Hi from Sabeena – the new Tilted Axis intern

Well the search for an intern is finally over and I’m happy to announce that the kind folk at Tilted Axis chose me! So let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I’m Sabeena, I blog about books by PoC and I’m passionate about books. But not just books for books sake. I believe that Anglophone readers deserve international literature, including beautiful, creative translations and nuanced representation. In part, it’s why I’ve wanted to work within the publishing industry for a long time, and as a publisher (perhaps rather patronisingly) once told me, ‘be the change [I] want to see.’

Simon and Sabeena with the first copies of One Hundred Shadows.

As a young mum however, the opportunities to do so always felt few and far between. Like so many, I couldn’t afford (in any sense of the word) to offer 6 months’ unpaid time to a publishing house and didn’t have any meaningful contacts to get a foot in the door.  Instead I focussed my passion for books into a number of volunteer roles within the publishing industry and as a book blogger. As a blogger, I’ve attended many events often to be congratulated on ‘mastering English’ or my personal favourite, to mistakenly be welcomed with open arms as Ayisha Malik, author of ‘Sofia Khan is not Obliged’ (and yes, that’s happened more than once!) Publishing’s lack of diversity and international authors only further fuelled my desire to join an original and inclusive publishing house.

 Definition screen shot from my friend's dictionary!

And now, thanks to Tilted Axis’s paid internship, I have.  So much of the publishing world is closed off to people like me and if publishers are sincere about diversity, they should follow TAP’s suit. After all we cannot be 'the change we want to see' if we can’t get access. I’m looking forward to my time at Tilted Axis, traditional books have for too long felt parochial and typecast; it’s time to say goodbye to universality and exoticism and I hope to play a small part in promoting creative and innovative books. In Arabic the word Muharrir, meaning writer, is the same word for liberator and I’m hopeful that Tilted Axis might just help me take a step towards finding liberation in literature. 

Paid Internship With Awesome Digital Training!

We're hiring! One of our main aims has always been to improve access to the publishing industry, by paying proper rates and operating without unpaid interns. Now we're excited to be able to take that a step further and offer a 3-4 month internship, 1 day per week, paid at the Living Wage. Applicants from backgrounds under-represented in the industry are particularly welcome. 

We don't actually look this weird. 

Main focuses will be Admin, Production and Marketing, with experience available in Editorial and Publicity. Digital training provided. By the end of the internship, you'll have been taught everything you need to do an entry-level digital job at the average publisher.

Main tasks:

• producing marketing newsletters / press releases

• commissioning, editing & uploading online content inc video & audio

• updating metadata, wikipedia etc

If and when (providing that the candidate is willing / these tasks fit within the allotted time):

• assisting with events and promotions

• mailouts

• copy-editing & proofreading

Required:

• strong literary tastes

• excellent copy-writing skills

• social-media savvy

Bonus:

• An Asian language

Digital training will include:

• ebook creation and distribution

• Photoshop

• InDesign

• advanced search patterns (inc. regular expressions)

• metadata and SEO (inc. ONIX)

• web design (inc. buying domains, hosting, and FTP)

Schedule can be flexible around work / study arrangements – digital training would be evenings or weekends, regular evenings preferred.

Applicants accepted until 24th June. Please send CV and cover letter to deborah@tiltedaxispress.com