Requirements, Salary, and Career Path How Much Money do Book Editors Make and How do they Get there?

Requirements

Book Editors, for the most part, only have bachelor's degrees. However, alike many different jobs, those with higher education (such as a Master's and higher) earn much more money for their work.

Common degrees for people with a job in book editing are English, Journalism, or Communications (liveabout). Because these degrees focus a lot on the written word, these degrees serve the job well.

Salary

The salary for this job can be anywhere from $16,000 a year to $154,000 a year. Seniority, experience, education, and company all are determining factors in pay. Such a broad range isn't very telling about the salary of a book editor.

Here are the most relevant ranges:

Keep in mind that the work load for book editors is often described as being nonstop. Those who are making higher pay are more likely to have more work, but that doesn't mean that the least well-paid positions are easier.

Career Path

Alright, we know that you need a degree to get this job. You might be thinking "hey, I've got a degree coming up in a few years! Does that mean I can get this job as soon as I graduate?" And it's a great question.

The answer is no.

For you to get a job as a book editor right out of college is another one of those mythical rarities. That is, unless you already have a solid portfolio (which isn't most people). How do people get this job, then? Well, I've got an idea on how to show you:

Let's cook a book editor!

Mmm, delicious!

But, we cannot forget our secret ingredient: a promotion.

That's right. This job mostly goes to those with seniority within a publishing house. Of course, seniority isn't the only factor, but it is a big one. Not only do you need to be well-versed in the world of books, you have to have a serious portfolio of edited works ready to showcase when your company loses a book editor or decides to hire more.

You are going to compete within your company, you are also going to compete with people who have never worked there before when that job opens up.

Of course, you can always search for a book editing position at another company while working as an editorial assistant (the most common position before book editor), but most book editing jobs come from being promoted.