The Montreal Review of Books is seeking a dynamic Associate Editor to work with the Editor and Publisher on all aspects of the journal. The Associate Editor is a key part of the editorial team, working on every step of production on our print issues as well as managing our online presence.

About Us

The Montreal Review of Books is a literary journal published by the Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec, a non-profit organization that supports Quebec’s English-language book industry. 

Founded in 1997, the mRb reviews English-language books from Quebec, covering books with a local author, publisher, translator, or illustrator. Our print issue is published three times a year, with online reviews published year-round.

We are a small, mostly freelance team, currently made up of Malcolm Fraser, Editor, Rebecca West, Publisher and Executive Director at the Association of English-language Publisher of Quebec, Salena Wiener, Interim Associate Publisher, David Leblanc, Graphic Designer, and Michael Wile, National Ad Sales.

We are also currently seeking candidates for a Production Coordinator at AELAQ. Check out the job listing here!

Job Description

The Associate Editor participates in our book selection and reviewer selection, makes the first round of edits on our reviews and feature interviews, and participates in all steps of the editorial process with the Editor and our contributing writers, also working closely with Publisher, Associate Publisher, and Graphic Designer. The Associate Editor reports to the Editor.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Associate Editor’s tasks include, but are not limited to:

• soliciting and selecting books for review
• commissioning mRb print and online reviews
• managing the mRb website
• commissioning blog articles for our partner site readquebec.ca
• working closely with the editor and reviewers on substantive copy editing
• managing the production calendar
• compiling statistics for grant reporting
• managing the mRb’s social media presence
• helping produce mRb launch events
• maintaining and updating a list of national distribution points
• office help with managing book submissions & archiving

About the Role

Experience

• minimum 1–2 years of editing experience, preferably for a literary or cultural publication
• 1–2 years social media management and online engagement
• knowledge of the local and national literary landscape

Skills

• excellent knowledge of English, including proven editing skills
• familiarity with editorial standards and practices including the Chicago Manual of Style
• diplomacy in working with collaborators, particularly reviewers throughout the editing process
• the ability to work autonomously as well as actively participating in team meetings and decisions
• excellent time-management skills

Specialized Tech Knowledge

• Wordpress content management
• Google Workspace Suite (Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, Analytics)
• Social media management (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
• Mailchimp
• YouTube live-streaming
• Zoom meeting management
• Eventbrite
• Planable (or other social media management software)

Non-essential but Useful Experience & Skills

• non-profit experience
• event planning experience 
• skills in graphic design and/or web development
• knowledge of French

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to lift and move boxes of books, printed issues of the mRb, banners and other equipment needed for launch events.

Don’t quite meet all of these criteria? We still want to hear from you! Please read on for details about how to apply and tell us how your experience would be a good fit.

Compensation and Schedule

• Permanent, part-time
• Rate: $21/hr, to be invoiced bi-weekly or monthly 
• Hours: 5–10 hours a week, with peak periods of activity averaging 15–20 hours a week leading up to publication dates (early March, early July, early November)
• Evening availability for launch events 3 times a year
• The ideal candidate would have the flexibility to accommodate this regular, but variable, schedule.

At present, the Montreal Review of Books is produced mostly in hybrid (in-person and remote) form, with occasional in-person meetings and events, so we are prioritizing candidates based in Montreal and surrounding areas. Applicants must be Canadian residents or have a Canadian work permit. 

How to Apply

We invite interested applicants to complete an application online using this form by July 21, 2023. Note that you will need to log into a Google / Gmail account in order to complete the form. If you do not have a Google account, you may create one here.

In order to complete the form, you will need:

• your contact information
• a cover letter to copy-paste 
• your CV in PDF form
• an editing sample (i.e. a document showing your markup), preferably in PDF form 
• your social profile links

We recommend gathering all of the above before starting the application process. Please include your name in your CV and editing sample file names. Please do not send your application by email, and don’t send links to documents that require passwords or permissions. 

The deadline to apply is Friday, July 21, 2023. Interviews will take place in late July–early August, and the position begins in August.

The Montreal Review of Books is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We encourage applications from candidates who are members of underserved and underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ2+, people living with dis/ability, and others. 

We thank all applicants for their interest! Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.