Publishing Fellowship 2024-2025

Publishing Fellowship Announcement

The University of Texas Press is now accepting applications for our 2024-2025 Publishing Fellowship Program

Application Deadline: Sunday, March 31, 2024

The University of Texas Press is offering two Publishing Fellowships for the 2024-2025 year, beginning September 1, 2024, and ending August 31, 2025. Download the application here: Publishing Fellowship Application 2024-2025

  • The fellowship program is designed to help prepare fellows for a career in book publishing by providing intensive and practical experience at one of the nation’s leading university presses.
  • The fellowships will be based in two departments, with exposure to the operations of the other departments at the Press. The primary departments for the 2024–2025 fellowships are 1) Marketing and EDP (editing, design, and production) and 2) Rights & Permissions and Acquisitions; see descriptions below.
  • While the emphasis will be on scholarly publishing, much of the training will apply equally well to commercial publishing.

Eligibility and Requirements:

  • The 2024-2025 Publishing Fellowships are open only to alumni of the University of Texas at Austin (undergraduate or graduate).
  • The fellowship will be in person and require 40 hours a week during normal business hours.
  • Applicants must be able to meet the university requirements for employment at time of application. These requirements can be found at: https://hr.utexas.edu/current/services/employment-eligibility-verification-i9-docs
  • Applicants must have a strong desire to pursue a career in publishing.
  • Before accepting the appointment, the fellows will be asked to sign a statement of understanding of the program’s purpose and procedures, which include the intent to complete the fellowship year.

Training:

The fellowships provide opportunities for the successful candidates to gain in-depth experience in multiple departments, with opportunities to network across the Press and learn elements of the overall publishing process. In addition to in-house training, the fellow will attend the annual meeting of the Association of University Presses and will attend one additional scholarly conference.

Marketing and EDP Fellowship:

  • Marketing: Under the supervision of the marketing and sales manager, the fellow will become acquainted with sales tools; research media outlets with the publicity team; develop review lists and send out review copies of books; participate in the creation of seasonal catalogs; research and develop marketing plans for books; and assist with seasonal marketing correspondence with authors.
  • Editing, Design, and Production: Under the supervision of the EDP manager, the fellow will focus on manuscript preparation, file clean-up and coding, editing, proofreading, indexing, and project management in collaboration with Press staff.

Rights & Permissions and Acquisitions Fellowship:

  • Rights and Permissions: Under the supervision of the rights and permissions manager, the fellow will assist in preparing marketing materials to promote Press books in translation at international book fairs; researching foreign publishers to send targeted book pitches; sending out requested review materials following book fairs; maintaining an up-to-date mailing list; and processing permission requests.
  • Acquisitions: Under the supervision of the editor-in-chief, the fellow will learn how manuscripts are evaluated and guided through peer review, presented at a variety of in-house meetings, and revised and transmitted for copyediting, in addition to gaining familiarity with the basics of book budgets.

Fellows work primarily with their department managers, but throughout the year they will be exposed to all departments of the Press. Fellows attend appropriate meetings of the staff and the Faculty Advisory Committee. Fellows are not enrolled in academic courses and will not receive academic credit.

Stipend and Benefits:

The fellow will receive $42,000 for the year ($38,500 base pay, plus $3,500 health insurance stipend), payable as $3,500 at the end of each month of completed training; this amount will be prorated accordingly if the fellow leaves before August 31, 2025. Under present laws, this award is taxable, and the University must report payments to the IRS, although no withholding will be made. The University of Texas will not be responsible for fringe benefits, other than regular staff holidays and earned paid time off.

The fellows will have visiting scholar status at the University of Texas at Austin. This status allows fellows the opportunity to purchase student health insurance and an “A” parking permit and provides access to campus libraries. Fellows are ineligible for enrollment-related deferments on student loans.

Fellows are not enrolled in academic courses and will not receive academic credit.

When the Year Is Finished:

At the end of the training period, the fellows will be certified as having successfully completed their fellowship. Press staff will advise the fellow on university press job opportunities and application materials. At the end of the fellowship year, the fellows will be asked to provide a personal report evaluating the experience.

How to Apply:

The application can be downloaded here: Publishing Fellowship Application 2024-2025

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE:

  • Completed application form*
  • Résumé (maximum two pages)
  • One-page personal statement*

*Make sure to specify the fellowship you are applying for. Please choose one of the two.

Decision Timeline:

The Press will invite finalists to interview in April 2024. The 2024-2025 Fellows will be announced by May 15, 2024.

Equal Opportunity:

No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored or conducted by The University of Texas System or any of its component institutions on any basis prohibited by applicable law, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability, or veteran status.

Electronic Submission Only:

Email Address: agilg@utpress.utexas.edu

If you have questions, please contact:

Adrienne Gilg: (512) 232-7603

agilg@utpress.utexas.edu

Deadline: March 31, 2024

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