Overview
The publishing industry has a hierarchy of job roles, but it takes determination and hard work to progress. The average earnings for an editor can range from £20,000 for an assistant editor to £30,000 for a senior editor. Publishing companies are generally divided by function, with each department responsible for a process. Areas of work can be technical, creative or administrative.
Within book publishing, the role of editor is often seen as the top job. In magazines and newspapers, there is usually an executive publisher who is senior to the editorial director. Editors have the job of commissioning authors and writers, copy-editing, proofreading and they are often responsible for overall content of the finished product.
There are also roles in marketing and publicity including PR, events and promotions. The production and design team ensure the product is produced on time and within budget and are responsible for the visual look of the book, magazine or journal. The top advertising roles in magazines and journals are also well paid with additional jobs in circulation and subscriptions.
The links below take you to job role descriptions on The Society of Young Publishers|, Target Jobs| and Prospects| websites. The Society of Young Publishers helps assist people trying to break into and progress in publishing, Target Jobs is the UK's largest source of graduate jobs, employers and internships and Prospects is the UK's official graduate careers site.
The following list contains examples of roles within publishing:
Commissioning editor
Discovers and identifies writers and products to publish to build the company portfolio, also ensures writers work to and meet deadlines. For further information see Commissioning editor|.
Publishing commissioning editor
Senior position, understands customers' needs and wants and commissions books accordingly. Connexions and Target Jobs have some useful information on this role; Publishing commissioning editor| and Publishing commissioning editor|.
Publishing editor
Has control over the look and content of the publication. See Connexions for more information on Publishing editor|.
Editorial assistant
Learns the industry by working closely with senior colleagues, helping in the commissioning and publishing of books, magazines and journals. For further information read Prospects and Target Jobs; Editorial assistant| and Editorial assistant|. Video on You Tube outlining the job role of an Editorial assistant at Bloomsbury|.
Magazine features editor
Ensures the content and overall look of a magazine are topical and interesting. Read Prospects and Target Jobs for further information; Magazine features editor| and Magazine features editor|
Publishing copy-editor / Proof-reader
Ensures content is easy to read, makes sense, is technically accurate and grammatically correct. Information available on Prospects and Connexions, Publishing copy-editor/proof-reader| and Copy-editor| and Proof-reader|.
Press sub-editor
Working for newspapers sub-editors ensure the accuracy of content and ensure the layout is in keeping with the company brand. Press sub-editor| information can be found on Target Jobs.
Publishing rights manager
Ensures publications make a profit and oversees and manages publishing rights. More information on Publishing rights manager| can be found on Prospects.
Click for information about job roles| in the media industry.