If you love reading, you would definitely have thought about working at a publishing house sometime or other. Readers obviously have a fascination with the place where books are structured, edited and packaged. In this post, we will check out 5 different type of jobs available in a publishing house.
Basically, for a book lover, it is where the magic happens. There are few jobs in the world that will be as rewarding for someone who loves books and is an avid reader. There are many types of jobs available at a publishing house, so you don’t need to worry if you lack a particular skill or two.
You could be a proofreader, editor, copywriter or publicist. There is no specific qualification for working at a publishing house, though they prefer candidates with a background in Literature or Journalism.
Here are the 5 different type of jobs available in a publishing house.:
Copy Editor
A copy editor’s job is to review content written by someone else and make sure it is grammatically correct. A copy editor checks the content for proper punctuation, syntax, etc.
It is his job to see that the writing is well-structured and coherent. He can make changes in the writing structure if needed or send it back to be rewritten if there are too many issues.
As a copy editor, it will be your job to ensure the content is flawless and ready to be published before it leaves your desk. You will need to be very discerning and analytical while working on the material. This is not a job for someone whose language skills are lacking.
Proofreader
If you are a fast reader and have a keen eye for spotting grammatical errors and typos, then this is the job for you. A proofreader does not make structural changes to the content like a copy editor.
He has to make sure that no grammatical errors have survived. He can adjust the diction and syntax a bit if absolutely necessary in some rare cases. His main job is to make sure the text is grammatically flawless. This job requires a very high knowledge of grammar.
Literary Agent
Literary agents act as a bridge between a writer and a publishing house. Most publishing houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. And even if some do accept, they rarely select one for publication. If a writer is interested in getting a book published, his best bet is to hire a literary agent.
Literary agents are very familiar with the inner workings of a publishing house and have a keen eye for spotting literary talent as well. They also have contacts in different publishing houses through which they can get the work of a new writer published. Every writer does not need a literary agent, but beginners would do well to hire one.
It is a very interesting job where you will get to read a lot. A background in Literature will help as it will make your literary judgement more discerning. A literary agent is also a critic of sorts because they have to read a manuscript and then decide whether it is publishable or not.
Book Editor
The position of a book editor is very high in the publishing industry. Book editors decide which book should be published and which should be rejected. They are also responsible for choosing which works should be acquired for publishing.
Book editors should ideally have a vast knowledge about the entire publishing industry and the taste of the audience. Their job is not only to know which book is good enough to publish, but they should also be aware of how marketable the book is and how well it will sell once published.
To even apply for the job of a book editor, you will need years of experience as an editor. But if you do manage to get this job, you won’t have to worry about your career anymore as it is a very influential position that also pays extremely well.
Publicist
A publicist’s job in publishing is to draw media attention towards the publishing house and its various writers. It will be their job to publicize any new book being published or some event being organized for the writers.
To apply for this job, you must have a background in mass communications or journalism. These days you should also be social media savvy as a lot of publicity is increasingly being done on various social media apps like Instagram and Facebook.
A publicist’s job at a publishing house is an interesting one as you will get to interact with writers and be a part of exclusive events. You should ideally have excellent communication and writing skills.
Have you ever considered getting a job in a publishing house? Which position would you prefer? Let us know by writing in the comment section below.
