Editorial Assistants

Employers

One of the best things about the field of editing is the many kinds of employment opportunities available. The most obvious employers for editorial assistants are newspapers, magazines, and book publishers. Most publishers are located in New York City, but many other publishers can be found in large cities across the country, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. Other employers of editorial assistants include advertising agencies; colleges and universities; corporations; museums; nonprofit organizations; local, state, and federal governments; and radio and television news stations.

Starting Out

The position of editorial assistant is a great starting position in the editorial world. There is tremendous competition for editorial jobs, so it is important for a beginner who wishes to break into the business to be as well prepared as possible. College students who have gained experience as interns, have worked for publications during the summers, or have attended special programs in publishing will be at an advantage. Applicants for editorial positions must also expect to take and pass tests that are designed to determine their language skills.

Good sources of information about job openings are school career services offices, classified ads in newspapers and trade journals, specialized publications such as Publishers Weekly (https://www.publishersweekly.com), and media-related career Web sites, such as mediabistro.com (https://www.mediabistro.com). Many publishers have Web sites that list job openings, and large publishers often have telephone job lines that serve the same purpose.