Publishing Sales Jobs
Did you know that you need salespeople to sell books? Most of us think of our favorite authors and think that we can just go down to Barnes & Noble or pop on the Internet and get one of their books. That's true, but that book goes through a lot of hoops before it gets to the point where you can just click and buy.
One particular mainstay of publishing that requires sales representatives is the textbook. Textbooks don't often go through traditional publishing channels, such as you might find if you write a commercial, entertainment-focused book and then find an agent and publisher. Instead, these books are often commissioned from top-notch authors who are experts in their fields. Textbooks are needed at every level of education, from kindergarten to postgraduate studies. Authors who write these books must be experts in their respective fields who can write in-depth and knowledgeable material about the subject matter at hand. In other words, you can't write a textbook on kinesiology without an in-depth knowledge of that subject, no matter how good a writer you happen to be.
The textbook is usually written and developed once contracted from the professional with the help of a publishing company; usually, that publishing company specializes in textbooks. While the textbook is undergoing its development, sales representatives are hard at work beginning preliminary sales of this new textbook to schools and colleges throughout the country that need new textbooks on a variety of subjects.
These types of publishing sales jobs usually require representatives to visit schools and colleges in person, whereby they try to convince those in charge of purchasing textbooks that their materials are of better quality and substance than a competitor's.
In some cases, salespeople work on commission, or they may be hired by publishing companies on salary; in most cases, they have to meet a certain quota of sales quarterly, by semester, or on a yearly basis.
Legal Sales Jobs
Legal sales jobs in publishing require that books are sold at retail price as agreed upon; in some cases, discount are given to schools or warehouse-type setups, where textbooks are bought in bulk and therefore discounted prices can be given across the board.
Other Jobs at Publishing Companies
Besides sales jobs, there are a variety of jobs to be had at publishing companies. To be support staff, such as a secretary or administrative assistant, you must usually have a high school diploma and secretarial training. To be an editor, copy editor, etc., you have to have a college degree. You must also have an excellent grasp of the English language and its grammatical rules. To be a proofreader, you'll also usually need a college degree, though not always.
In some cases, publishing companies also do custom publishing jobs. For example, something known as "print on demand" began to be an alternative to traditional textbook publishing back about the late 1990s. This was when digital publishing moved to the forefront and made it possible to cheaply print small runs of books (sometimes even those done on an individual, customer-ordered basis) instead of having to do volume printing so as to keep costs down. It varies by company, but in many cases these days you can publish certain texts on a custom basis. Usually this is based on chapter inclusion/exclusion, but some publishers are willing to do more individualized customization beyond this.
Finding Publishing Jobs
Depending on the type of publishing company you want to work for, you can go online and research various companies with the type of organization and position you would like to apply for. For example, if you want to work for a textbook publishing company as a copy editor, you can find job positions online by typing in these or similar keywords: "textbook publishing company needs copy editor," and your desired location. If you want to work for a literary publishing company, such as one that publishes a particular type of novel, you can change your search by using different keywords.
Conclusion
The publishing industry is quite specialized. To work in it as an editor or in a related capacity, you will need an extensive background in working with the English language. To work in more advanced positions, such as editorial positions, you'll need not just an extensive working knowledge of the English language, including highly-refined grammar and spelling skills, but you will also need a college degree. In some cases, that college degree will need to be in English or a related field, but publishing companies often seek editors or other advanced personnel who have degrees in related fields depending on the type of book they're going to be editing.
