Cedar Fort Internship

Back in January, I got the email I agonized over for most of my Christmas break. In December I applied for an internship at Cedar Fort Publishing because I wanted to get some experience in a publishing house to help me decided what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm debating against being a freelance editor or working in a more traditional setting such as a publishing house or for a company editing their material. I got the internship and over the past three months and I have been doing that. I've proofread pieces as well as copy edited and source checking. I worked a lot with acquisitions, reading manuscripts from the slush pile. I also got to go attend meetings which gave me insider insight into how the company treats their editors and what to expect working for the company.

I learned a lot and gained a lot from this internship. I gained more confidence in myself and in my abilities by doing the internship. I learned more about editing which was nice. I also learned that I do not want to work for a publishing house and especially that publishing house because I want to control the type of things I read. When you find a manuscript that you like and think has potential, you have to sell to the board and sometimes no matter how passionate you are or how much potential you think it has it may not be chosen for publications. I thought that would be a little soul crushing and not something I would want to even go through. Also, the hours the editors worked with the lack of appreciation didn't interest me either.

I wouldn't trade my experience working with Cedar Fort for nothing because it was exactly what I needed to push me to finally make a decision. I kept teetering on the line of working for a publishing house vs. being a freelance editor. After interning there I decided to take a leap and go into freelance editing and see where it takes me. If it doesn't work out, I could always try for a publishing house. these last three months have been fun, stressful, and educational.