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Toyon Literary Magazine
Staff Handbook
Toyon Literary Magazine
Humboldt State University
1 Harpst Street, Arcata CA 95521
www.ToyonLiteraryMagazine.org
Overview
Humboldt State University’s Toyon Literary Magazine was first created in 1954 by a group of students that attended the University. This literary magazine was created with the hope that it would give students attending the University a chance to peek inside the publishing world. The creators of Toyon also wanted students of the school to have a place where they could submit and have their work shared with the community.
Goals
By the end of the semester, staff members should be able to complete and possess the following (some goals listed borrowed from class syllabus):
1. Obtain skills that will be useful to specific bookmaking and to the publishing industry.
2. Gain a broad awareness of local publishing efforts and to be able to work with fellow editors, writers, publishers, and artists.
3. Efficiently keep up with required tasks-- blog posts, submission reviews, and specific leadership roles
Specifications
One of the main purposes why this handbook was put together, was so that future staff members would have a clear idea/understanding, early on in the semester, what to expect from this course.
We are running a publication. People are submitting their work to this literary magazine and it is our responsibility to thoroughly pick the best pieces as a team. We cannot do this if we do not have the basic questions answered about where our information is located.
Below is a list of basic necessities that each staff member should know early on in the semester:
1. The Staff’s Google Drive Location
Each staff member needs to know where the Google Drive is located. The Google drive is where all the information that we will be accessing is stored. Staff members can access the Google drive directly from the Canvas homepage.
Inside of the Google Drive is the following information:
● Individual folders for each staff position. Inside contains information about their roll and a letter from the previous person who held their position.
● There is a folder inside of the drive that will be used by the Internal Communications Manager. This folder is titled “Meeting Agenda and Minutes.” Notes on class decisions and deadlines will be taken by the Internal Comm. manager will be uploaded here. You can reference this folder when a staff member misses class or if they want a refresher on what we discussed that day.
● There are also other folders inside of the drive that staff members can use if they are looking for materials like the Toyon official letterhead, logo, call-for-submissions quarter sheet, etc.
2. Roles for Each Staff Member
Below is a list of information for each staff member, including which team they are on and what they are expected of throughout the semester. This information was taken from the Toyon website: www.toyonliterarymagazine.org
Administrative Team: (for Fall and Spring Semesters)
Managing Editor (Requires at least a two semester commitment)
● Provides leadership on all aspects of the publication process and all other teams.
● Moderates and facilitates forums of staff communication, as needed.
● Provides leadership in staff meetings and throughout the editorial and production schedule.
● Maintains the accuracy and completeness of the staff handbook.
● Maintains the organization of the staff's Google Drive directories. Ensures that all folders and files in the Google Drive are accessible, navigable, and understandable to current and new staff members.
● Ensures that a feasible timeline is followed by all staff members to accomplish all tasks associated with their roles.
● Meets with the faculty advisor on a weekly basis, to review upcoming meeting agendas.
● Ensures that all emails sent to the Toyon email account receive a timely reply.
● Ensures that all team members have what they need to accomplish their role effectively.
● Provides a final check of the proof before going to print.
● Oversees the annual revision of the staff handbook.
Assistant Managing Editor (Requires at least a three semester commitment)
● *Open to first-year students, sophomores, and juniors who plan to return to the staff in future years.
● Provides assistance in all aspects of the managing editor role, as listed above. The assistant managing editor and managing edits are in consultation through all parts of the editorial and production schedule.
Editorial Team (for Fall Semester only)
Acquisitions Editor & Copyeditor
● Provides leadership of the editorial and production team. Facilitates this team's breakout group meeting. Checks that delegated marketing tasks have been completed by staff members. Follows up with staff members as needed. Supports the marketing & promotions staff by filling in where needed.
● Ensures the integrity of the data included in the BePress submission management system.
● In the copyediting process, communicates with contributors about significant changes to the manuscript that need author approval.
● Ensures that all contributor bios are included in the Toyon issue.
● Generates a pdf of each individual piece (one pdf per title) in the finalized proof and sends these pdfs to the authors for a final review. All contributors must check a proof of their piece and must verify that their work is their own before the issue goes to press.
Division Editor, Poetry
● Ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to ENGL316 and all sections of ENGL205.
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit poetry submissions.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of poetry submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Fiction
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit fiction (and playwriting/screenwriting, if appropriate for the issue) submissions.
● Ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to ENGL315, to theater classes, and to film classes.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of fiction/playwriting submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Creative Nonfiction
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit creative nonfiction submissions.
● Advertises the call for submissions to ENGL314, ENGL311, and the Writing Studio and Learning Commons.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of creative nonfiction submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Multilingual
● Generates a bi-/multilingual advertisement tailored specifically to solicit multilingual submissions.
● Fosters partnerships with, and ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to, the Centers for Academic Excellence, International Programs, IELI, and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of multilingual submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Environmental Justice
● Ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to all ENST classes and to CCAT.
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit submissions that support environmental justice.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of environmental writing submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Literary Criticism
● Ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to all literature classes.
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit literary criticism submissions.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of literary criticism submissions in consultation with section reviewers.
● Decides on the award recipient for the division.
● Coordinates with the editorial team to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
Division Editor, Spoken Word and Audio Texts
● Coordinates with local spoken word clubs, event facilitators, and organizations to solicit submissions.
● Participates in local slam events, on and off campus, and advertises Toyon there.
● Distributes submissions to the spoken word/audio reviewers.
● Oversees the scoring, selection, and curation of spoken word/audio submissions in consultation with section listeners.
● Coordinates with the Acquisitions Editor to ensure that audio/video submissions are presented professionally on BePress. Uploads published submissions to Toyon YouTube channel before Acquisitions Editor publishes the issue online.
Production Team
Production Team Lead & Proofreader
● Provides leadership of the production team. Facilitates the production team meetings. Checks that delegated marketing tasks have been completed by staff members. Follows up with staff members as needed. Supports the marketing & promotions staff by filling in where needed.
● Maintains the editorial office in FH205. Wipes down the countertops each week. Waters the plants. Stocks the office with supplies from the department supply closet, as needed. Notifies the faculty advisor if additional supplies are needed.
● Maintains the Google calendar for FH205. All Toyon staff requests for reservations of this room go to the Production Team Lead. The Production Team lead reserves the room for when members of the Production Team need it.
● Makes all changes to the proof suggested by the staff. Completes the proofreading process.
● Checks the final proof for errors.
● In consultation with the acquisitions editor, sends typeset proofs to all contributors before going to press and ensures that all author-changes are entered accurately into the proof.
Visual Art Editor
● Ensures that the call for submissions is advertised to all HSU art classes and local community art organizations and studios.
● Generates an advertisement tailored specifically to solicit visual art submissions.
● Decides on the award recipient for the visual art division.
● Ensures that there is an appropriate balance of content in the issue, that a diverse body of work is represented.
● Designs the front and back covers and spine of the journal. Submits at least three options for cover design to the staff for review.
● Makes decisions about binding, paper quality, use of color schemes, etc., for the print issue, in acknowledgement of Toyon's fixed budget and in consultation with Marcom, the production editor, the acquisitions editor, and the faculty advisor.
● (Optional) Uses the visual art submissions to generate new promotional materials—such as bookmarks, buttons, etc. Designs letterhead, bookmarks, buttons, and other promotional items for Toyon, as resources allow.
Typesetter
● Updates the layout template for the journal before the submission deadline.
● Designs the front and back matter of the journal, using the existing template.
● Develops a style guide for the journal.
● Develops a guide to using InDesign that is specifically tailored for the Toyon staff, using the Toyon layout template.
● Typesets the copyedited manuscripts (received by the Acquisitions Editor) and generates the first proof. Ensures that all content is included and is well-formatted. Checks margins. Sets drop caps, etc.
Outreach Team: (for Fall and Spring Semesters)
Marketing & Promotions Manager
● Provides leadership of the marketing and promotions team. Facilitates the team's break out meetings. Checks that delegated marketing tasks have been completed by staff members. Follows up with staff members as needed. Supports the marketing & promotions staff by filling in where needed.
● Oversees tabling efforts.
● Posts calls for submissions on general bulletin boards across campus (see guidelines) and in the Residence Halls and Dining Services locations.
● Maintains a full database of contact information for all groups, offices, sites, etc. that should receive calls for submissions and advertisements about the journal’s release.
● Drafts "Impact Statements" that explain Toyon's importance and value.
● Writes a report on marketing and promotions best practices for literary journals.
Literary Translator
● Works with the multilingual division editor to generate a bi-/multilingual advertisement tailored specifically to solicit multilingual submissions.
● Works with the multilingual division editor to foster partnerships with, and ensure that the call for submissions is advertised to, the Centers for Academic Excellence, International Programs, IELI, and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
● Translates into Spanish and/or additional languages all communications sent out by the Toyon, including the website.
● (Optional) Translates select texts for multilingual publication, in consultation with their authors and division editor for the multilingual section.
Development & Fundraising Manager
● Generates ideas for fundraising to present to the staff.
● In consultation with the faculty advisor, MarComm, the English department and the alumni office, oversees the generation of a possible ongoing mailing list of sustaining supporters.
● Maintains a growing database of the contact information for past and present donors and contributors to Toyon. This database can be developed in consultation with the archive editor.
● Composes a letter to advertise this year’s issue of the Toyon magazine and ask for support.
Archive Editor
● In consultation with the HSU Special Collections Librarian (Carly Marino) in the Humboldt Room, scans and indexes content from previous years’ issues of the Toyon. In consultation with the Development and Fundraising Manager, solicits contributor permissions to publish back issue content online. Digitizes authored content from Toyon that has necessary permissions.
● Designs online public exhibitions for the Literary Humboldt website of literary histories associated with HSU or the North Coast, with critical attention toward the ethics of representation. Examples of primary source collections to include: the Jodi Stutz collection, the Genzoli collection, the Morris Herman collection, authors and organizations profiled in the pamphlets collection, local authors' books (with "P" call numbers).