As I approached the final stretch of my undergraduate degree, a certain question started looming, one I had been pointedly avoiding: what next?
There are so many possible destinations for an English major—technical writing, screen writing, magazine editing, library sciences, law school, and so much more—but I didn’t know which one was right for me.
As I scanned the course list for the upcoming Spring 2024 semester, something caught my eye—a class called Literary Editing, in which students would work with an actual publishing house to evaluate, edit, market, and help publish authors’ manuscripts.
The class was everything I hoped for and more, and as the semester came to a close, the professor even helped me acquire a summer internship with another publishing house, Dzanc Books.
The importance of internships had been emphasized to me for years—hiring managers want to see work experience on resumes, even when applicants are fresh out of school. But I lived in Manhattan, Kansas—a beautiful and charming city, but not exactly known for its publishing industry.
Thus, I feel so fortunate that I was able to get a 100% remote internship with Dzanc Books.
Once a week, interns from across the country sat together in a Zoom call with the editor-in-chief, who gave us lessons about the industry as well as assignments to complete throughout the week. We would read manuscript submissions and fill out evaluation forms. As the internship continued, we were given opportunities to copy edit, write practice editorial letters, compose elevator pitches, and even plan a year of seasonal book releases. The work was unpaid, but it was rewarding in other ways—it helped build my resume, it taught me the ins and outs of the publishing industry, and it provided me with valuable industry experience. The best part is that it was so much fun!
My Dzanc Books internship is over now, but I hope to return soon to the publishing industry, where I can do what I love: read, analyze, and talk about fiction. That job description is way too good to be true.
There are so many paths I could follow as an English major. I hope that literary editing is the path for me, but no matter where the future leads, I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve received thanks to K-State, supportive professors, and Dzanc Books.
— Catherine (Cat) Torkelson (BA ’24)
K-State English 