We're looking for a Novel/Novella Editor at Split/Lip Press!

The novel/novella editor will work with a team of genre-specific readers for the SLP novel/novella reading period, reading and voting on every manuscript received during the submissions period, looking for novels or novellas that fit the Split/Lip Press mission. The editor is responsible for reading all reader comments and evaluating the manuscripts to decide on the top books they and their team would like to suggest for publication by the press. The novel/novella editor will meet with the editorial team to review, discuss, and select a manuscript, and the N/N editor will work directly with the author on edits.

We're looking for a novel/novella editor who is familiar with the SLP aesthetic and is excited about helping our mission to publish and promote boundary-breaking prose books; who has an eye toward increasing equity and reducing disparities in publishing; and as always, applicants with historically under-represented perspectives are sought, welcomed, and specifically encouraged to apply.

The ideal novel/novella editor acknowledges the differences between reading flash fiction/short story collections as compared to the necessary sustained-and-building-action in novel/novella manuscripts, has experience working with a literary team, and ideally is working on/has written novels or novellas of their own. The ability to meet deadlines is absolutely necessary, as is a familiarity with the small press landscape.

The Split/Lip Press Mission:

Split/Lip Press is dedicated to publishing boundary-breaking fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid books, lifting the transition boards that prevent fluidity and smashing those we cannot pry up. We love work that questions the concept of truth, and work that reinterprets what we think we know. We prize experimentation (physical, emotional, metaphysical, meta-emotional); we welcome the unanswerable. We want to see the dark and the light side of the moon—or we want to see it obliterated. If your book is a wedge in a crack, Split/Lip Press is the hammer helping you split the wall apart. 

The novel/novella editor’s primary workload consists of reading applications/onboarding any new readers, managing your team and reading submissions during the reading period, collating a roster of 4-5 top selections to bring to the editorial team, participating in the final editorial team meeting to decide, and working with the author/selected manuscript on edits. SLP also holds quarterly all-team meetings via Zoom.

We are looking for someone who will be with us for multiple cycles, so if you're just looking to get your feet wet in the small press world, this is likely not the position for you.

We are an independent small press and our compensation is, unfortunately, commensurate with our size. Our novel/novella editor will receive an honorarium for their editorial work ($300) and 50% off all SLP books, but we'll also hook you up with a complimentary full SLP library (incl. all the SLP books you don't already own) to welcome you onto the team!

Please let us know how you see your experience and interest in publishing and editing novels and novellas fitting with SLP!