#MeetTheIntern– Jess Freund
- By: admin | Date: Sep 08 2017
Although Jess left us at the end of June, we decided to hold her post until now in honor of her graduating high school (as Salutatorian, no less) and heading off to college at Notre Dame! Thanks for all your help this spring, Jess and best of luck in your first semester of college.
What’s your name?
Jess Freund
Where do you go to school?
I’m graduating Randolph High School in a week (yay!) and will be attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall (much to JF’s chagrin). Go Irish!
What are you studying?
Good question
What kind of books do you most like to read?
I love YA fantasy or historicals, but I will read anything.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” -Albus Dumbledore
What’s the last book you read (not including a submission)?
The Things They Carried. It’s an honest war story told by a Vietnam veteran, so it’s a heavy read, but definitely worth it.
What interests you about a career in publishing (assuming you’d like a career in publishing)?
After completing this internship, a career in publishing has become synonymous in my mind with a career in reading. If I can get paid to do something I love, count me in.
What lead you to BookEnds?
My high school launched a pilot senior internship program this year. A close family friend, knowing my love for reading and writing, recommended that I apply at BookEnds.
What has surprised you most about your internship at BookEnds?
I have yet to be sent on a coffee run.
What have you enjoyed the most at BookEnds?
Three things:
- The friendly office environment and spirit of teamwork. The BookEnds team was always happy to answer my questions, and I witnessed first hand their willingness to help each other with second reads or opinions on covers or
- The wall of books in the office.
- BookExpo, I got SO MANY FREE BOOKS.
What was your favorite BookEnds office treat?
I don’t know if this counts as a treat, but the Throat Coat tea works wonders on a cough
Submission reading is part of an intern’s job at BookEnds, what was most surprising or difficult for you about this task?
I have always been an avid reader, but up until this internship, I had only experienced the completed, polished, reader-ready version of books. Looking at a novel from the other side, I learned to critically read books and decide which ones I thought had the potential to earn a spot on a bookstore shelf.
What advice, if any, would you give future BookEnds interns to either make the most of their experience, or survive the BookEnds Team?
ASK QUESTIONS. If you’re like me, you might not know at first what questions you should even ask. The best way to start is to ask about anything and everything that you don’t understand: vocabulary, contracts, filing, mail, even how to make coffee (with frothed milk, of course). The BookEnds team is unrivaled in their willingness and desire to answer questions and to have conversations about their careers.
And I was lucky enough to have Jess’ eyes on the final revision of my manuscript while she was there! Best of luck to you at Notre Dame and in your future career.
New word for my vocab: Salutatorian. I had to look that one up (we don’t do that sort of thing in Oz). Sounds like a great program your high school has started and how lucky to land at BookEnds for your internship.