Beloved Dalkey Archive Press (yeah, there are a few Dalkey Archive Press titles under review at the complete review ...) has apparently: "begun the process of succession from the founder and current publisher, John O'Brien, to a publishing house that will be directed by two-three people along with support staff", and they've begun that process by posting about those now open positions (at least eight, apparently) they're looking to fill.
No doubt a lot of folks are now aware of the job posting -- but maybe this isn't exactly the way Dalkey hoped they'd be attracting talent: Salon wondered whether this was the Worst job posting ever ? while The Los Angeles Times' Jacket Copy reported Dalkey Archive posts world's wackiest job listing. It even got a MetaFilter thread: And Your First Born Child.
Yes, Dalkey makes clear it will be a demanding employer. Successful candidates should also note that "in the first phase of this process" they are likely not be given actual jobs, but rather unpaid internships -- well, "one or two people may be appointed with short-term paid contracts".
I can sympathize with the sense of frustration about a general lack of professionalism in publishing that informs the job posting; while the publishing-industry folks I mainly deal with (in the publicity departments) are, in fact, generally very professional (once the hurdle of finding the appropriate publicity contact for a given title has been cleared -- one that is insurmountable at some large publishers), the business as a whole often seems to me -- admittedly at some distance, and primarily as a consumer and reviewer -- bafflingly unprofessional. Nevertheless, the job posting seems to go a bit far out of the way to emphasize what is and isn't acceptable. Jetting off to weddings in Rio is understandably frowned upon, but the list of "grounds for immediate dismissal during the probationary period:" might perhaps be hammering the hopes for professionalism home a bit too hard, with interns/wannabe-employees apparently having to commit to being on call 24/7 (because publishing emergencies are no less serious than medical emergencies ...), promising never to take personal calls in the workplace -- and to never 'surf' the internet.
No doubt, employers everywhere are smiling that someone has finally laid out in a job posting that a grounds for immediate dismissal is:
I have to admit, a part of me likes this ultra-professional approach -- but then I start looking for the fine print:
Given the importance of this institution -- which is, no doubt about it, where it is largely thanks to the firm, controlling, and visionary hand of John O'Brien -- one hopes that their plans for the future work out. Dalkey remains the leading publisher of translations in the United States, and any diminution of anything from its standards to the wonderful breadths and depths of its catalog would be a national and literary tragedy. But if a transition is in the works, this is not a great start -- and honestly I don't think any institution, for profit or non, is well-served by trying to recruit a bunch of feckless yes-(wo)men willing to work for low or no wages in the hopes of being groomed to lead the future way; it sounds like a recipe for attracting a lot of folks already broken by their previous employers, and hardly the sort to lead into any sort of future.
Devotion to the cause is all well and good -- hey, it's a great cause --, but if Dalkey hopes to continue to be as important an institution as it currently still is, then a bit of real fresh blood and radical new thinking is definitely called for. Hell, maybe they should insist new hires take time off to attend weddings in Rio (Brazil is a pretty literarily happening place right now ...). But since apparently one of the (many) last things they want is unsolicited advice about how to run things .....
No doubt a lot of folks are now aware of the job posting -- but maybe this isn't exactly the way Dalkey hoped they'd be attracting talent: Salon wondered whether this was the Worst job posting ever ? while The Los Angeles Times' Jacket Copy reported Dalkey Archive posts world's wackiest job listing. It even got a MetaFilter thread: And Your First Born Child.
Yes, Dalkey makes clear it will be a demanding employer. Successful candidates should also note that "in the first phase of this process" they are likely not be given actual jobs, but rather unpaid internships -- well, "one or two people may be appointed with short-term paid contracts".
I can sympathize with the sense of frustration about a general lack of professionalism in publishing that informs the job posting; while the publishing-industry folks I mainly deal with (in the publicity departments) are, in fact, generally very professional (once the hurdle of finding the appropriate publicity contact for a given title has been cleared -- one that is insurmountable at some large publishers), the business as a whole often seems to me -- admittedly at some distance, and primarily as a consumer and reviewer -- bafflingly unprofessional. Nevertheless, the job posting seems to go a bit far out of the way to emphasize what is and isn't acceptable. Jetting off to weddings in Rio is understandably frowned upon, but the list of "grounds for immediate dismissal during the probationary period:" might perhaps be hammering the hopes for professionalism home a bit too hard, with interns/wannabe-employees apparently having to commit to being on call 24/7 (because publishing emergencies are no less serious than medical emergencies ...), promising never to take personal calls in the workplace -- and to never 'surf' the internet.
No doubt, employers everywhere are smiling that someone has finally laid out in a job posting that a grounds for immediate dismissal is:
giving unsolicited advice about how to run thingsStill, one can see how this makes Dalkey seem like it is not the most ... welcoming of workplaces .....
I have to admit, a part of me likes this ultra-professional approach -- but then I start looking for the fine print:
- Do employees have to buy their own uniforms, or are they company-issued ?
- What exactly is the text of the company pledge-of-allegiance, to be recited daily, no doubt, at the dawn convocation ? And do even the employees with bum knees/hips have to prostrate themselves before the benevolent leader (to be named later) while reciting it ?
- Presumably only goose-step marching is permissible on site; what is the punishment for breaking stride ?
Given the importance of this institution -- which is, no doubt about it, where it is largely thanks to the firm, controlling, and visionary hand of John O'Brien -- one hopes that their plans for the future work out. Dalkey remains the leading publisher of translations in the United States, and any diminution of anything from its standards to the wonderful breadths and depths of its catalog would be a national and literary tragedy. But if a transition is in the works, this is not a great start -- and honestly I don't think any institution, for profit or non, is well-served by trying to recruit a bunch of feckless yes-(wo)men willing to work for low or no wages in the hopes of being groomed to lead the future way; it sounds like a recipe for attracting a lot of folks already broken by their previous employers, and hardly the sort to lead into any sort of future.
Devotion to the cause is all well and good -- hey, it's a great cause --, but if Dalkey hopes to continue to be as important an institution as it currently still is, then a bit of real fresh blood and radical new thinking is definitely called for. Hell, maybe they should insist new hires take time off to attend weddings in Rio (Brazil is a pretty literarily happening place right now ...). But since apparently one of the (many) last things they want is unsolicited advice about how to run things .....