From CMU Press Interns to Publishing Professionals

Founded in 1972, Carnegie Mellon University Press has been around for over fifty years. And from the very start, student interns have had an integral role. They’ve found award-winning manuscripts in the slush pile, designed the covers of our books, and developed marketing and publicity strategy for new releases.

It’s a tradition that continues today. The skills CMU Press student interns learn while working at the Press are invaluable, with many interns translating their experience into full-time careers in publishing.

“Because the Press is small, we’ve had to get creative with our editorial, design, production, and marketing needs. What better way than to give our talented CMU students practical on-the-job experience at a level far beyond what they'd get elsewhere?” said CMU Press editorial director Nicky Agate. “It’s the kind of opportunity I would have loved to have in college.”

We spoke to five former interns about their time at the Press, and the work they’re doing now.

Michael Szczerban interned at CMU Press during his undergraduate years at CMU, where he studied information systems and creative writing.

“I originally went to Carnegie Mellon thinking I would do something in the tech world with my information systems degree, but after interning at the Press I decided to try to work in book publishing,” he said.

He applied for an internship at Simon & Schuster’s managing editorial department, where he got an intimate view of how books were made. “My part in it was small: I walked around the building delivering drafts of book jackets as they routed among designers, editors, and copyeditors,” he said. “But it enabled me to see all the different trains that connected through that station, and gave me a great overview of the publishing process.”

When he heard of an opening for a full-time job in the same group, Szczerban called to express interest. After thinking about it, he called back. This time, he said: “I know this is kind of crazy, but I’m getting in my car and driving to New York. I hope you’ll see me for an interview tomorrow.”

That gumption got him the job. After 18 months, he pivoted to the editorial side of the business and learned that his strength was in illustrated nonfiction — whether that was cookbooks or pop culture. As an editor at Simon & Schuster, he acquired the bestselling cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

Today, Szczerban is the vice president and publisher of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company that he founded in 2019 to focus on visually driven titles. “The books have changed, but the feeling I first had while working at CMU Press is still the feeling I have today: that it is the most incredible gift to work with authors on books that expand our experience of the world and enhance people's lives,” he said.

Connie Amoroso started out as an undergraduate interning at CMU Press, an experience she compares to an old-fashioned apprenticeship. “I was thrown in and just had to figure it out,” she said. “My very first assignment was designing a book cover.”

After graduating, Amoroso became a librarian. She spent 15 years working at the branch down the street from the Press’s offices, which allowed her to stay involved.

“I was the fixer,” she said. “It wasn't in an official capacity, but if there was a problem with a book or an author, I’d be helping out.”

Amoroso is now CMU Press’s full-time production and design specialist. She works on all phases of book design, from communicating with authors to laying out books. She’s also been a mentor to many students throughout the years.

“We’re bringing in more voices to the Press now, and we’re engaging students now more than ever,” she said. “We used to be insular, but now we’re more connected with our peers in the region. Arts and humanities need more champions than ever, and it’s better if we’re all working together!”

Alex Wolfe got his start at CMU Press after meeting Associate Professor of English and Fiction Series editor Sharon Dilworth. “I actually got involved via Sharon and taking her undergrad fiction workshops and classes, but also because I began dating Connie [Amoroso], who was an intern with the poetry side of the Press,” he said. “She’s now the production and design specialist at the Press — and my wife.”

After graduating, he started working at the University of Pittsburgh Press as a production assistant. He eventually moved into a managing editor role and is now the Press’s director of editorial and production, where his work includes book design and the press's poetry series.

“I consider myself extremely lucky, as I have somehow managed to combine most of the things that I love — reading, editing, art, and design — into a career. And I can honestly say that all of that began with my undergrad time at CMU in the creative writing program and at the Press,” he said.

Ellis Jones knew they wanted to be a designer at age 12. By the time they got to college, they realized they wanted to design books.

“I was in a creative writing class and one of my classmates messaged me on the side and said that if my goal was to work with books, I needed to get in contact with the CMU Press team,” they said.

Jones interned at the Press as an undergraduate from 2022 to 2024. During that time, they worked with Amoroso on formatting books and designing their covers. They especially enjoyed creating lettering, a skill they draw on now in their full-time role designing books as well as their work creating typefaces.

After graduating, Jones interned with Macmillan before joining Sourcebooks as a full-time assistant designer on its adult and YA covers team.

“The books I’ve designed for have already hit the New York Times bestseller list. One of the authors of one of my books put ads for her books in Times Square, which was super surreal to see,” Jones said.

Mary Warner is the journals marketing assistant at the University of Illinois Press. But her publishing career began with an internship at CMU Press.

As an intern, Warner worked on layouts and designs for books. She also helped create the Press's Instagram account, which she used to promote its books.

She worked at the Press while pursuing her master's degree in professional writing. “I knew I wanted to work in publishing,” she said. “So a big draw of the program for me was gaining editing and publishing experience with the Press. I registered for the class, and then stayed involved until I graduated.”

Warner found her current job on the Association of University Presses job board, a resource Amoroso introduced her to.

“University of Illinois Press has around 40 humanities and social sciences journals that are published year-round. I’m marketing them on social media, creating podcasts and videos, and doing marketing research projects such as indexing or redesigning advertisements,” she said. “It’s an area of publishing I wouldn’t have known about if it weren’t for the Press.”

Warner’s advice to students? “If you’re interested in publishing, take a class at CMU Press.”