Ashland students intern with publishing leader Bookmasters

Two students from Ashland University spent their summer learning about the publishing industry through an internship with Bookmasters, facilitated through the Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Program.

“My time at Bookmasters was incredibly rewarding,” Ashland senior Emily Cardwell said. “I was only there for three months, but I learned a great deal of invaluable information about the publishing industry firsthand, especially concerning the importance of metadata, an aspect of publishing that is often overlooked. The people at Bookmasters were welcoming and supportive, and I was able to explore a new career path open to English majors that I had not yet considered. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.”

Bookmasters is one of the country’s largest providers of publisher services, handling aspects ranging from book manufacturing and sales to eBook conversion. As an English major, Cardwell worked with the metadata team, while Ashland’s other student participating in the program, creative writing and religion major Garrison Stima, worked with the company’s sales and marketing team.

“This past summer at Bookmasters has been immensely fulfilling,” Stima said. “While I was also only present for three months, my life was opened up to the world of publishing and advertisement on a level that I had never experienced before. From the day-to-day lessons in the office, to the expansion of options in my vocational fields to various advertisement routes and to creative marketing practices, this has been a vital time in my life. Not to mention the extreme kindness I’ve received from everyone at Bookmasters during the whole process.”