Letter to Future Managing Editor
Dear Future Managing Editor,
First off, I hope your day is going well! My name is Mikayla Buhbe (she/her) and I was the Spectrum Managing Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. Spectrum is an incredibly unique learning experience and being Managing Editor comes with a stack of responsibilities that are equal parts challenging and rewarding. Below, you’ll find a few practical notes, general suggestions, and overall ideas for how I might’ve done my job a little bit differently.
Before I begin, I want to note that this particular year’s volume of Spectrum went through some unexpected and unusual challenges on our Editorial Board. Some of my suggestions and notes may pertain to details that aren’t as relevant to how Spectrum traditionally runs, but I feel that it’s important to keep a historic record in case a similar situation arises or future ed boards face similar circumstances.
1. Start early and start with a clear understanding of each person’s role - Spectrum has a ton of moving parts and every member of the ed board is responsible for handling a different aspect of them. Managing Editor is predominantly in charge of staying on top of the email, organizing submissions, coordinating with readers and contributors, and generally filling in any gaps that the Editor in Chief needs help with. In Fall quarter, that means you’ll be organizing the submissions folders and responding to any email concerns you receive from authors. In Winter quarter, you’ll mostly be acting as a reader and helping to coordinate the AWP trip, should you choose to attend. At the end of Winter, you’ll be sending out the accept/reject decisions. In Spring, your workload will pick up quite a bit, as you’ll be corresponding with authors about contracts, queries, and making a ton of copies as each work moves from folder to folder. Your Editor in Chief will help you out with some of these tasks, but it’s chiefly important that you’re on top of your organization and email correspondence. Emails can build up like crazy, so do your best to answer them as promptly as possible. A lot of folks are used to delayed or nonexistent responses from literary magazines, so responding quickly will also get you some of the sweetest responses :)
2. Plan ahead as much as you are able to - One of the biggest challenges our team faced was not anticipating how many little details would crop up throughout each quarter. During the summer, I’m going to be trying to work on a Spectrum handbook that will hopefully walk the team through some general processes (organizing submissions, email templates, launch party details, etc.) to make this easier, but if you see something starting to become a problem, try to voice it as soon as possible. It can be easy to let Spectrum slip down your priority list, but managing some of the smaller issues will save you time in the grand scheme of things!
3. Consistent Communication - I know this is a struggle to coordinate with so many busy schedules, but if possible, I would highly recommend finding a way to meet regularly with your ed board, even for just 30 minutes each week. Clarifying each person’s role, navigating any adjustments or challenges, and looking toward the next step as a team will help all of y’all be more successful and cohesive as a group.
4. Be clear with your advisors when you need help - Asking for help can be challenging, but do your best to ask for help when you need it from your professors and advisors! You are not alone in this process and sometimes, Spectrum can build up, especially towards the back half of Spring quarter. If you need support, ask! Advisors are there to help :)
I hope this year’s Spectrum goes well and I know y’all can do it! Be sure to keep track of your own needs and priorities throughout this process, and seriously, be sure to get enough sleep and food! Find the little moments of appreciation - in the pieces you read, the classmates you bond with, and the silly contributors you get to interact with. Best of luck and if you need any help, reach out to me!
Sincerely,
Mikayla Buhbe
she/her/hers