Editors must ensure that the terminology is consistent throughout the entire publication. A book to have many different writing styles would not make sense so the job of the editor is to make sure a style is predominant. For technical publications, the editor must ensure that 100% of the facts are correct. A great editor can put ideas together creating less confusing content. Keeping a good relationship with writers is also important with frequent meetings and thorough conversations.
Editors need to be able to express their thoughts and ideas in a clear manner and have excellent communication skills. Editors usually major in three, in English obviously, journalism, and communication. Those editors who just start out in a publishing firm begin as fact checkers and assistants to the more experiences editors. Editing is one of the occupations that require a bachelor’s degree generally. Editors also can choose a specific type of writing to edit such as fiction, nonfiction, website content, and technical/ textbooks. Those editors who have skills in multiple mediums will have the best opportunities for work. Companies who publish more then one medium ideally would like to hire an editor who can edit more than one medium. This will limit the need for multiple editors who specialize in just one type of publication. Editors who have experience will have the opportunity to edit longer publications and will earn more in the process. Technical writings will have to be edited by those who have an extensive knowledge on the subject.
The employment forecast for content editors is set to decrease overall in the next decade. Newspaper sales have been declining ever since receiving instant information on the web and television has been the main source of information for the majority of the world. Even with online reading becoming the future, editors will be needed to edit e-books or electronic books that people can download to pocket PC’s and take with them. E-books can be informative such as textbooks or tell fictional stories. E-books are much cheaper to produce then standard books so job opening in the e-book industry should see a significant rise in the future.
Another aspect of declining newspaper sales and the need to hire editors for them is the conservation of trees used to make paper. Magazines continue to be a source of information and entertainment so editors will be needed in the future. Scientific books will also need editors because there are constant new findings among nature, plants, animals, and general science. Those who edit textbooks will remain the same because the ever changing history and education standards change.
The economy plays a role in the publishing industry because few people buy books so there is no need to hire additional editors and those who do have work could be laid off. Competition will also be stiff for editors who wish to work for well-known publishing companies and this will limit the opportunities for jobs. Editors who wish to work in the large publishing companies may want to look into entry-level positions at smaller publishing companies to build their experience. Larger publishing companies lookout for editors who have experience and a good track-record of editing.
Editors, especially those in large publishing firms make a great living earning up to $22.00 per hour with the opportunity for advancement within the publishing company. The highest earning publishers work for publishing companies that edit periodicals. Meeting constant deadlines is one of the major aspects of being a successful editor. Editors can work in a very stressful environment with the pressure of meeting the required deadlines. The average hours for a publisher can range from 34-36 per week with the occasional overtime if necessary. Working holidays, nights, and weekends is very common to meet strict deadlines. Writings that sit on the shelf will not make any money so the faster editors can put the books in stores the more money the publishing company will earn.
Many editors have an idea of where the writing is headed. The potential is already there for the most part and it is the editors job to bring out the absolute maximum of the writing. There are many jobs in publishing books but editors have the most important job of all. They have to make sure the book is readable and conveys the message the author is trying to send. Editors can make a substantial living if they enjoy reading and editing manuscripts from writers. While being editor may seem tedious at times, it is a highly valuable position.
