***This application is currently closed and we are not reviewing application materials for new booksellers at this time. All future openings for our bookseller position will be announced via our website’s About Us page, our bookstore newsletter, and social media. We hope to consider you during our next open application period!***
Milkweed Books seeks a part-time bookseller. We are a small bookstore operated by independent publisher Milkweed Editions, located in Open Book. Curation in our store prioritizes originality, marginalized voices, and books exploring our relationship to place and the more-than-human world. We also act as a resource for the neighborhood growing around us—a site of connection, community, and exploration.
We are looking for a part-time bookseller to help staff the bookstore 10-15 hours a week, primarily working with our manager but able to staff the store or sell at events independently as needed. Possibility of greater hours for events and the holiday season, or as business demands. Must be flexible with evenings and weekends. Compensation is $17/hour.
Our ideal applicant has:
- Retail experience, preferably in bookselling
- Knowledge of and enthusiasm for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction in alignment with Milkweed Editions’ mission, both in the current publishing landscape at large and within the Twin Cities literary community
- Familiarity with Milkweed Editions’ literature, with knowledge of our titles preferred
- Skills in handselling, providing recommendations, and delivering excellent customer service
- Strong communication skills, and an ability to work cooperatively and independently
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Operating a cash register, making change, and processing sales
- Learning/using IBID and Square for sales and inventory
- Lifting boxes weighing up to 40-50 lbs.
- Organizing and alphabetizing stock
- Making and receiving phone calls with customers
- Selling books at author events
- Occasionally assist Milkweed Editions’ authors, board of directors, and other community partners and organizations with signings and book orders
- Otherwise acting as a public-facing representative of Milkweed Editions
To apply, please submit a resume and a list of three titles that represent what you love to read, with 2-3 lines per book about why you chose each one, and any other details you would like us to know about you. No cover letter necessary. Materials should be sent through Milkweed Editions’ Submittable page. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No phone calls, please.
It is the policy of Milkweed Editions to afford equal employment opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, status as a disabled veteran, status with regard to public assistance, or any other protected class recognized by applicable laws.