Have you always had a passion for books, or studying your favorite literature? Being part of the publishing industry means you can be surrounded by books day-to-day, allowing you to take part in a journey with authors who are eager to get their masterpieces published.
Whether you’re a creative writing major or a fresh graduate seeking a creative industry role, there are many opportunities to get you a job within a field you love.
1. Publishing Assistant
A publishing assistant is a fantastic beginner role if you’re looking to get your foot in the door. You will be assisting the publishing company by looking at a range of documents and piecing them together for publication, organizing data into reports such as the publishing company’s finances, as well a lot of proofreading, which can include draft manuscripts.
You could also be helping with reception duties such as finance tracking and being in charge of important communications. Imagine the number of writers and potential authors you are helping every day; you may be reading the next bestseller. Don’t have a clue on how to keep track of finances? Here are some easy ways to track your monthly expenses.
2. Editorial Assistant
Do you have good attention to detail? This is similar to a publishing assistant, but is mostly focused on editing rather than all-rounder publishing duties. As an editorial assistant, you can be assisting the senior editors during each stage of editing, such as copy editing, spelling, style, structure, overall fact-checking, and working with authors as well as the publishing company.
You could also be helping with marketing or promotions for an author’s upcoming book, and that’s always exciting.
3. Fiction Editor
Have you always loved reading fantasy novels? As a non-fiction editor, you could read and critique fiction manuscripts as your day job. You’ll be spending time evaluating the plot, flow, structure, readability, and grammar, and giving honest feedback to authors who want their books published.
As well as fiction, you can go into non-fiction or literary editing, depending on your preference. Instead of a publishing house, you can choose to edit for a magazine, newspaper, or digital publication with a strong focus on reviews and literary critique.
4. Publishing Specialist
It doesn’t matter how much content is being written for a business, a publishing specialist is always needed. This person has an important role in making sure that all articles and pieces of content are published correctly on the company’s content management system.
This role includes proofreading, managing documents, and verifying content before publication. For example, if a company uses Wix, its content needs to be published according to its design needs, such as being typeset, formatted, and edited to the business’s standards.
5. Associate Publisher
Looking for an entry-level role to get a taste of the publishing industry, and have excellent organizational skills? An associate publisher shadows other publishers in a publishing house, taking care of administrative tasks related to a magazine, newspaper, book publisher, or website. You may be assisting the publisher with the next bestseller, so it’s an exciting career with many paths to branch out into.
6. Content Developer
Are you good at coming up with ideas? Instead of writing the articles, a content developer is in charge of the strategies behind the content. You would be part of marketing campaigns, increasing engagement, and scheduling or planning the content for a company.
For example, you might come up with topics related to the latest in technology news. If you’re a creative thinker and think you have what it takes to pivot a brand forward and give them a competitive advantage, consider this role!
7. Copywriter
Are you good at persuasive writing? More companies need copywriters more than ever before, and this field allows you to help businesses sell their products or services. This is a great field as it’s diverse in terms of what you can do.
If you’re interested in more technical subjects such as writing manuals, you can work as a technical writer. Likewise, if you have a degree in psychology, you may be more inclined to pitch to psychology websites. Want to learn more? Here are some technical writing jobs you can consider.
Public relations, brand copywriting, direct response copywriting, marketing copywriting, the options are endless. Work on company websites, marketing emails, product descriptions, and social media, and choose a niche that fits. No matter what your interest is, you can use that to write amazing copy.
8. Content Writer
Content writing is very different from copywriting, as it isn’t being written from a sales standpoint. As a content writer, you’d be in charge of writing articles on engaging products to assist businesses in selling their products or services.
For example, you could be helping a tech company sell their phones by writing blog posts about smartphones. The key is to show that that company has the expertise, and writing these.
9. Communications Coordinator
If public relations spark your interest, a communications coordinator may be for you. In this role, you’re in charge of communicating information from one company to another, and this works as an all-rounder type of job.
You might be in charge of speaking to past or present clients, negotiating contracts, pulling partnerships, organizing promotional events, or launching a company’s social media account. This is an ever-changing role, so it’s great if you like every day to be different and to be in charge of important communications.
10. Copy Editor
How good are you at the smaller details? Some editors are in charge of formatting, typography, and proofreading, but a copy editor is specifically in charge of grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Whether it is assisting an author or a business in need, a copy editor ensures that the writing is professional, accurate concise, maintains the correct style guide, and suits the tone of the writer.
This role involves a lot of back-and-forth communication, but it’s highly rewarding for both editor and the author! If you want to get a head-start and boost your editing skills, here are some self-editing tips and tools to improve your writing.
Begin a Career in Publishing
Whether you want to work for a range of eBooks, businesses, or websites, the field of publishing has so many avenues that you can explore as a student or a jobseeker.
It doesn’t matter if you’re only just developing your skills or whether you’ve been working in a specific industry for many years, the field of publishing can welcome anyone aboard. And if you’re a self-publisher, there’s a career out there for you, too.