Associate Editor – Books

  • Application Deadline: Rolling
  • Company: America’s Test Kitchen
  • Location: Boston, Massachusetts

ASSOCIATE EDITOR – BOOKS 

America’s Test Kitchen is looking for an associate cookbook editor to join a team of passionate cooks, editors, and designers. This person will be responsible for taking the editorial lead on a variety of book projects, from those with new recipes developed by the kitchen team to those repurposed from the test kitchen’s archives. The associate editor must have a strong knowledge of food and cooking and be able to create a detailed book proposal and assemble a manuscript, writing new material as needed and repurposing existing material in a fresh and creative way.

The editor will collaborate closely with the food editor and the test cooks developing recipes to track progress and fully understand the recipe details. All phases of the book development process from inception through layout are the editor’s responsibility, working closely with the editorial director, food editors, and designers. The editor will work with the design director to plan out a book’s photography and any other visuals, keeping within the constraints of the budget and schedule. The editor needs to be able to write proposals for new projects that demonstrate an understanding of the marketplace and audience and present a clear vision for the book. In addition, the editor will attend to a variety of editorial and administrative tasks, including reviewing and checking proof at every stage of the editorial process, inputting corrections, and organizing art lists.

In short, the editor will make sure that the content has the clarity and detail that is the hallmark of all the books published by the company. The editor must communicate effectively with the editorial director and project manager on an ongoing basis.       

Essential Elements of Position:

  • Carefully edit all recipes, headnotes, essays, sidebars, and any other material in a book for style, clarity, consistency, and practicality. Write new material as necessary; rework copy as needed.
  • Work closely with kitchen team for kitchen-based books, attending tastings and helping cooks draft strong headnotes and working with food editor to ensure recipes track with the editorial vision established and remain on budget and on schedule.
  • Work closely with the copyeditor, design team, book production team, proofreader, and indexer to be sure that all phases of production are carefully and accurately managed. Communicate effectively at every phase.
  • Effectively manage book’s schedule, ensuring that other team members review content at the appropriate time.
  • Develop proposals for new projects as necessary, working with the editorial director to craft a vision for new projects, including creating a recipe table of contents. 
  • Write sales copy, prepare sales-related materials for launch meetings and sales calls, and present books to marketing team.
  • Write cover copy and work with the executive managing editor to ensure the quality of all the physical elements of the book including front and back covers, case, etc.

Skills and Abilities:

  • A strong and practical knowledge of cooking and food history and science.
  • Very strong editorial and writing skills and the ability to steer/advise others working on a book so that their editorial work meets standards of the highest quality.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills; the ability to work ahead, anticipate and solve problems, and ensure that all the moving parts of a book are completed on time.
  • The ability to collaborate with a diverse group of talent and work effectively as part of a team.

Education and Experience:

  • 3–5 years publishing or other media experience, including food editorial experience
  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

Why America’s Test Kitchen:

We’re passionate about cooking, and about creating the best place to work. We’re small enough for your ideas to make a big impact, and large enough to offer you opportunities to grow professionally at any stage of your career. We want you to take risks and make mistakes — that’s how innovation happens in our test kitchen, in our offices, and in life.

We at America’s Test Kitchen believe food media can be a powerful force for social change. We are passionate about building an inclusive workforce that represents many different cultures, backgrounds, abilities, identities, and perspectives.

We welcome your application.

ATK considers the safety of its employees and the community a top priority.  As part of this commitment, ATK requires all new and existing employees who will be on site or who will engage in any work-related travel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including a booster for those who are eligible), unless they obtain prior approval for an accommodation for medical reasons or due to a sincerely held religious belief, or are otherwise exempt from this requirement due to applicable state or local law.  Qualified candidates who are offered the opportunity to join ATK will be required to comply with this policy and will be asked to provide proof of their vaccination status prior to the first day of work.

Individuals who need additional information concerning ATK’s vaccination policy or its process for requesting an accommodation should contact the Human Resources Department at HRadmin@americastestkitchen.com.