Join the Ideas on Fire team
About usOur mission: helping scholars change the world
We are an academic editing and indexing agency helping interdisciplinary, progressive academics write and publish awesome texts, enliven public conversations, and create more just worlds.
We know the most important political, social, and economic change happens at the intersections of diverse social justice movements and intellectual traditions.
Interdisciplinary scholarship is always tied to the artistic and activist communities from which it springs and to which it is accountable.
We help authors write and publish powerful interdisciplinary scholarship that shapes better worlds.
Why work with us
Flexibility
Our transnational team has always been fully remote so you can work from wherever you want. We find projects to fit your individual needs and availability.
Robust systems
Clear workflows, personalized feedback, and prompt payment to help you do your best work. We thrive on organization so you always have what you need.
Supportive community
Support and camaraderie from fellow team members mean you always have folks to turn to for ideas, answers, or even just check-ins.
Room to grow
Ongoing professional development and resources so you can learn new things, try out new roles, experiment with new tools, and grow in your skills.
Open positions
We receive a very large number of applications so if you are interested in a position, please get your application in as soon as possible.
If you think you can help serve our clients and deliver our core services but don’t see a role below that fits your skillset, feel free to send an email cover letter and resume to general@ideasonfire.net. We’ll keep your materials on file and let you know if a role opens up you may be a good fit for.
When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. After that, if we decide to move forward with your application, we will email you to schedule a Zoom interview.
Academic book indexers
Quick info
- Type: part-time, independent contractor role.
- Location: 100% remote, you can work from any location
- Frequency: Per-project basis, most of our indexers work on 1–2 indexes per month
- Reports to: Dr. Cathy Hannabach (founder & CEO) + project managers on individual projects
- Pay: USD $4.50 per indexable page
- Application deadline: Rolling
- Work begins: As soon as possible
Description
We are looking for social justice-oriented indexers with a minimum of 1 year professional experience indexing academic books in the interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences fields we index in.
Ideas on Fire indexers are responsible for crafting interdisciplinary and thorough back-of-the-book indexes that allow diverse groups of readers to navigate our authors’ books, build on those books to create their own scholarship, and ultimately build better worlds.
As a social justice-oriented company, we know that citations are inherently political. Who and what is included in an index not only affects tenure and promotion but also reflects whose ideas and lives are thought to matter—thus, Ideas on Fire indexes highlight the full range of thinkers, artists, concepts, and histories cited in each book.
Responsibilities
- You’ll work from publisher-issued, typeset page proofs to write back-of-the-book indexes with entries, subentries, and cross references that include the full range of names, key concepts/terms, methodologies, and themes cited in each book.
- You’ll run full-book searches for all entries and subentries to ensure all locators are included and the index is comprehensive and complete.
- You’ll use Cindex or SKY to build, format, and check your indexes and then export all index drafts to Microsoft Word where you’ll receive IoF edits and feedback using Track Changes.
- You’ll revise your drafts based on IoF edits and feedback to ensure the index is complete, thorough, and speaks to the interdisciplinary audiences of each book.
- You’ll ensure all your index drafts fulfill the project brief provided to you at the beginning of each project.
Requirements
- You have at least 1 year professional experience indexing academic books in the interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences.
- You love getting detailed feedback on your index drafts and process, and you love improving your work based on that feedback.
- You have fantastic US English written communication skills.
- You are deeply familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style.
- You have your own computer, Cindex or SKY, Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader or Apple Preview, and a reliable high-speed internet connection.
- You regularly pursue professional indexing development/training to improve your skills, keep up on industry changes and best practices, and learn new techniques and tools.
When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. If we decide to move forward with your application, we will email you to schedule a Zoom interview.
Academic developmental editors for books and proposals
Quick info
- Type: part-time, independent contractor role.
- Location: 100% remote, you can work from any location
- Frequency: Per-project basis, most of our editors work on 1–2 manuscripts per month
- Reports to: Dr. Cathy Hannabach (founder & CEO), editorial director, and project managers on individual projects
- Pay: USD $0.06/word
- Application deadline: Rolling
- Work begins: As soon as possible
Description
We are seeking social justice-oriented developmental editors with a minimum of 2 years professional experience developmentally editing scholarly books and book proposals in the interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences (see our portfolio for specific fields).
Ideas on Fire developmental editors are responsible for ensuring book manuscripts have strong and well-proven arguments relevant to the authors’ scholarly fields, clear and logical manuscript structure that supports those arguments, a compelling narrative arc across the entire text, the right amount and depth of engagement with contemporary scholarly debates and sources, and consistent authorial tone.
Further, our developmental editors ensure manuscripts align with current and evolving US academic publishers’ lists and audiences, as well as help authors publish interdisciplinary books that build new worlds.
Responsibilities
- You’ll developmentally edit interdisciplinary academic books and book proposals for argument, organization/structure, analysis, engagement with sources, narrative arc, and fit with current and evolving scholarly publishing trends.
- You’ll perform detailed page-by-page edits using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, as well as draft an editorial report outlining the book’s primary audiences, its strengths, and your chapter-by-chapter improvement recommendations/solutions.
- You’ll ensure your developmental edits fulfill the project brief provided to you at the beginning of each project.
Requirements
- You have a minimum of 2 years professional experience developmentally editing academic books and book proposals in the interdisciplinary humanities and social science fields we specialize in.
- You understand the US academic hiring and tenure process and how it shapes and is shaped by scholarly publishing.
- You keep up with current scholarly debates, concepts, and methodologies in our primary editing fields and are able to edit book manuscripts and book proposals for current market fit, evolving scholarly publishing trends, and tenure needs.
- You have fantastic US English written communication skills.
- You are professional, super organized, and thorough. You always meet deadlines.
- You love getting detailed feedback on your edits and improving your edits based on that feedback.
- You have your own computer, Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader or Apple Preview, and a reliable high-speed internet connection.
- You regularly pursue professional editing development/training to improve your skills, keep up on industry changes and best practices, and learn new techniques and tools.
When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. If we decide to move forward with your application, we will email you to schedule a Zoom interview.
Developmental editors for crossover books
Quick info
- Type: part-time, independent contractor role.
- Location: 100% remote, you can work from any location
- Frequency: Per-project basis, most of our editors work on 1–2 manuscripts per month
- Reports to: Dr. Cathy Hannabach (founder & CEO), editorial director, and project managers on individual projects
- Pay: USD $0.06/word
- Application deadline: Rolling
- Work begins: As soon as possible
Description
We are seeking social justice-oriented developmental editors with a minimum of 2 years professional experience developmentally editing crossover scholarly books and book proposals (books grounded in scholarly research but aimed at a broad audience beyond the academy).
Ideas on Fire developmental editors are responsible for ensuring book manuscripts have a compelling narrative arc across the entire text, engaging storytelling elements, strong and well-proven arguments relevant to the authors’ scholarly fields, clear and logical manuscript structure that supports those arguments, the right amount and depth of engagement with contemporary debates and sources, and consistent authorial tone.
Further, our developmental editors ensure manuscripts align with current and evolving US publishers’ lists and audiences, as well as help authors publish interdisciplinary books that build new worlds.
Responsibilities
- You’ll developmentally edit interdisciplinary crossover books and book proposals for argument, organization/structure, storytelling elements, analysis, engagement with sources, narrative arc, and fit with current and evolving publishing trends.
- You’ll perform detailed page-by-page edits using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes, as well as draft an editorial report outlining the book’s primary audiences, its strengths, and your chapter-by-chapter improvement recommendations/solutions.
- You’ll ensure your developmental edits fulfill the project brief provided to you at the beginning of each project.
Requirements
- You have a minimum of 2 years professional experience developmentally editing crossover scholarly books and book proposals in the interdisciplinary humanities and social science fields we specialize in.
- You understand the US academic hiring and tenure process and how it shapes and is shaped by scholarly publishing—and where crossover and trade books fit into this.
- You keep up with current debates, concepts, and methodologies in our primary editing fields and are able to edit book manuscripts and book proposals for current market fit.
- You have fantastic US English written communication skills.
- You are professional, super organized, and thorough. You always meet deadlines.
- You love getting detailed feedback on your edits and improving your edits based on that feedback.
- You have your own computer, Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader or Apple Preview, and a reliable high-speed internet connection.
- You regularly pursue professional editing development/training to improve your skills, keep up on industry changes and best practices, and learn new techniques and tools.
When you submit your application, you will receive an email confirmation. If we decide to move forward with your application, we will email you to schedule a Zoom interview.