Before you even begin this journey, you must understand a few vital points and further, you must prepare for them. If you're running solo, minus an agent, your self-publishing efforts will include promoting your own book. That means if you want a whirlwind trip across the country with a goal of hitting every Barnes & Noble bookstore for autograph sessions, you had better start setting it up. Those responsibilities fall squarely on the author's shoulders.
You will also need someone to design the cover of your book. You might be the most artistic and creative writer in this century, but without good art to entice readers to crack the spine, you're just another book writer who can look forward to seeing his work in the dollar bins at flea markets across the country. Sure, that sounds harsh, and it is, but you were aware this would be a huge challenge. You know you can master it, but it is still a great feat. There are many excellent companies who will work with you, at an affordable cost, to get your writing into book form. Consider several of them to ensure the best fit for your needs.
Print production jobs are fast-paced and exciting positions. These careers know no dull moments. By choosing this career, you would work alongside some very talented people including writers, graphic artists, designers, and vendors. You would face deadlines, sometimes on a daily basis. All work is carefully scrutinized and these positions are certainly not for the weak at heart. You must be able to accept constructive criticism and allow yourself to enjoy the victories when they happen. You would most likely work within budget constraints and with definitive design descriptions; and because these positions are team efforts, your work will be judged often by the weakest link in your team. But those who are excellent in these fields don't mind what they refer to as ''minor frustrations.''
Usually experience in marketing, business, creative design, journalism, and/or administration is required as well as higher education in one of these areas. Most would-be employers expect a portfolio, a comprehensive knowledge of computers and photo software, and solid references from applicants. Those in these fields can be found in national-network offices, advertising agencies, large printing companies and some newspapers. If you are detail oriented, can work well both in large groups and alone, and are willing to remain current with ever-evolving technology, your career may be in print production.
Although online editor jobs continue to increase in numbers partly due to the ease of the Internet over the past few decades, it remains a highly competitive field. Editors receive numerous submissions from freelancers on a daily basis and because of this often find themselves spending at least some time looking for new talent via these submissions. With costs associated with circulation virtually eliminated due to the newer electronic formats, online sources have redefined the way we obtain information. This is an exciting time for journalism with so many available resources and our always-moving lifestyles. We thrive on being able to read breaking news at anytime during the day or night. Add the technological wonders known as BlackBerry and Palm Pilot, and it becomes clear that breaking news hits email boxes as it occurs. Although this can be challenging for online editors to be the first to break the story, they rely on their journalists to stay as current as whatever the time of day happens to be.
Currently, there are approximately 126,000 editors in this country and although that sounds like an over-saturation for the job markets, consider the number of online-only magazines, Web sites, and online editions of newspapers. Further, the market is predicted to continue at least an annual 2% growth over the course of the next ten years. Because so many variables play into an editor's salary, it's hard to define a median income. National averages balance out to near $60,000 annually. Bonuses and raises are often determined by how well the publication is doing and by its annual growth.
Clearly, journalism remains as exciting and worldly as it has always been. If you're considering journalism as a career choice, you certainly have a number of variables to consider. Ultimately, you will discover as your career progresses the number of opportunities that present themselves. You will have options in the future that you can't even conceive of at this point in time, and you will be able to look back over the course of your career and will see how the written word has shaped people and the world we live in.
