Paid, ongoing fiction editorship

After six years of shaping Overland’s fiction, our brilliant and inspiring fiction editor Jennifer Mills will be finishing up her editorship, with the final issue of 2018. As such, Overland is seeking a new fiction editor for the print magazine.

The Overland fiction editor provides creative and strategic direction for Overland’s fiction publishing projects. The fiction editor will be an Overland subscriber with sufficient familiarity with the journal to publish high-quality contemporary fiction that is appropriate. (This post about Jennifer Mills’ work at Overland will give some insight into the kinds of questions the magazine has been thinking about, as will this discussion between Mills and poetry editor Toby Fitch.)

The successful applicant will have:

– a broad appreciation of contemporary fiction

– an active presence in the writing and literary worlds

– an interest in advocating for fiction, literature and writers

– a commitment to progressive politics

– a publication track record

– opinions on fiction, creative writing, politics and aesthetics

– ideas on how to transform and expand the kinds of fiction Overland publishes, and how the Overland website could be used as a platform for such projects

– an active social media presence

Note that the position provides the opportunity for (and strongly encourages) editors to participate in the judging of Overland’s various literary competitions (for which a separate judging fee is offered).

While this is not a full-time position, it is an ongoing, paid position (note, the position pays $1000 per issue; payment coincides with each print edition of the quarterly magazine). The position requires a minimum time commitment of a few days per month.

How to apply

Please submit a brief writing and editing CV (up to two pages) via this Submittable link, and a few paragraphs addressing the criteria above, and outlining your visions for fiction at Overland. We would be particularly interested in hearing your thoughts about contemporary Australian fiction and the role that fiction plays in culture and literature.

In keeping with Overland’s foundational principles, we encourage applications from editors from underrepresented backgrounds.

Applications close 11.59 pm, Monday 10 December 2018.

Image: crop from cover of Overland #232 (artwork by Bella Li)