53 Pitch Calls, Writing Jobs, Internships, Volunteer Opps, Fellowships, and More

Jobs for Writers (2.7.25) | Pitch calls from Longreads, L.A. Times, and MIT Technology Review, jobs at Publishers Weekly and the National Book Foundation, and more!

Feb 07, 2025

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Welcome to Sub Club’s Jobs for Writers!

We’re doing things a little differently today. In addition to some good ol’ juicy jobs, we also have some good ol’ juicy pitches! So there’s a lot to get to—including a brand spanking new How to Break In—so let’s skip the pleasantries and get to the good stuff.

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Looking for all sorts of jobs, but would love to see more volunteer positions at literary mags 👀. Whatever you have to share, you can find details and submit your opening here.

How to Break In

This week, we’re featuring Banchiwosen Woldeyesus, Submissions Reader at Narratively. A full-time teacher and writer based in Addis Ababa, Banchiwosen was attracted to the gig as a person who was already a passionate and voracious reader. “I have a degree and a Master’s that has nothing to do with writing,” she says. “My educational background didn’t lead me to my job at Narratively. But my love of reading both fiction and nonfiction did.”

Below, Banchiwosen chats about the process of becoming a reader at Narratively, the perspective of working for an American publication outside of the U.S., and how being a reader has changed her perspective on her writing.

rachael vaughan clemmons: What made you choose to apply to be a reader at Narratively?

Banchiwosen Woldeyesus: Long before I applied to become a Narratively submissions reader, I had a folder named “Narratively” on my laptop—for every literary magazine I love reading, I have a habit of creating a folder with the magazine’s name. I told people who love long-form narratives about a particular Narratively story I loved reading. Once, I’d stopped in the middle of a line-up in a supermarket, forgetting to move, because I’d just read the first paragraph of a moving Narratively story on my phone.

I wanted to [be a reader], especially to read submissions that would later become published Narratively stories. When I applied for a readership position at Narratively, my colleagues—who don’t read beyond the required course materials—asked me, Are you kidding? You’re applying to be a reader? Yes! I wanted to read for Narratively with every fiber of my body.

rvc: How did you hear about the position? What was your mindset going into the interview process?

BW: I subscribed to Narratively’s newsletter, so when I read [about the] position in one of their emails I applied for it.

But I wanted to stand out. Many people apply for the same writing job you’re applying for. You want the people who’re hiring to call you? For them to say, we want to hire this one? Then know as much as you can about the writing job you’re applying for—more than you think you need to. Not just about the specific writing job, but one or two things about the magazine, the people who are running it, why they are running it.

When I read why Narratively founders Noah Rosenberg and Brendan Spiegel co-founded Narratively over a decade ago, it touched me. Finding out the why part, before you make yourself valuable so they open the door wide for you, tells you that you fit in or that the magazine you’re applying to might not be the right place for you.

When the interview day came at the end of 2022—with Jesse Sposato, Narratively’s Executive Editor—our conversation was between two people who love reading long-form narratives. I’ve never met Jesse in person. I live in Ethiopia, far away from America. But at the end of our interview, I remember feeling like I just had a lovely conversation with this cool woman who got why I love long-form narratives.

rvc: How has this reader position impacted your own writing or your outlook on the submissions process?

BW: I have a full-time job as a teacher and I have other writing projects. I write both fiction and nonfiction. And working with readers and editors at Narratively continues to be invaluable.

I’ve learned it is a privilege to read the works of writers. And after sending out many rejection emails to writers sending their works to Narratively, I’ve learned to accept the rejections I receive with grace. Ever since I started wearing a different hat than just a writer, it has become my default—when I revise both my nonfiction and fiction works in my later drafts—to read my work like a stranger or an editor would. In my debut book that’s currently out on submission, this reviewing of my own work as if I was reviewing someone else’s work came in handy.

rvc: Any advice you have for people looking to become a reader?

BW: The writing job you’re applying for, do you want it more than other writing jobs? Why do you want it more than the others? This matters—because giving your time, effort, and energy to this writing job you want more than the others would be like walking through an open door instead of banging your head against a wall.

Did you also manage to snag a writing or writing-adjacent job? Well done! Please tell us everything for a chance to be featured in How to Break In. Selected entries will get $50 or a one-year comp.

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