INKLUDED: Managing Editorial

INKLUDED: Pathways Event November 2025 - Demystifying Managing Editorial

You've heard of editors and designers and maybe even publicity professionals in the scope of the publishing industry, but what about managing editors? What do they do? What's the difference between an editor and a managing editor? What's the difference between production editorial and production? What does a production schedule look like? How does a typical day-to-day look like for a managing editor? How do I know if I would be suited for this kind of career? What kind of transferrable skills are looked for if I want to go into this line of work?

In this Pathways, a panel of expert managing editorial professionals (Ben Allen, Bryn A. McDonald, and Jess Riordan) will speak on the ins-and-outs of the managing editorial department. If you've ever been curious to know what really goes on in the publication process, this will be an exciting discussion for you.

Titled Demystifying Managing Editorial, this event will take place Thursday, November 20th at 7PM EST on Zoom. This is an online-only event.

This event will be entirely free, but we encourage all amounts of donations to help Inkluded to continue our mission into 2026.

Ben Allen (he/him) is senior managing editor of Little, Brown and Company, which includes the imprints Algonquin Books; Back Bay Books; Little, Brown; Little, Brown Spark; Mulholland Books; and Voracious Books. He started his career at Little, Brown in 2007 as an assistant in the department he now runs. He also, briefly, was managing editor for Minotaur Books at St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan. When not making books professionally, he unprofessionally makes bread and electronic instruments from scratch. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner and two cats.

Bryn A. McDonald (they/she) has wanted to work in publishing since her middle school Mathletes coach told her that editors get to sit around and read books all day. (Don’t we all wish that were true?) Bryn joined Hachette Book Group in 2014 as a production editor for Yen Press. Nowadays, they are the senior managing editor of Orbit, Redhook, and Run For It, where they’ve been able to work with their one true love: science fiction and fantasy. In their free time, Bryn reads even more SFF; sews, knits, and cross-stitches; and occasionally dabbles in baking. They live in Hoboken, New Jersey, with their wife and two cats.

Jess Riordan (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Running Press’s four imprints—Running Press Adult, Running Press Kids, RP Studio, and RP Minis. She joined Running Press in 2015 as an Associate Editor and Associate Managing Editor; went fully to the editorial side of things for several years working primarily on humor, pop-culture, and licensed titles, including her career highlight, the mini Wacky Waving Inflatable Tube Guy; then ping-ponged back to Managing Editorial in 2021. She is a passionate Eagles fan (go Birds), enjoys starting but not finishing craft projects and spending time with her kids, and feels deeply weird writing her own bio. She lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband, two sons, and Dachshund.

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