Fast Facts

Sourcebooks is offering a Summer Internship in Sales for passionate college students or recent graduates interested in book publishing. This hands-on internship, based in Naperville, IL, focuses on real publicity campaigns and sales processes, allowing interns to contribute meaningfully to the team.

Responsibilities: Interns will learn about sales processes, create retail sales presentations, analyze sales reports, and participate in meetings related to print decisions and sales conferences.

Skills: Ideal candidates should have a strong interest in publishing, creativity, curiosity, and the ability to work collaboratively.

Qualifications: Current college students (sophomores, juniors, seniors) or recent graduates.

Location: Naperville, IL; 2 days in-person and 1 day remote weekly.

Compensation: $17 - $17 / Hourly

SalesSummer Internship (Naperville, IL) 

Ready to launch your career in book publishing? Join Sourcebooks, the fastest growing publisher in the U.S., and the home of an unparalleled number of bestselling books where creativity, innovation, and storytelling collide. We’re a team of passionate book lovers who bring extraordinary authors to readers in bold, data-driven, and entrepreneurial ways. 

👉 This isn’t a coffee-run internship. You’ll contribute meaningfully to projects, collaborate with publishing professionals, and discover how your ideas can impact readers everywhere. 

This internship is ideal for a current college student or recent graduate eager to dive into the world of book publishing — especially the side that connects books with media, events, and promotion with the readers. You’ll get hands-on experience working on real publicity campaigns, collaborating with passionate team members, and you’ll learn how publicity helps stories reach new audiences.

About the Program 

• When: June 9 – August 13, 2026
• Where: Naperville, IL ($17.00/hourly)
• Schedule: 24 hours/week (2 days in-person, 1 day remote) 
• Who: Current college sophomores, juniors, seniors, or recent grads 

The Sourcebooks Sales department is responsible for presenting our titles to national bookstore chains and independent retailers, online retailers, wholesalers, jobbers, educators and librarians. The sales team prepares title presentations that they pitch to their accounts to secure orders and distribution. 

Summer Sales Internship Responsibilities:

• Become familiar with sales processes for all sales channels
• Trained on creating retail sales presentations and identifying comp title information with sales analytics
• Run and analyze weekly sales reporting
• Attend print decision meetings, launch and sales conference meetings, changing consumer needs, SB Connects and SB Breakthrough meetings.
• Review contracts for subscription and international clauses in Filemaker
• Attend local store visits

Your Cover Letter Matters — A Lot! 

We want to know why you want to intern at Sourcebooks. Your cover letter is your chance to tell us: 

• Why publishing — and why Sourcebooks — excites you 
• What you hope to learn and contribute 
• How your creativity, curiosity, or love of books shines through 

*Applications without a cover letter won’t be considered, so take the time to tell your story! 

Why Sourcebooks? 

• Named #2 Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek (2024) 
• Recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies (2024) 
• Over 300 million lives changed through books — and counting 
• A culture built on creativity, innovation, and impact 

Application Deadline: January 20, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT - Applications will be reviewed after the deadline.  

Sourcebooks values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.