Book Editors

Employers

Book editors may find employment with small publishing houses, large publishing houses, the federal government, or book packagers, or they may be self-employed as freelancers. The major book publishers are located in larger cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Publishers of professional, religious, business, and technical books are dispersed throughout the country. Approximately 38,400 editors work for book, newspaper, and magazine publishers in the United States.

Starting Out

New graduates can find editing positions through contacts they've made in college. Job listings are also found on employment Web sites and through employment agencies. College career counselors may be able to assist in finding book publishers to apply to for jobs. Another option is to simply look them up on the Internet and apply for positions directly. Many publishers advertise job openings on their corporate Web sites. However, by far the most helpful thing a would-be editor can do is to gain experience and contacts through internships and volunteer work. Starting positions are generally at the assistant level and can include administrative duties in addition to basic editing tasks.