Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.
Duties
Editors typically do the following:
- Read content and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors
- Rewrite text to make it easier for readers to understand
- Verify facts cited in material for publication
- Evaluate submissions from writers to decide what to publish
- Work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed
- Develop story and content ideas according to the publication’s style and editorial policy
- Allocate space for the text, photos, and illustrations that make up a story or content
- Approve final versions submitted by staff
Editors plan, coordinate, and revise material for publication in books, newspapers, or periodicals or on websites. Editors review story ideas and decide what material will appeal most to readers. During the review process, editors offer comments to improve the product and suggest titles and headlines. In smaller organizations, a single editor may do all the editorial duties or share them with only a few other people.
The following are examples of types of editors:
Assistant editorsare responsible for a particular subject, such as local news, international news, feature stories, or sports. Most assistant editors work for newspaper publishers, television broadcasters, magazines, book publishers, or advertising and public relations firms.
Copy editorsproofread text for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling and check for readability, style, and agreement with editorial policy. They suggest revisions, such as changing words and rearranging sentences and paragraphs to improve clarity or accuracy. They also may carry out research, confirm sources, and verify facts, dates, and statistics. In addition, they may arrange page layouts of articles, photographs, and advertising.
Executive editorsoversee assistant editors and generally have the final say about which stories are published and how those stories are covered. Executive editors typically hirewriters,reporters, and other employees. They also plan budgets and negotiate contracts with freelance writers, who are sometimes called “stringers” in the news industry. Although many executive editors work for newspaper publishers, some work for television broadcasters, magazines, or advertising and public relations firms.
Managing editorstypically work for magazines, newspaper publishers, and television broadcasters and are responsible for the daily operations of a news department.
Publication assistantswho work for book-publishing houses may read and evaluate manuscripts, proofread uncorrected drafts, and answer questions about published material. Assistants on small newspapers or in smaller media markets may compile articles available from wire services or the Internet, answer phones, and proofread articles.
Work Environment
Editors held about 108,400 jobs in 2021. The largest employers of editors were as follows:
| Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers | 34% |
| Self-employed workers | 12 |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 11 |
| Other information services | 9 |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 8 |
Most editors work in offices, whether onsite with their employer or from a remote location. They often use desktop or electronic publishing software, scanners, and other electronic communications equipment.
Jobs are somewhat concentrated in major media and entertainment markets—Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC—but improved communications and Internet capabilities are allowing editors to work from a greater variety of locations.
Overseeing and coordinating multiple writing projects simultaneously is common among editors and may lead to stress or fatigue.
Self-employed editors face the added pressures of finding work on an ongoing basis and continually adjusting to new work environments.
Work Schedules
Most editors work full time, and their schedules are generally determined by production deadlines and type of editorial position. Editors typically work in busy offices and have to deal with production deadline pressures and the stresses of ensuring that the information they publish is correct. As a result, editors often work many hours, especially at those times leading up to a publication deadline. These work hours can be even more frequent when an editor is working on digital material for the Internet or for a live broadcast.
Education and Training
A bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or English, combined with previous writing and proofreading experience, is typically required to be an editor.
Education
Editors typically need a bachelor'sdegreeinEnglishor a related field, such ascommunicationsor journalism.
Candidates with other backgrounds who can show strong writing skills also may find jobs as editors. Editors who deal with specific subject matter may need related work experience. For example, fashion editors may need expertise in fashion that they gain through formal training or work experience.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Many editors start off as editorial assistants,writers, orreporters.
Those who are particularly skilled at identifying good stories, recognizing writing talent, and interacting with writers may be interested in editing jobs.
Other Experience
Editors can gain experience by working on high school and college newspapers and for magazines, radio and television stations, advertising and publishing companies. Magazines and newspapers may have offer student internships. For example, theAmerican Society of Magazine Editorsoffers aMagazine Internship Programto qualified full-time students in their junior or senior year of college. Interns may write stories, conduct research and interviews, and gain general publishing experience.
Editors need to be proficient in computer use, including electronic publishing, graphics, Web design, social media, and multimedia production.
Advancement
Some editors hold management positions and must make decisions related to running a business. For them, advancement generally means moving up to publications with larger circulation or greater prestige. Copy editors may move into original writing or substantive editing positions or become freelancers.
Personality and Interests
Editors typically have an interest in the Creating and Persuading interest areas, according to the Holland Code framework. The Creating interest area indicates a focus on being original and imaginative, and working with artistic media. The Persuading interest area indicates a focus on influencing, motivating, and selling to other people.
If you are not sure whether you have a Creating or Persuading interest which might fit with a career as an editor, you can take a career test to measure your interests.
Editors should also possess the following specific qualities:
Creativity. Editors must be creative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics. Some editors must regularly come up with interesting story ideas and attention-grabbing headlines.
Detail oriented. One of an editor’s main tasks is to make sure that material is error-free and matches the style of a publication.
Good judgment. Editors must decide if certain stories are ethical or if there is enough evidence to report them.
Interpersonal skills. In working with writers, editors must have tact and the ability to guide and encourage them in their work.
Language skills. Editors must ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax. As a result, strong language skills are essential for an editor.
Writing skills. Editors should enjoy writing and must be excellent writers overall. They must have good knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules and be able to express ideas clearly and logically.
Pay
The median annual wage for editors was $63,350 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,970, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $129,420.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for editors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | $78,270 |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | 77,000 |
| Other information services | 69,880 |
| Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers | 61,060 |
Most editors work full time, and their schedules are generally determined by production deadlines and type of editorial position. Editors typically work in busy offices and have to deal with production deadline pressures and the stresses of ensuring that the information they publish is correct. As a result, editors often work many hours, especially at those times leading up to a publication deadline. These work hours can be even more frequent when an editor is working on digital material for the Internet or for a live broadcast.
Job Outlook
Employment of editors is projected to decline 5 percent from 2021 to 2031.
Despite declining employment, about 10,200 openings for editors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
As traditional print publications lose ground to other media formats, editors are shifting their focus to online media. Despite the growth in online media, decreases in traditional print magazine and newspaper readership will cause a decline in overall employment of editors.
For More Information
For more information about editors, visit
American Society of Magazine Editors
FAQ
Where does this information come from?
The career information aboveis taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. This excellent resource for occupational data is published by theU.S. Department of Labor every two years. Truity periodically updates our site with information from the BLS database.
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I am not sure if this career is right for me. How can I decide?
There are many excellent tools available that will allow you to measure your interests, profile your personality, and match these traits with appropriate careers. On this site, you can take the Career Personality Profiler assessment, the Holland Code assessment, or the Photo Career Quiz.
