This graduate research assistantship position, open to qualified MSU graduate students only, entails 20 hours per week for the 2021–2022 academic year, assisting the acquisitions editors at MSU Press. It offers hands-on experience in managing book projects from prospect research to proposal evaluation through the hand-off to production, along with involvement in production and marketing processes as needed. MSU Press publishes 40 books annually in communication and rhetoric, sociology, anthropology, Native American studies, higher education, African literature and film, and African, European, and US history. The press also publishes 15 academic and literary journals.
The editorial assistant will work primarily in the acquisitions department. Tasks include:
- Assisting with prospect research and evaluating proposals and manuscripts
- Corresponding with authors and series editors
- Managing the peer-review process
- Preparing editorial board packets
- Vetting final manuscripts and transferring them to production
- Assisting with production and marketing tasks as needed
- Other office work as assigned
The editorial assistant will attend regular meetings with the acquisitions editors, the editorial, design, and production team, and the marketing staff. The editorial assistant will work at the press for 20 hours per week, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, on a regular schedule to be determined. No evening or weekend work and no travel are required, though the editorial assistant may be invited to join the acquisitions editors at local conferences and events.
Required qualifications:
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program at MSU, preferably one related to the areas in which we publish, and maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA
- Competent with MS Office programs and internet research
Experience in publishing a plus but not required.
Graduate assistantships include a bi-weekly stipend, tuition waiver in the amount of 9 credits for fall and spring semesters, and health insurance. Prior to the appointment, a criminal background check is required.
To apply, please submit a resume and letter of interest with a sign-off from your department chair and/or major professor to MSU Press Editor-in-Chief Catherine Cocks by April 2, 2021.