Image Fiction Editor Application

Image is seeking a new fiction editor. In this remote, part-time position, the FE works alongside the rest of the editorial team to shape the role fiction plays in each quarterly issue. 

Application Materials

Please send a cover letter telling us:  

• Why Image's mission excites you.
• A few writers you’d like to see in our pages, especially newer writers.
• How a commitment to art, faith, and mystery shows up in your own work.

A sample of your work that shows that engagement. (As with the work in our pages, this could take many forms.) 

A CV or resume 

Job Description 

In this remote part-time position, the fiction editor (FE) works alongside the rest of the editorial team to shape the role stories, novel excerpts, and flash fiction play in each issue. Image exists to explore what’s happening now in the world of art, faith, and mystery. Our themes are ancient and perennial, but the ways living artists approach those themes  always bring fresh surprises. The ideal candidate reads broadly in contemporary fiction, including internationally, keeping an eye out for diverse new writers whose work belongs in our pages, and is comfortable reaching out to unfamiliar writers to encourage submissions..

We’re currently working toward  a reimagination of our editorial structure around sections that include multiple genres, for example, “Micromoments” or “Psalms and Prayers.”  This will mean the shape of the work you are reviewing  may shift over the next 18–24 months. The role will always involve a central engagement with fiction, but we’re looking for someone conversant with other genres (though there’s no expectation you write them yourself!) and energized by the prospect of a cross-disciplinary, collaborative team. While some issues are unthemed, several times a year , the editorial team collaborates to create loosely themed issues. Past themes have included: the human voice, grief and grieving, kitchens, and health and medicine. 

Responsibilities: 

• The FE is responsible for selecting the fiction in Image journal, historically about 16–20 pages (500 wpp) per issue—but may vary issue to issue. We also welcome the fiction editors’ suggestions for interview possibilities, book reviews, and programming faculty. May suggest new advisory board members—a group listed on our masthead who lend literary awareness and make recommendations.
• Adjudicates unsolicited manuscripts in Submittable and recommends work to the EIC for acceptance. The FE will be assisted by a part-time first-round reader, appointed and managed by the EIC and EE. Our policy is to respond to all unsolicited material within four months. 
• Typical meeting rhythm: quarterly call with full editorial team; ~30-minute monthly call with EE and EIC. 
• Write about six “staff picks” annually for our enewsletter. These are 150-word blurbs on any art you’re currently enjoying. 
• Be an ambassador for Image in diverse arts communities, both religious and secular. Promote Image to your own network, including via speaking engagements and on social media if applicable. 
• May work with writers on line-edits, as desired. (The EE typically does this but is willing to share.) 
• May be invited to teach at the Glen Workshop or in our online seminars for additional pay. 

Compensation, Duration, and Reporting Structure:

The FE reports directly to Image’s editor in chief and works closely with the executive editor as well. We want to build something together. This will be a 3-year appointment, with annual review and the possibility of renewal. This remote part-time position comes with a yearly stipend of $10,000, paid over quarterly installments.