Book editor to lexicographer
A book editor already meets 34% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.7/ 100
1 How much of what a lexicographer 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 lexicographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A lexicographer role treats 5 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
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- grammar
- spelling
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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer 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 spelling arts and humanities
- already held use word processing software working with computers
- already held consult information sources information skills
- already held grammar arts and humanities
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held copyright legislation business, administration and law
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the lexicographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 8 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 linguistics required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- still to learn create definitions required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn search databases required
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lexicographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held use word processing software skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- optional, not held use dictionaries optional
25 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques 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 desktop publishing knowledge
- 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 literature knowledge
- 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 proofread text 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 read manuscripts 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 select manuscripts 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 writing techniques knowledge
7 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 linguistics required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
Other moves recorded from book editor
- book publisher 55% covered · moderate
- proofreader 48% covered · moderate
- copy editor 46% covered · moderate
- speechwriter 40% covered · substantial
- fact checker 40% covered · moderate
- writer 38% covered · substantial
- magazine editor 32% covered · substantial
- publishing rights manager 31% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a book editor become a lexicographer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A book editor already covers 34% of what a lexicographer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the lexicographer role treats as required.
What skills does a book editor need to become a lexicographer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is create definitions.
How hard is the move from book editor to lexicographer?
Its learning distance is 61.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.