Anne, Strider, and others: related to my English major question below...

[happykids]

What does a job as an editor or copyeditor for a publishing company entail?
Could you describe what you did when you had these jobs?

Thanks!
Sabrina

[Anne/Ankara]

Well, I can tell you about life as an editor in a college publishing division (McGraw-Hill) about 15 years ago-- probably some things have changed, but according to my contacts in the business, a lot remains the same.

In my job as editor, my day-to-day responsibilities involved understanding the market for a single discipline (in my case, electrical engineering) and try to find authors to write textbooks in this area. Of course, you would inherit the books already in print, in this area, and some of these would need to be revised (you'd study the sales to determine which ones). And constantly, you would be talking with professors who teach the courses about what they like or don't like about the current books (you own, and competitiors).

You'd need to learn about upcoming trends in the discipline, such as new topics, or pedagogy, or supplements, or computer aids/software, or customization of books. You would go to campuses and talk to professors quite regularly, from all over the top schools in US in engineering.

Also, if you were lucky, there might be an International component to your business, so you'd talk with people from your own company in that division, and perhaps travel to those countries to learn more about what's going on in their markets, to decide how that might impact your own publishing.

In the office, you would work with the sales/marketing division to get the published books launched properly (going to sales meetings in resorts around the country to plug your new books to the sales force). Also, you would work with the editing/design people to make sure your book looks and reads beautifully, since the editor is responsible for the final product.

It's a fun job, and well worth it! My colleagues were all college-educated interesting people (some more than others!) and the work environment was pleasant, overall. Of course, there was always the possibility of your company being bought or sold, or buying another company, which often resulted in "reductions in work force," which no one liked!

Please ask me if you have any other questions; it's enjoyable to remember those days.

[happykids]

It all sounds so interesting, and fun too!
I am trying to give dd as much info. as I can about different things you can do with an English degree, and what jobs in these fields would be like.
She might like to get her English degree with Teacher Licensure and she also wants to find out what all the other options are.

Thanks again!
Sabrina

[strider]

What does a job as an editor or copyeditor for a publishing company entail?
Could you describe what you did when you had these jobs?

Thanks!
Sabrina

I worked in book editing. The editing part of it was pretty straight-forward: Edit the book and interact with the author for any changes or rewrites. When the book was turned over for proofreading the editor continues to oversee all changes, and continues to interact with the author for any changes from the proofreading process. This varied--some authors like to see every itty-bitty change, but many are content to leave the grammar and punctuation to the editor and just approve larger changes.

An editor also is a part of the marketing and cover design process. In the case of cover design, the editor provides information about the book to the designer, and then a team including the editor, designer, sales and marketing all evaluate various cover design options until the final is done. One example would be in the case of a fiction book that has an illustration of the main character on the front--the editor would submit a description of that character, and then the editor would have to make sure that the art does actually match the description. (You would be amazed at how often an artist will add a mustache or make the heroine's eyes the wrong color, etc.)

In terms of marketing, the editor might actually write marketing copy, or the editor might approve marketing copy written by someone else in the company. Here again the editor's main job is to make sure it matches the content of the book.

A HUGE part of an editor's job is author relations. Simply put, the editor is the author's main contact in the publishing house. Ideally it's a very friendly working relationship. I have known editors who have ended up becoming very close, personal friends with some of their authors.

Other, minor aspects of an editors job might be reviewing manuscript submissions (usually an editorial assistant does the bulk of this, and an editor might review the more promising submissions), going to publishing conferences, presenting materials to sales staff, perhaps even acquisitions (bringing in new contracts).

Many publishing houses (especially smaller ones) do not distinguish between editors and copyeditors. Two of the companies at which I worked did not, one did. The idea is that the editor focuses more on the bigger picture of the book, making sure it flows well and coaching the author through larger changes or rewrites and managing the entire book project. While the editor is expected to correct grammar and punctuation, the real responsibility for the minutiae is in the hands of the copyeditor. A copyeditor would never interact with an author, but would focus on text corrections, which are then submitted to the editor for approval. The copyeditor does not write marketing copy, but might correct it for grammar and punctuation, and the copyeditor has nothing to do with cover design or other aspects of project management or acquisitions.

A proofreader functions very similarly to a copyeditor, with one notable distinction: he/she looks at the text AFTER it has been typeset. Therefore they are encouraged NOT to change anything unless strictly necessary, and their corrections include checking typesetting and layout in addition to checking grammar/punctuation.

My favorite of my employers processes a book in the following manner: One editor would manage the project, edit, and interact with the author. Three copyeditors would then copyedit, with one of them collating all corrections onto one copy for the editor to review and approve. After typesetting, two proofreaders would proof the copy, which the editor would review and approve. The other two publishing houses at which I worked relied on one editor to prep the manuscript for typesetting, after which there were 2-3 proofreaders (so the editor was also the copyeditor). Even with all those people checking every inch of a text obsessively (many editors recognize even the most minute wording changes because they have practically memorized the book), errors are still discovered post-publication.

I hope this helps--if your child is truly interested in this profession, try contacting a publishing office to see if she can interview an editor. I did this when I was considering switching to magazine publishing and it was extremely helpful. She might also consider an internship--even if a publishing house does not have a formal program for this they may be willing to take her on if she asks. Just be aware that often internships are unpaid. I had to turn down an unpaid internship at one company because I really needed an income. My favorite employer did pay its interns, though.

One final thought: many editors/copyeditors/proofreaders work freelance. It is extremely easy to do electronically. It is a very good option for supplemental income for a SAHM. In fact, that was my original plan. I did actually proofread for a year after dd was born, but ended up giving up the work. I enjoyed it a great deal, but dh's income was comfortable and I was losing too much sleep doing it. :tongue_smilie: I do have friends, though, who have continued editing or proofreading freelance as SAHMs and have found it to be a good fit.

Let me know if you have any further questions--good luck to your dd as she ponders her options.

[happykids]

It all sounds so interesting!
I especially appreciate the detailed description of the process.
Dd will be glad to know there are several options for an English major. The publishing world sounds so exciting! It is also nice to know that some of this
can be done from home. Having a skill that can bring some income from home is a huge blessing for those who choose to stay home with their kids.

I have printed all the info. and will read and discuss it with her to help her as she tries to choose.
Thank you!
Sabrina

[Sandy in Indy]

I worked as a copy editor for a Christian publishing house. Most of my job was meticulous proof reading, correcting punctuation and spelling as well as grammar issues. But we also read for content...as in, if it didn't make sense to me or if I had a question, then I sent it back to the editor for clarification.

[happykids]

or did you have to have experience elsewhere to get it?
Did you major in English and did that give you the necessary skills to succeed in your job?

Thank you!
Sabrina