Lucinda Literary Summer Internship!

Want to spend your summer surrounded by books, learning the ropes of publishing, and making meaningful contributions as a valued team member?

Are you excited by the opportunity to help foster the book-publishing careers of emerging authors from a variety of social, professional, and political perspectives?

At Lucinda Literary, our unique apprenticeship offers hands-on experience with agents, instructors, marketers—and, of course, authors. Interns also receive career mentoring directly from our CEO, if desired.

Unlike many internships, you won’t be stuck in the slush pile. You’ll have the chance to bring your strengths, scout new talent, and gain real insight into the industry to help launch your career.

You may be a fit for our agency if you are:

– Enthusiastic about supporting authors with an emphasis on nonfiction

– Enjoy exploring unique perspectives and opinions

– Comfortable asking questions and seeking feedback

– Open to growth and challenging experiences

– Proactive, organized, and flexible

– A quick study with a strong work ethic and attention to detail

– A critical and resourceful reader 

– A confident and articulate presenter

– A clear communicator who follows through

– A strong writer, editor, and project manager

– Energized by a fast-paced, team-centric environment
– Willing to tackle any task: big or small

– Interested in a career in publishing, marketing, publicity, teaching, or writing

Words that are often used to describe you might include: a ‘quick study,’ ‘resourceful,’ highly ‘detail-oriented’ (maybe even ‘perfectionist’ or ‘overachiever’!), ‘exceptionally curious,’ having ‘excellent people skills,’ or ‘tenacious’.

Day to day tasks include:

-Reviewing queries, largely for practical and narrative-nonfiction projects

-Providing proposal or manuscript assessments

-Admin (filing or pulling documents in our internal system, research, scheduling, designing presentations and other agency materials, possible video editing)

-Corresponding with writers

-Collaborating with our online marketing manager on newsletter and social media content

-Editing (largely of our newsletter and instructional materials; in time, with client projects)

-Communicating with our internal team (in time, with clients and editors) 

Experience: Our interns have ranged from current college students to graduate students without office experience, to entry-level professionals with office experience, to parents looking for a “second act.” Many of our interns balance this internship with other commitments. While the position is remote, New York City access is preferred.

Commitment: 3 months minimum (begins May/June flexible), approximately 15 hours per week

Monthly stipend: $250/month

To apply: please send a cover letter and resume to team@lucindaliterary.com

Subject line: “Summer Internship”

Cover letter should include:

– Why you would be a valuable contributor to our agency

– A summary of your experience

– Where you are located

– Your availability (what days and times, how many hours per week)

– A 3-4 minute video introduction to you and why you are interested in the position (optional, but preferred)

We will respond if your application is being considered. Thank you for your interest in working with LL!

Lucinda Literary is the ideal place for anyone who’s serious about the publishing industry. 

Thanks to the Lucinda Literary team and their generous, genuine guidance, my knowledge of the publishing industry has grown exponentially, and I’ve gained a true sense of the ins’ and outs’ of agenting from creating submission lists, to evaluating query letters, to line editing proposals. 

You’re also going to get more tools in your publishing toolkit than you ever thought you would. Besides editorial responsibilities and crafting copy, I had the privilege of assisting Lucinda with the launch of her book, GET SIGNED, which has been a masterclass in literary marketing and publicity. 

I feel more assured than ever about a career in publishing.

—Viviana Freyer

When I decided to switch careers, I was fortunate enough to complete my first publishing internship with Lucinda Literary. I was treated to a bird’s eye view of the publishing world but also given the hands-on experiences that gave me the confidence to know that yes—this was what I wanted to do and that I could have a future in it. From reading queries, drafting submission letters, and editing proposals and manuscripts, I was treated like an integral part of the team and always felt like my contributions were valued.

I was able to leverage my experience at Lucinda Literary to land another internship and a first job at Penguin Young Readers. I’m now a children’s book editor and I still feel so grateful for my internship at Lucinda Literary. It was an integral stepping stone to my current career and I cannot recommend the mentorship of Lucinda and her team enough.

—Caitlin Tutterow

Even when joining as an Editorial and Marketing Intern remotely, I could tell that everyone at Lucinda Literary is undoubtedly kind and warm-hearted, but most importantly, passionate about their clients and work. Lucinda and everyone at the agency were more than happy to allow me to shadow on projects and take absolute initiative on tasks. I loved the collaboration that went on between team members, but I still had the ability to spearhead my own mini-projects.

My time at Lucinda Literary trained and bettered my administrative skills, and I am now confident in utilizing social media platforms and applications to boost user engagement. I truly enjoyed being able to express my creative self when asked to draw up original content and graphics for the Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn pages, and more. Every day, I had the ability to learn something new about the publishing industry, the agenting process, and the delight that is in scouting new talent. This opportunity truly allowed me to envision myself pursuing a future full-time career in publishing, and I cannot thank Lucinda and her team enough for trusting me.

—Ingrid Xu

The editorial and marketing internship at Lucinda Literary is one-of-a-kind. I’ve had many other internships, including other internships in the publishing industry, and I can say without a doubt that this one is more than just an internship. Many offer learning opportunities, and this is no exception, but more importantly, I was trusted here. I was not only able but encouraged to take initiative in my role, including taking on responsibilities such as scouting potential clients, running our social media accounts, managing agents’ slush piles, writing submission letters, and a whole host of other high-level tasks that other internships don’t allow.

The Lucinda Literary team is so helpful and willing to answer my questions and collaborate on projects. Lucinda is so personable and available despite her incredibly busy schedule. She always responds to my questions (even small ones) and helps me with my projects when needed. I love her hands-on approach to the agency and I always felt like my opinions mattered. 

This internship has cemented my love for book publishing, and I hope to continue my career in this industry. I will no doubt look back with gratitude on this experience and the opportunities that it has afforded me. 

—Grace Garrahan