February 19, 2016 (New York) — We Need Diverse Books(TM) has announced that the application process is now open for the 2016 WNDB Internship Grants. In the program’s successful first year in 2015, grants of $2500 were awarded to each of five diverse publishing interns, one of whom has already gained a permanent position in publishing. This year nine $2500 grants are available to diverse publishing interns, and the program has expanded to include interns at literary agencies as well as partner publishing houses.

According to the 2015 Publishers Weekly Salary Survey and Lee and Low Books’ Diversity Baseline Survey, the publishing industry is still predominantly white. An internship is an important gateway into positions at publishing houses and agencies, but the expense of living in New York City can be a barrier to many well qualified candidates. The WNDB Internship Grants help those who might otherwise not be able to accept a position.

“We’re delighted to not only award grants to worthy interns for a second year, but to also be able to expand the program further.” Linda Sue Park, Honorary Chair of the WNDB Internship Grants Committee said.

We Need Diverse Books(TM) is a 501(c)(3) organization established in 2014 to address the lack of diverse representation in the children’s publishing industry. The WNDB Internship Grant is one of many initiatives funded or supported by WNDBTM. More about the organization is available at weneeddiversebooks.org. More information about the WNDB Internship Grants is available at weneeddiversebooks.org/wndb-­internship-­grant/.