Electric Literature hosts two weekly literary magazines, Recommended Reading and The Commuter, and seeks one assistant editor who will serve both of these publications. Recommended Reading publishes longform fiction—a mix of original work and excerpts—with personal introductions by top writers. The Commuter publishes brief, diverting flash fiction, poetry, and graphic narratives. With over 540 issues combined, work published in Recommended Reading and The Commuter has been recognized by Best American Stories, Poetry, and Comics, Best Canadian Stories, the Pushcart Prize, the Best of the Small Fictions, and the Wigleaf Top 50.
The assistant editor will work closely with the editorial teams of both Recommended Reading and The Commuter to execute the following responsibilities.
- Manage submissions sent through Submittable and assign them to volunteer readers.
- Evaluate submissions approved by readers and determine if they should be passed on to senior editors.
- Prepare issues for both magazines in WordPress, which includes selecting images and writing headlines.
- Prepare weekly newsletters in Mailchimp.
- Proofread issues.
- Send contracts to contributing writers.
- Help prepare grant proposals.
This is an entry level position with significant administrative responsibilities. However, the position offers many opportunities to gain editorial experience by working closely with a small team of experienced editors. The assistant editor will also play a key role in determining which submissions advance to the next round of consideration, and help shape how the work in our magazines is presented.
Qualified candidates will:
- Be well read in contemporary fiction, including the work of other literary magazines.
- Be confident in their tastes, while remaining open to the opinions of others.
- Believe in Electric Literature’s mission to make literature more exciting, relevant, and inclusive.
- Be organized, patient, and attentive to detail.
- Be closely familiar with the archives of Recommended Reading and The Commuter
- Have at least one year of professional editorial experience. Applicants who have gained editorial experience exclusively through internships will be considered; however, they should have at least one year of professional/administrative experience in another field.
- Grant writing experience is a plus but not a requirement.
- An educational background in literature, journalism, or creative writing is preferred, but not required.
Preferred skills:
- Mailchimp
- WordPress
- Sourcing creative commons images
- Submittable
- Copyediting and proofreading
This is a part-time, 12 – 15 hour per week position with a $900 monthly stipend. Remote applicants will be considered, but must be able to work during EST business hours. If the assistant editor is local to NYC, they will be required to come into Electric Literature’s office in downtown Brooklyn when it reopens. However, the ability to come into the office is not a requirement and remote applicants will not be penalized.
To apply, please send the following via Submittable by 11:59PM on Sunday, June 28:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- Review recent headlines in Recommended Reading and The Commuter and write a headline and dek (aka subhead) for the following story: https://electricliterature.com/neighbors-anthony-tognazzini/