Where a book publisher can go next
5 destinations recorded, ranked by how much of the target role a book publisher already meets. The closer to the top of Table 1, the less there is to learn.
Book publishers are responsible for the selection of new materials. They decide which manuscripts, that the book editor has provided, are being published. Book publishers oversee the production, marketing and distribution of these texts.
Also known as publishing house manager, publisher.
Managers 39 skills on file 5 career moves 2 above 60% overlap Closest: book editor, 64%
- 70% and above · short step
- 50 to 70% · real move
- Below 50% · substantial retraining
Table 2 · A bigger jump
Possible, but expect real retraining rather than a sideways step.
Table 3 · What the job itself asks for
A book publisher needs 15 required skills and areas of knowledge. These 10 are the ones fewest other jobs share, so they say the most about the work.
- present publishing plan communication, collaboration and creativity
- select manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- publishing market business, administration and law
- read manuscripts information skills
- execute marketing plan communication, collaboration and creativity
- consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- consult information sources information skills
- project management principles business, administration and law
- assess financial viability information skills
- copyright legislation business, administration and law
Table 4 · Jobs that lead here
The reverse view: occupations whose skills already cover much of what a book publisher does. The figure is how much of this job each one brings.
- publications coordinator 65% covered · difficulty 37.3
- book editor 55% covered · difficulty 46.9
- producer 40% covered · difficulty 60.6
- video and motion picture producer 34% covered · difficulty 65.5
- publishing rights manager 30% covered · difficulty 68.8
- sales manager 28% covered · difficulty 70.5
- radio producer 27% covered · difficulty 71.1
- advertising specialist 26% covered · difficulty 71.8
- social entrepreneur 22% covered · difficulty 75.3
- movie distributor 21% covered · difficulty 75.9
Look up another occupation
Book publisher is filed under Managers, ISCO major group 1. The full index lists all ten groups.
How these figures were compiled
Overlap is how much of the target role is already part of a book publisher’s work. It is directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. Every entry above opens the full comparison for that move: what carries over, what is missing, and where to start. The full method.