Half Mystic is hiring, and we’d love for you to join our team of mystics and songbirds! Applications are read on a rolling basis. All roles are volunteer, and staff receive complimentary ebook access to our full back catalogue—every book and journal issue we’ve published since 2016. We contact each applicant with a decision, whether or not the news is good. Click on a position title below for the full description and application instructions, and send any questions about our open roles to hello@halfmystic.com.

Press Editor

We are seeking a press editor with expertise in the craft of poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction to acquire and edit manuscripts for Half Mystic Press. You will collaborate closely with our editorial team to read and compose editorial review on 10 manuscript submissions per month, noting how pacing, tone, plot, rhythm, imagery, dialogue, character development, theme, and narrative structure work together to create an effective manuscript. You’ll also work directly with accepted authors to conduct line and developmental edits on their manuscripts, ensuring the preservation of the writer’s voice and vision while strengthening story arcs, resolving inconsistencies, and enhancing resonance for readers. Finally, you’ll stay informed about current trends in poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction markets, considering each accepted manuscript both on its own merit and in the context of Half Mystic’s catalogue and the broader publishing world.

Journal Editor

We are seeking a journal editor with expertise in the craft of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to evaluate and edit submissions to Half Mystic Journal. You will collaborate closely with our editorial team to read and compose a detailed editorial review on ten journal submissions per week, noting how rhythm, tone, imagery, narrative flow, pacing, character development, structure, clarity, and overall cohesion work together to create an effective poem or prose piece. You’ll also oversee the editorial process after acceptance, working with accepted writers to conduct line and developmental edits on their pieces. You’ll ensure the preservation of the writer’s voice and vision while strengthening story arcs, resolving inconsistencies, and enhancing resonance for readers. Finally, you’ll stay informed about current trends in poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction, considering each accepted piece both on its own merit and in the context of the journal’s musical focus and the issue’s theme, goals, and aesthetics.

Layout Editor

We are seeking a layout editor with extensive design experience in poetry and prose. The role involves typesetting interiors for two books and one journal issue per year. Using Adobe InDesign, you will typeset full-length poetry and prose manuscripts and journal issues that include both written work and visual art. You will collaborate with our editor-in-chief and managing editor on interior design concepts, then carry those designs through to print-ready files independently.

Interviews Editor

We are seeking an interviews editor to lead conversations with a diverse range of musicians, writers, and artists for our blog and journal. You will conduct interviews with independent musicians, Half Mystic authors and contributors, and the featured artists whose work illustrates our journal issues, developing a slate of questions tailored to each subject and their relationship to music. You’ll hold interviews over email, including a first round and a round of follow-up questions, then edit each conversation into a polished piece for publication, preserving the interviewee’s voice while shaping the piece for pacing and readability. Finally, you’ll identify and pitch interview subjects, building a roster that reflects the breadth of Half Mystic’s catalogue and the current issue’s theme.