Book editor to copy editor
A book editor already meets 46% of what the copy editor role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.3/ 100
1 How much of what a copy editor 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 copy editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A copy editor role treats 6 of its required skills as things a book editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- copyright legislation
- grammar
- spelling
- suggest revision of manuscripts
- writing techniques
What stands in the way is 7 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A copy editor 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 suggest revision of manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held rewrite manuscripts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held read manuscripts information skills
- already held literature arts and humanities
- already held writing techniques arts and humanities
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
All 13 carried skills, including the 6 the copy editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 7 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 consult with editor required
- still to learn follow a brief required
- still to learn track changes in text editing required
- optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- still to learn use dictionaries required
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- still to learn digital journalism required
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- still to learn typography required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a copy editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 digital journalism study this
- 02 consult with editor practise this
- 03 follow a brief 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held suggest revision of manuscripts skill
- already held writing techniques knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held literature knowledge
- already held proofread text skill
- already held read manuscripts skill
- already held rewrite manuscripts skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held office software optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt to artists' creative demands optional
- optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct of journalists optional
- optional, not held follow newspaper house style optional
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held write headlines optional
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- optional, not held office software optional
19 held skills the copy editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role attend book fairs skill
- not needed by the target role check correctness of information skill
- not needed by the target role conserve new media skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network 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 manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role network within the writing industry skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role provide support to authors skill
- not needed by the target role publishing market knowledge
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role select manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
4 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 digital journalism required
- still to learn typography required
- optional, not held editorial standards optional
- optional, not held office software optional
Other moves recorded from book editor
- book publisher 55% covered · moderate
- proofreader 48% 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 copy editor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A book editor already covers 46% of what a copy editor is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 6 of which the copy editor role treats as required.
What skills does a book editor need to become a copy editor?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is digital journalism.
How hard is the move from book editor to copy editor?
Its learning distance is 51.3 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.