S5 Ep. 18: ‘Unlivable and Untenable’: Molly McGhee on the Punishing Life of Junior Publishing Employees

Fiction writer and former Tor assistant editor Molly McGhee joins co-hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss details of her recent resignation from a position she’d fought for in the industry she loves. She also talks about what’s behind #PublishingBurnout for junior employees and what that means for the future of publishing.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf.

Selected readings for the episode: 

• Molly McGhee
• https://twitter.com/mollymcghee/status/1502343597676548099
• https://twitter.com/mollymcghee/status/1510959170585047053
• The Paris Review - America's Dead Souls

• Others:
• When Will Publishing Stop Starving Its Young? - The New York Times
• Editorial Resignations At Big Houses Spark Reckoning - Publishers Lunch
• https://twitter.com/ZakiyaNJamal/status/1502386226367664130
• Episode 147—Publishing's Great Resignation (Print Run podcast)
• A Woman's Life in Publishing - JSTOR Daily
• Where Is the Diversity in Publishing? The 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results | Lee & Low Blog
• Women in The Gentleman's Career of Publishing | Princeton University Press
• Literary Color Lines: On Inclusion in Publishing
• https://twitter.com/bryonq/status/1502436599061258243
• https://twitter.com/slipperyredhead/status/1495417527224176641
• F/N/F Season 5 Episode 10: “How on Earth Do You Judge Books?” Susan Choi and Oscar Villalon on the Story Behind Literary Awards

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