested in Editorial careers. The program offers students the opportunity to learn from publishing professionals. We also sponsor several informational luncheons and special projects during the summer to provide an overview of the entire publishing process. The program dates are May 26 - August 7, 2009. Hours are M-F, 8:30-4:30pm. This intern will research market information, competitive titles, possible author candidates, and new title ideas. Other responsibilities include creating and maintaining project files, assisting with the creation and review of marketing materials, perparing materials for meetings, and general administrative tasks. Requirements: Enrolled in a degree program at a College or University. Must be internet savvy and have the ability to do Web-based research. Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and have a familiarity with email correspondence (i.e. Outlook or Lotus Notes). Attention to detail, analytical skills, strong interpersonal skills, and effective written and oral communication are also necessary.
• Editorial: A structured ten-week summer internship is available for students typically between their junior and senior year of college who are interested in Editorial careers. The program offers students the opportunity to learn from publishing professionals. We also sponsor several informational luncheons and special projects during the summer to provide an overview of the entire publishing process. The program dates are May 26 - August 7, 2009, work hours are M-F, 8:30-4:30pm. This intern will work with the Dummies Editorial department and will split their time between the Consumer and Technology groups. Some responsibilities include; reviewing page proofs, preparing manuscripts for editing, and attending various department meetings. Additional responsibilities may include; copying and labeling art, maintaining a database of art contract data, and general administrative tasks. Requirements: Enrolled in a degree program at a College or University. Good written and oral communication skills, exceptional attention to detail, effective problem solving skills, time-management skills, and the ability to work independently. Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and have a familiarity with email correspondence (i.e. Outlook or Lotus Notes).

Contact information for inquiring about internship opportunities in Hoboken, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and the Boston area is here.

Resume Tips from an Art Director

Wise, true, and snarky art director India Amos is trying to hire an assistant. But oh, the horrors she's seen! Read all about it here.

All I can say is: People! Get a clue! Proof your resume and cover letter--multiple times! Ask friends to proof your documents, too. Better yet, hire someone to edit, or completely overhaul, your resume. Use some common sense, pay attention to detail, and spend a little time learning something about the company to which you are applying (for example, how to spell its name). This is not a climate in which employers are going to be forgiving for slackness. There are still jobs to be had, but not for the people who don't put a lot of effort into honing their presentations.

New Blog Focuses on Media Careers

It is with a mixture of graciousness, chagrin, and envy that I point out the recent startup of MediaBistro's MediaJobsDaily blog. The blog, which mixes industry news with job hunting tips, is everything my blog should, would, and could be--if writing this blog was my job.

Editors Rebecca Fox, Becki Heller, and Rachel Kaufman pelt readers continually with pithy and well-researched nuggets on all things related to publishing careers in this topsy-turvy environment.

There's room enough in the blogosphere for everyone, and the more help these days, the better. I'm totally adding this to my feeds.

FedEx Offers Free Resume Printing on March 10

This just in from headquarters in Memphis: If you stop by any FedEx Office location (formerly known as Kinkos), they will print 25 copies of your resume for free. See details here.

That's a stroke of genius, I say. This is going to spread like wildfire and FedEx is going to get lots of publicity--mark my words. Granted, a larger percentage of people are now just e-mailing their resumes or pasting them into databases. Still, it's good to have a printed resume when you go to the interview.

If the Pride and Prejudice Characters Were on Facebook...

...this is what their newsfeed would look like. Brilliant! Thanks to Anne for pointing me toward this--it made my day!

Ten Speed Press Acquired

I'm back today after being knocked out of commission by a stomach virus. And the first thing I saw when I opened my e-mail was the Publishers Lunch newsletter, with an article about the recent acquisition of our competitor, Ten Speed Press, by Random House. Publishers Weekly also has a report on the sale here, which has apparently been brewing for some time.

Ten Speed is by no means a one-trick pony, although I think it's safe to assume that What Color Is Your Parachute? is, in the words of a former publishing exec, "the horse they all ride," having sold 10 million copies.

This is significant in that I believe Ten Speed to have been the final independent career publisher (the jury is still out as to whether we are still considered independent--it depends on your definition). We saw what happened when Adams Media was acquired by F+W: It grew by leaps and bounds from the infusion of capital. But today it's a whole different game. Nobody has any capital. Odds are, RH is hoping to drain a little of the Parachute action to rejuvenate itself (not that I'm comparing it to Voldemort, or anything).

So, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Meanwhile, I made the best of a sick day yesterday by watching the Becoming Jane DVD I got for Christmas. Beautiful movie--if you are an Austen fan, you must see it. I cried so hard that my fever went back up again. But it was worth it!