If you’re a person who loves reading and writing, then you might also be interested in becoming a book editor. There are a few different types of book editing tools when you come to explore this particular career path, which involves completing similar educational and professional steps. The role of a book editor is to review manuscripts from others and improve the style, mechanics, voice, and organization of the text. They also work with others who are already published or working with multiple books with a publishing house.
There are some cases where editors work with assistants and review manuscripts while determining the most potential publishing material. Publishing houses especially have editors who are assigned to review books at different stages of development. There are so many types of editors like- line editors, copy editors, developmental editors, and proofreaders. People who want to become editors for books require well-versed reader skills and also a writer. If you are interested in becoming an editor for books, then here are the simple steps you can consider. And also gain work experience and education that you might require.
Degree
The very first step is to get a degree in a related field. In order to learn the skills of book editing you have to consider degrees in English. And taking Majors such as communications and journalism which can provide you training in drafting, publishing, and revising. If you are a person who is interested in editing works of some specific topics like history, Biology, you can also get a degree in that field and a minor in a writing focus area.
Look for publishing and editorial opportunities
There are colleges that offer English or journalism, which also provide students with the opportunity. Where they can develop editorial and publishing skills with the help of literary magazines, internships, or school newspapers. This is a great advantage to get these experiences which can make you familiar with editorial work and also help you to polish your resume. Nowadays, you will get a lot of internships in particular, which will allow you to network within the publishing houses, where you can apply for work later on. If you are graduated, you can research online literary magazines where they are recruiting editors to review submissions.
Take Psychometric Test To Know Your Best Career
Additional training
Taking additional training courses will also help you to work on your skills and enhance your knowledge. There are associations like the American copy-editing Society which offers training on online platforms, which will help you to understand the relationship between Real-world clients and editors. Also, there are some universities that give certificates in editing for completing online learning sessions which are similar. Taking certifications can boost your candidacy while looking for freelance work for any kind of salaried position. Also making yourself familiar with editing software and researching additional computer programs can also benefit you.
Work on your portfolio
If you want to go for editing full novels or nonfiction titles, prospective book editors develop a Portfolio that consists of smaller assignments. An entry-level book editing job is competitive so you have to consider establishing a Portfolio that includes multiple editorial-related assignments. You can also develop an online presence and have a personal website, where you can highlight your qualifications and look for opportunities in freelancing and also volunteer in different editing texts.
Start applying for editorial assistant positions
Generally, the career in book editing tend to follow an apprenticeship model where assistants work with experienced ones. The experienced ones train them on new roles and largest publishing processes. Most publishers will expect you to spend at least some years, developing an understanding of how books go from manuscripts to final products. At this point in time, you can search for or assistant editorial roles at the publishing houses and literary and trade process. Also, look for roles on general job search platforms or writing-related websites which are easily available.
Earning promotion
Once you get industry experience and get an idea about what type of book editor you can become and what is your area of interest. The publishing houses specialize in certain types of books such as fiction, children’s books, cookbooks, and many others. You can try to work on these projects and reflect your interest in a better way and position yourself for a full editor position.
By: Varsha Yadav
Also Read: Top 7 Skills Required To Become An Editor
