Job Description

JOB TITLE: #1881 Acquisitions Editor 

LOCATION: History Center – 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102

COMPENSATION: $61,588.80 annual minimum 

STATUS & HOURS: Full-time, regular (approximately 2,080 annual hours) position. 

BENEFITS: Eligible to participate in State Employee Group Insurance Program and a retirement program with employer contribution. Generous vacation and sick time accruals with additional paid holidays. 

DESIGNATION: Bargaining Unit AFSCME Local 3173 

POSTING DATE: March 1, 2024 

DEADLINE DATE: April 1, 2024 

TO APPLY: Interested applicants must apply online at the Minnesota Historical Society’s career center at www.mnhs.org/jobs and include a resume and cover letter by the application deadline date. 

DESCRIPTION: The Acquisitions Editor for the Minnesota Historical Society Press, a leading publisher on the history, culture, and people of Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, is responsible for acquiring and developing books that support the mission, vision, and sustainability of the Minnesota Historical Society. 

A successful Acquisitions Editor will be creative and driven, have strong knowledge of the publishing industry, be familiar with topics in Minnesota history, and be able to identify and work with a diverse range of authors and subjects. The Acquisitions Editor will build on MNHS Press’s rich publishing tradition by developing successful book projects that appeal to general and scholarly audiences in the Press’s key categories, by innovating new approaches and formats, and by providing in-depth editorial guidance to accomplished and first-time authors alike. 

SUMMARY OF WORK: 1) Conceive and acquire 8 to 10 new books per year in MNHS Press’s core subject categories, with a particular focus on local histories, Indigenous studies, race and ethnic studies, and memoir; 2) Perform substantive editing and production editing on manuscripts, working closely with authors to ensure the highest levels of content, organization, and accuracy; 3) Assist with the marketing and publicity plans for each acquired book; 4) Perform editorial administrative tasks as needed; and 5) Participate in conferences and meetings of local, state, regional, and national professional and scholarly organizations to represent MNHS and MNHS Press and to increase knowledge of publishing procedures and of historical methods, trends, and theories. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. 
• Five years of editorial experience, with one year of acquisitions experience in trade or scholarly publishing. 
• Knowledge of editorial procedures necessary for meeting highest standards of publishing.
• Project management skills or experience. 
• Ability to work collaboratively with writers, scholars, and internal colleagues.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite. 
• Valid driver’s license. 
• Ability and willingness to travel. 

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS IN: 

• Evaluating manuscripts with discrimination and discernment. 
• Executing the highest levels of editing (substantive, style, language, etc.). 
• Focusing on details. 
• Working successfully with diverse groups of people. 
• Thinking imaginatively and problem solving. 
• Multitasking, working effectively to meet deadlines, prioritizing, and adapting priorities as needed.
• Working independently and taking individual initiative while also collaborating effectively and contributing positively in a team environment. 
• Synthesizing and organizing complex information. 
• Building interpersonal relationships and communicating clearly and effectively.
• Working with a high degree of diplomacy and maintenance of confidentiality. 

KNOWLEDGE OF: 

• Minnesota and US history and related disciplines; research tools; scholarly editing and writing.
• Academic and trade publishing procedures and trends. 
• Print and digital content production: typography, layout, design, and illustrations such as maps and infographics, and print and digital production. 

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Innovating new content, products, and publishing strategies. 

Should you have questions with the application process, email hu************@mn**.org. 

At MNHS, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on diversity for the benefit of our employees, our products and services, and our community. The Minnesota Historical Society believes that an inclusive culture among our team members is critical to our success as a historical society and museum, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. The Minnesota Historical Society is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and employer.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: editorial, Minnesota History, press, and trade or scholarly publishing. Salaries: 60,000 - 80,000.

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