Careers in Editorial

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Looking for an entry level job or internship in editorial? This is an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have relevant entry level and internship opportunities.

Random House, Inc. is the world’s largest trade-book publisher. In just the last week they’ve put out titles ranging from John Grisham’s The Last Juror, to Troy Denning’s Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Vortex to Naomi Kleinberg’s Elmo’s Mommy (you know you want to read it!). Because of their long history and outstanding reputation in the publishing world they receive hundred of thousands of unsolicited manuscripts each year from writers hoping to publish with them. The gate-keepers who often decide whether a book gets picked up, or even just further considered, tend to be Editorial Assistants. An Editorial Assistant reads, evaluates, and fixes manuscripts, articles, or films, and performs some administrative tasks.

Editorial Careers

Photo Credit: Flickr user theseanster93

Editorial Career Guide Overview

  1. What an Editorial Assistant Does
  2. A Typical Day for an Editorial Assistant
  3. Salary and Career Progression for an Editorial Assistant
  4. Best Locations for Editorial Assistants
  5. Pros and Cons of Being an Editorial Assistant
  6. What You Need to Know to be an Editorial Assistant
  7. Editorial Assistant Resources
  8. Careers Related to Editorial Assistant
  9. Companies with Jobs and Internships as an Editorial Assistant

What an Editorial Assistant Does

An Editorial Assistant is an entry-level worker who provides assistance in publishing books, journals, magazines and/or a broad range of publicity materials by supporting Senior Editors with the administration of the commissioning, planning and production. An editorial assistant not only takes on secretarial or general assistant type work, but might also tackle writing and editing. Basically the level of responsibility they’re afforded and the range of tasks depends on the type of publication they work on, as well as the size of the company.

A Typical Day for an Editorial Assistant

While a typical day for an Editorial Assistant varies you might spend your time on some of these tasks:

  • Handling specific titles as delegated by your supervisor from acquisition through publication
  • Laying out, indexing, and revising content of written materials
  • Proofreading, writing, and copyediting
  • Coordinating and tracking submissions and acquisitions
  • Writing book briefs, jacket memos, and copy
  • Attending weekly editorial meetings and planning and focus meetings
  • Fielding questions from authors and agents
  • Updating websites
  • Reading news from different websites
  • Writing articles and reports amending articles
  • Answering phones
  • Photocopying
  • Filing
  • Keeping track of schedules

Salary and Career Progression for an Editorial Assistant

An Editorial Assistant makes $38,850 per year on average. From there you can go on to become an Editor ($27,000-$74,000 per year on average), an Associate Editor, Print ($27,000-$54,000 per year on average), or a Managing Editor ($30,000-$89,000 per year on average).

Best Locations for Editorial Assistants

Here are some hot spots for editorial assistants:

  • San Francisco, California
  • New York, New York
  • Washington, DC
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Indianapolis, Indiana

Pros and Cons of Being an Editorial Assistant

Pros
  • Can be exciting to help push a written work or film to its very best
  • If you enjoy writing and reading it’s a great fit and a great way to get your foot in the door
  • Work with a lot of different people from authors to editors
  • The industry is ripe for innovation (there are now long-form apps, aggregators like Flipboard, etc.)
Cons
  • It’s a popular job so it’s fairly low paying
  • You may have to switch from company to company to move up
  • Administrative tasks can be repetitive

What You Need to Know to be an Editorial Assistant

To be an Editorial Assistant you’ll need a bachelor’s degree most likely in Communications or English. Furthermore you’ll need to have fantastic verbal and written communication skills and be very organized. Experience with computers, like familiarity with Word, Excel, and content management systems, is helpful. To gain experience think about working for your school newspaper, starting your own blog or offering your skills to self-published authors you find on Lulu or Blurb.

Editorial Assistant Resources

If being an editorial assistant still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.

Required Reading

Key Folks to Follow on Twitter

Blogs and Websites

Networking Opportunities

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Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Editorial

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Fashion Update - Fashion Update is a New York, NY based company that offers tours that will help you “find designer name merchandise for less than a fraction of the retail cost.”

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StyleCaster Media Group - StyleCaster Media Group is based in NYC and aims “to bring style to the people, empowering millions of readers to discover and share their style.”

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Well+Good - Well+Good is an NYC based company that was started by two journalists “to answer all the questions friends wanted to know about health, beauty, fitness, and well-being.”

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Society for Science & the Public - The Society for Science & the Public is a Washington, DC based non-profit that is “dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education.”

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Mirrorball - Mirrorball is a New York, NY based consumer engagement agency “that connects brands and people through a fusion of social media and live experience.”

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Oxford University Press - Oxford University Press is “the world’s largest university press with the widest global presence” and has U.S. offices in New York, NY and Cary, NC.

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