Wielding the Power of Publishing for Candlewick Press

As an avid reader, Hoblos would always search for herself in the books she picked up – but could never see herself in them – and that inspired her to take the path she is on today.

A Writing, Editing and Publishing (WEP) major, with minors in communications and psychology, and co-founder of the Muslim Student Association at Emmanuel, Hoblos is in the second half of her fall internship with Candlewick Press – the United States’ largest independent children’s publisher, located in Somerville, Massachusetts. 

Diving in and out of the pages of countless books and experiencing the full scope of the publishing world, Hoblos is getting exposure to an over 30-year-old institution that is dedicated to publishing outstanding books for children of all ages – which is preparing her to strive toward her own personal goals as a professional.

Going into college, she maintained her love for children’s books and children’s publishing in particular, and has stayed on the course she set for herself all those years ago: to amplify underrepresented voices and make a more inclusive and accessible literary world.

As an Arab Muslim woman, Hoblos said, if she doesn’t see a place for herself – she creates it. Her plan for the publishing world is the same: “I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to make the books that I’d want to see,’” she said.

In collaboration with MIT Press, Candlewick Press publishes their MIT Kids and Teen imprints with a focus on STEAM themes for kids ages 0-18 – which is the direct focus of Hoblos’ Editorial Internship.

Lately, she has been working on a manuscript, as well as helping with a series of leveled readers by evaluating the content, language and more to ensure that a book’s material is appropriate – and exciting – for its reading level.

Hoblos has had a number of other projects for Candlewick Press so far, like fact checking and giving “reader reports” to share her insight on what incoming books kids would find interesting, how she predicts the books will do and any potential changes that would benefit them. 

Having such a high level of input on all these processes has been a huge confidence boost, Hoblos said, and has helped her realize how well she can thrive in creative spaces.

“I have a lot of leeway, even as an intern. I can tell they really value my perspective,” she said. As someone who wasn’t STEAM oriented as a kid, Hoblos said she’s been able to approach the materials creatively and suggest edits that make the content digestible and accessible even to a student whose strengths aren’t necessarily STEAM, “for a young Mariam,” she said.

Hoblos shouted out Emmanuel’s WEP major for how well it’s prepared her to tackle the wide-ranging responsibilities that the Candlewick Press internship has to offer. The major allows students to put a lot of time into editing peer work and learning how to critique well – a skill she is applying to a variety of works every single day as an editorial intern.

Focusing on all aspects of writing, editing and publishing and viewing the entire industry from top to bottom, Emmanuel’s WEP coursework emphasizes how versatile and variable that careers in the field can be. Taking on all the projects she’s had this fall as an Editorial Intern, Hoblos is seeing how that comprehensive view she’s gotten in the classroom clicks with a real-world publishing job.

“Throughout this semester I’ve been realizing just how amazing this major is at preparing us for that,” Hoblos added.

The writing portion of her coursework was also key for her development while at Emmanuel, providing an outlet for Hoblos to express herself.