Award Cycle: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Sigma Tau Delta is partnering with the W. W. Norton College Division to offer Sigma Tau Delta student and alumni members the opportunity to gain experience in educational publishing through a 12-week Composition, Communication, and Literature Editorial internship program. This program serves to introduce interns to the world of educational publishing, which focuses on creating quality textbooks and learning resources for undergraduate students. Interns receive valuable hands-on experience with developing print manuscripts, ebooks, and digital instructional resources, as well as the day-to-day work of an editorial assistant, and opportunities to network with W. W. Norton employees and fellow interns.
Your work—if you become a Norton intern with the Composition, Communication, and Literature teams—may include the following:
- Assisting with manuscript preparation and production for anthologies, readers, and handbooks across the literature and composition list.
- Reading manuscripts and proofs at various stages of publication to help editors and authors improve the quality of print and digital content.
- Assisting with the ebook proofing process for rhetorics, readers, handbooks, and textbooks across the composition and communication lists.
- Compiling, checking over, and posting assessment questions and instructional resources for Norton media products such as ebooks, Testmaker, InQuizitive, and Norton Teaching Tools.
- Assisting with copyediting review for various media assets.
- Working with survey data and marketing grids to assess instructor needs.
- Working with the editorial assistants to complete projects as needed for the composition, communication, and literature teams.
Norton is excited to add interns who bring diverse perspectives to the team. The ideal candidate is curious, hardworking, and eager to learn more about the different facets of educational publishing. Here are some skills and qualities we look for in candidates:
- You have an interest in education and supporting students.
- You have experience working with students as a writing tutor, teaching assistant, educator, mentor, or similar role.
- You are curious about how college textbooks (for all subject areas) and additional learning resources are created.
- You have some experience working on editorial projects, such as magazines, newspapers, freelance editing, or similar projects.
- You have interest or experience in the fields of composition, communication, and literature.
- You are a college junior, senior, recent graduate, or someone looking to make a career change.
Key details:
- Interns are paid $16.50 per hour, subject to applicable law, and work a maximum of 20 hours weekly.
- Specific work hours are flexible to accommodate an intern’s schedule within 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time window.
- Sigma Tau Delta candidates will be given priority consideration for an internship interview at the editorial department of the W. W. Norton College Division.
- For interns who reside within commuting distance of the office, this internship will be in-person in our Manhattan offices; those in other locations will work remotely.
- Interns must be eligible to work in the United States. They are required to reside in the United States during their internship.
- Norton does not complete any paperwork for colleges, universities, or other entities related to for-credit internships or eligibility to work in the US. W. W. Norton & Company, an equal opportunity employer, is fully independent and employee-owned.
Eligibility
Applicants for Priority Consideration for a W. W. Norton & Company Internship must be:
- an active student OR alumni member of Sigma Tau Delta;
- legally authorized to work in the United States.
The position may be in person or remote, but students from Alaska, South Dakota, and West Virginia are not eligible to work remotely in New York State.
How to Apply
Applications for the W. W. Norton & Company Internship Priority Consideration are accepted through AwardSpring. The link to access the Sigma Tau Delta AwardSpring platform will be posted on the AwardSpring Application informational page of our website during the spring, summer, and fall award cycles.
If you are using AwardSpring for the first time, you must create an account by clicking “Register.” If you have used AwardSpring previously, you should login using your email address and existing password.
Sigma Tau Delta will forward application materials for our final selected priority candidates to W. W. Norton. While not required for priority consideration, students may also apply directly to W. W. Norton through the posting link on their website.
Required Materials
1. Cover Letter
Please ensure your cover letter makes reference to the skills and qualities of a W. W. Norton & Company intern outlined above.
2. Essay Questions
- Please describe your service to, and involvement in, Sigma Tau Delta and how it prepares you for this internship. (250 words max)
- Please describe experiences (courses, extra-curricular activities, Sigma Tau Delta leadership and service, and work experience) that prepare you for editorial work in university textbook publishing and the different responsibilities of an editorial assistant for textbooks about rhetoric, composition, and literature education. (250 words max)
- Please discuss how working for a college/university textbook publisher in the editorial department of W. W. Norton (an employee-owned college book publisher established in 1924) aligns with your career goals. (250 words max)
3. Resume/CV
Please ensure your resume makes reference to the skills and qualities of a W. W. Norton & Company intern outlined above.
Resources
W. W. Norton & Company—Helpful Links
Interview Process
W. W. Norton staff will contact the three priority candidates for interviews. Applicants who are not selected for Sigma Tau Delta priority consideration may still apply directly through W. W. Norton. The final internship offers will be made by W. W. Norton.
Stipend Award and Blog Requirement
Sigma Tau Delta priority members who are awarded an internship with W. W. Norton will receive a $500 stipend from Sigma Tau Delta.
A follow-up blog is required from Sigma Tau Delta members who are selected as W. W. Norton interns. The blog is an article (400-600 words) for WORDY by Nature, the official Society blog, sharing such things as how the internship contributed to their professional growth or field of study; its impact on their future career plans; and the importance of the funding to the internship experience.
Past Internship Recipient Blogs
Check out blog posts submitted by past recipients of various Sigma Tau Delta internship opportunities to gain inspiration for your internship applications.
View: Past Internship Recipient Blogs
Questions
Please contact the Central Office staff at sigmatdapply@niu.edu.
