Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Book Marketing and Publicity Coordinators at Penguin Random House
Entry-level publishing roles are competitive, with internships at large houses like Penguin Random House being "very competitive," but "assistant roles" exist across departments—such as marketing, editorial, sales, and design—allowing upward mobility within the "hierarchical" publishing structure. Numerous applications are key to success.
Entry-Level Jobs, Publishing Internships, Assistant Roles, Networking, Competitive Job Market
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Rylie Walsh
Book Marketing & Publicity Coordinator
Penguin Random House
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola University Chicago, MBA
Communications
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Honors Student, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. There are many publishing internships, though very competitive, especially at large publishing houses. Applying consistently is encouraged.
2. Entry-level roles exist in every department, such as marketing, editorial, sales, and design, often starting as assistant positions.
3. Publishing is hierarchical; entry-level roles serve as a stepping stone for career advancement within the field.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
Definitely. There are a lot of publishing internships out there, and I tried for many of them. They are very competitive.
This is especially true at the bigger publishing houses, like what they call the "Big Five": Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Macmillan, and HarperCollins. I'm forgetting one.
Those can be pretty hard to get when you're in college, but they are always accepting applications. So, I just encourage people to apply, apply, apply.
Then, for entry-level roles, every department in publishing has assistant roles that you kind of start out in. For me, it was marketing and PR assistant, but there are also editorial assistants, sales assistants, and design assistants on our design and art team.
You kind of start, and it's definitely very hierarchical. You start and work your way up in publishing a lot of the time.