One hundred students from across the nation have gathered at the University of Denver to learn all they can about publishing.
Each summer DU’s Publishing Institute offers an intense four-week program to train students in publishing. The students learn from more than 50 faculty and professionals in the field.
“It’s hard to believe that there are these experts in the field that are helping people who are trying to get entry-level jobs in publishing,” says Publishing Institute student Chrissy Friedlander, a recent graduate from Bucknell University.
The students attend workshops on editing, marketing, production and design. They hear from experts in the field from Mark Gompertz, executive vice president of digital publishing at Simon and Schuster Inc. to Joyce Meskis, the director of the Publishing Institute and owner of Denver’s independent book store, the Tattered Cover.
“There is a world of opportunity in publishing in all kinds of areas: publishing, marketing, finance, design and production,” Meskis says. “We give the students a thorough overview in order to open their horizons.”
It is an open door Libby McCarthy is counting on. She took unpaid leave from her job at a public library in Los Angeles to attend the Publishing Institute. While she is looking for feedback on the marketing work she does for the library, she would eventually like to be an editor.
“I like to learn most about the editing part,” McCarthy says. “I’m really impressed with the instructors. They are funny, really accessible and high-caliber.”
This is the Publishing Institute’s 34th year. The institute runs through Aug. 7.
Ed. Note: This article originally misstated Simon and Schuster’s representative at the institute.