Book editor to book publisher
A book editor already meets 55% of what the book publisher role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.9/ 100
1 How much of what a book publisher is expected to do is already part of a book editor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the book publisher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A book publisher role treats 9 of its required skills as things a book editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess financial viability
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- manage budgets
- perform market research
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A book publisher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a book editor background worth leading with.
- already held select manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conserve new media information skills
- already held publishing market business, administration and law
- already held attend book fairs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held read manuscripts information skills
- already held check correctness of information information skills
All 20 carried skills, including the 9 the book publisher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn present publishing plan required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn execute marketing plan required
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held supervise sales activities optional
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
- optional, not held plan marketing strategy optional
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a book publisher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 present publishing plan practise this
- 02 consult with editor practise this
- 03 execute marketing plan practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held perform market research skill
- already held publishing market knowledge
- already held read manuscripts skill
- already held select manuscripts skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held attend book fairs skill
- already held check correctness of information skill
- already held conserve new media skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held literature knowledge
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held supervise sales activities optional
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
- optional, not held plan marketing strategy optional
12 held skills the book publisher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role establish collaborative relations skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role network within the writing industry skill
- not needed by the target role provide support to authors skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role suggest revision of manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
- not needed by the target role writing techniques knowledge
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn project management principles required
- optional, not held digital marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held sales activities optional
- optional, not held sales argumentation optional
- optional, not held sales strategies optional
- optional, not held brand marketing techniques optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
Other moves recorded from book editor
- proofreader 48% covered · moderate
- copy editor 46% covered · moderate
- speechwriter 40% covered · substantial
- fact checker 40% covered · moderate
- writer 38% covered · substantial
- lexicographer 34% covered · substantial
- magazine editor 32% covered · substantial
- publishing rights manager 31% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a book editor become a book publisher?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A book editor already covers 55% of what a book publisher is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 9 of which the book publisher role treats as required.
What skills does a book editor need to become a book publisher?
6 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is present publishing plan.
How hard is the move from book editor to book publisher?
Its learning distance is 46.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.