Book publisher to book editor
A book publisher already meets 64% of what the book editor role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.6/ 100
1 How much of what a book editor is expected to do is already part of a book publisher’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 editor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A book editor role treats 10 of its required skills as things a book publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assess financial viability
- attend book fairs
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- develop professional network
- literature
What stands in the way is 5 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 editor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a book publisher 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 10 the book editor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 network within the writing industry required
- still to learn provide support to authors required
- still to learn suggest revision of manuscripts required
- still to learn establish collaborative relations required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- optional, not held interpret illustration needs optional
- optional, not held rewrite manuscripts optional
- optional, not held select illustration styles optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
- optional, not held analyse texts to be illustrated optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a book editor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 network within the writing industry practise this
- 02 provide support to authors practise this
- 03 suggest revision of manuscripts 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 attend book fairs skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held literature knowledge
- already held manage budgets 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 check correctness of information skill
- already held conserve new media skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held perform market research skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse texts to be illustrated optional
- optional, not held interpret illustration needs optional
- optional, not held rewrite manuscripts optional
- optional, not held select illustration styles optional
- optional, not held show diplomacy optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
19 held skills the book editor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply social media marketing skill
- not needed by the target role brand marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute marketing plan skill
- not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage distribution channels skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role marketing principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing strategy skill
- not needed by the target role present publishing plan skill
- not needed by the target role project management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role sales activities knowledge
- not needed by the target role sales argumentation knowledge
- not needed by the target role sales strategies knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise sales activities skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held writing techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a book publisher become a book editor?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A book publisher already covers 64% of what a book editor is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 10 of which the book editor role treats as required.
What skills does a book publisher need to become a book editor?
5 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is network within the writing industry.
How hard is the move from book publisher to book editor?
Its learning distance is 39.6 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.