The recent resignation of four junior editors made news earlier this month which sparked a larger conversation about the role that assistants play, their workload, and advancement opportunities. Angeline Rodriquez and Hillary Sames at Orbit, Erin Siu at Macmillan Children’s, and Molly McGhee at Tor, all resigned and took to social media to air their grievances.
What happened?
McGhee, an assistant editor at Tor/Nightfire posted her resignation letter on Twitter. She wrote that she’d asked for a promotion after her first acquisition hit number three on the New York Times bestseller list. Instead of receiving a promotion, she was informed that she needed “more training” and could expect her administrative duties to continue for the next five years. She already had ten years of experience under her belt. McGhee also observed that many editors and publishers were sorely lacking in technological skills and relied on their overworked and underpaid assistants to bridge the gap.
McGhee expressed her own responsibilities at Tor to a reporter at Publishers Lunch; click here for the article. In part, she said, “I worked with five editors during my time at [Tor parent division Tom Doherty Associates]. I always supported at least two editors, in addition to the publisher, all while building my own list…..On top of doing this I was managing company calendars, scheduling my publisher’s meetings (publishers take a lot of meetings), reading my editors’ and publisher’s submissions, drafting contracts, executing deal memos, writing copy, positioning novels, networking,…creating workflow systems….and much more.”
This letter encouraged others who had recently left editorial positions to chime in and many felt the same way. The problem does not seem to be isolated but is part of a broader picture within the industry.
Lest her complaints be seen as the grousing of a disgruntled employee, McGhee stressed that she had loved working at Tor and valued the relationships she cultivated there. But the brutal workload combined with the lack of recognition and compensation became too much.
Pew Research Center Analysis
To further address these concerns, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey and analysis on the reasons why people left their jobs in 2021. This article explains in greater detail what kinds of things were measured during the survey.
Job Dissatisfaction is Pervasive
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, low pay, a shortage for advancement, and an overall lack of respect are the top reasons why Americans quit their jobs last year. Childcare issues, lack of flexibility, and the corona virus were also reason why people quit their jobs.
The Grass is Greener—Sometimes
Those that are not retired who had quit a job in 2021 say that they are now working full time or part time. Coupled with that, those that are now employed, have stated that their work/life balance has improved such as better health insurance and paid time off.
Whether and how the industry responds to these complaints remains to be seen.
