Some really goofy questions about interning

[Project nachonaco]

Because of some recent changes in the legislation for the state of Indiana, I am going to be majoring in English with a Creative Writing emphasis and then a minor in education. And that was probably extraneous information.

So if I were to intern at a literary agency, would they be able to pay me? Does it depend on the industry regarding paid internships vs. unpaid or does it depend on the agency itself?

Would being an intern keep me from possibly being published or would it actually give me a decent starting point when it comes to querying?

(And yes, I do plan on getting on my feet a little better, but I'm just asking this as a way to find out if I should stop this idea now and work on a more realistic plan)

[Kateness]

Mostly, those questions would be best checked with your university. Some schools don't allow students to be paid for their internship AND count them as credit for the degree.

And while I don't know much about the industry, I don't think a publishing internship would have anything to do with whether you get repped or not. Writing and agenting are two different fields.

[Kilawher]

Former (and hopefully future :) ) intern here.

Most of the internships I've seen and done have been part-time and unpaid. They don't need to pay people, as there are so many people willing to work for free. Anything having to do with credits/your school would have to be checked out with the university, as I'm not sure about how that applies at different schools.

And being an intern, or even being an agent, will definitely not keep you from being published. I know of several agents who write and have their own agent. Working at an agency helped me a lot when it came to querying, because I learned a lot about what agents (or, at least, the ones I've worked for) look for and what's an instant turn-off.

I will say, though, that if you're hoping to intern for an agent who you'd like to represent you, that's a big faux pas. I've kept my querying/interning completely separate - I don't query agents with whom I've applied for an internship and vice versa.

[RainbowDragon]

I will say, though, that if you're hoping to intern for an agent who you'd like to represent you, that's a big faux pas. I've kept my querying/interning completely separate - I don't query agents with whom I've applied for an internship and vice versa.

I'd say this is not necessarily a faux pas. It has happened in the past that authors have interned with agents who later (after the internship) agreed to represent them.

But the chances of that happening are probably about as slim as the chances that your first ever query lands representation.

Stars must align. The universe must smile. Don't count on it happening and don't let it get you down that it probably won't go down that way.

:)

P.S.: Cute avatar-pets in this thread!