NYU Summer Publishing Institute
Digital Media Session (Weeks 1 & 2)
During my time at the New York University School of Professional Studies Summer Publishing Institute, I had the opportunity to dive deep into what the publishing industry really is. The first two weeks of the program were focused on digital media brands. For our first big project, we were placed in groups of 20+ and tasked with creating a digital media brand from the ground up. There were 4 teams within the larger group (Editorial & Content, Art & Creative, Integrated Marketing), I was assigned to the Audience Development team.
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My group was in charge of areas such as social media content, user engagement/experience (including Search Engine Optimization) and finding what would bring in more readers to our brand. My group and I worked hard on creating a brand that was engaging to all audiences. At the end of the project, we got to present to a panel of judges from the companies (AFAR Media, DotDash Meredith, SELF, Elle, and Town & Country).
Here are two of the social media posts I made for the project (Using Canva)!
The General Lifestyle Team! (I was one of the group speakers!)
These are some of the digital media brands that I got to hear from and talk to!
Book Publishing Session (Weeks 3 & 4)
The second half of the program was focused on book publishing. The main project for this section was for each group to create a book imprint from the ground up catered toward the genre they were assigned; my group was assigned to the Childrens and Young Adult imprint. There were several teams within each imprint genre including editorial, design, integrated marketing, and sales/rights. For this project I was assigned to the sales/rights team. Our main jobs were to work alongside the editorial team to determine appropriate formats and sales goals for our lead title, determine comp titles and backlist potential, subsidiary rights, and work to determine a sales distribution plan.
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After all of the hard work me and my group put into our project, on the day of our presentation we won "best imprint" out of all of the groups within the program! This vote was determined by a panel of judges which included persons from publishing companies such as Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan!
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The Childrens and Young Adult Imprint after winning best book imprint!
These are some of the publishing companies, imprints, and presses that I got to hear from and talk to!
Career Fair & Graduation Banquet
Not only did I get to meet with some of the most esteemed brands and companies within the publishing industry and also participate in the most unique projects while attending NYU SPI but I also had the opportunity to meet authors, writers, literary agents, and so many other individuals that play a huge role in the publishing industry, I got to go on industry and book store visits, and also had the chance to complete assignments such as reader reports and edit tests, which are a key point of knowledge within the industry!
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My knowledge of publishing (both digital and book) was expanded beyond measure, but my overall professional knowledge was as well. SPI provided me with resume reviews from HR persons in the industry, workshops catered towards specific skills, and many other opportunities to enhance my professionalism in other areas of my life, not just a publishing career.
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At the end of the program, all students got to participate in a career fair where people from most of the publishing and media brands/companies that had attended panels to speak, were present. I got to talk one-on-one with people from HR, Hiring Managers, Writers and Authors, Graphic Designers, and so many others! I was able to handout my resume and get a better look into what areas of the industry may be the right fit for me. The career fair was one of my favorite parts of the entire program!
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The final step of the program was attending the graduation banquet which was held in a building overlooking Washington Square Park. I received my publishing certificate and got to hear parting speeches from the directors that made SPI possible. This opportunity really was a major part of both my personal and professional lives; the friends I gained, the connections I made, and the knowledge/skills that I now have will continue to help me grow as I continue on my personal and professional journey.
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Me after receiving my Publishing Certificate!
Photos from the Career Fair!