Job Responsibilities
Managing Editorial staff members are like the traffic cops of the
publishing process. We don't make the schedules, but we enforce
them. My job as a Managing Editorial Assistant is about 50/50
making sure other people have turned in materials at the right
time and to the right person, and making sure the publication
schedule and database are updated with the current information.
While a lot of what I do is data entry, my job actually entails
an enormous amount of responsibility. If something isn't turned
in to Copyediting on time, I'm responsible. If a jacket doesn't
get approved and sent to the printer on time, I'm responsible.
Basically, I have to keep schedules of various book components in
my head at all times, so I know what needs to be turned in when.
This job involves a lot of attention to detail, and a willingness
to "be the bad guy" when it comes to bothering editors,
copyeditors, and their assistants for missing materials and
information. If you don't have a thick skin and a great memory,
Managing Editorial isn't for you.
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Job Requirements
This job, while mostly administrative, is highly competetive.
Most of the employees in the publishing world come from Ivy
League or equivalent colleges, with a variety of academic
experience (though certainly mostly English degrees). Being a
Managing Editorial Assistant requires not only experience working
with literature, but also occupational experience. When I was
interviewed, my previous experience working in an office, as well
as my experience using various databases, was a big plus on my
resume. It was stressed to me that, while a love of books is
helpful for working in publishing, to work in Managing Ed
requires many more skills than just that.
My undergraduate program was an interdisciplinary program that
combined liberal arts and intensive writing with internships and
independent studies. This was immeasurably helpful in landing me
this job, as I was able to apply many of my interests and
experience to working in a varied department like this one.
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Uppers
The absolute best part of my job is that it exposes me to the entire publishing
process. I deal with almost every department, from Editorial, Art, and Design
and Production, Ad/Promo and Copyediting. I see the book from start (when I set
up the contract proposal) to finish, when I log in the bound book. This is
invaluable to understanding the industry, and also helpful in knowing what other
departments might be of interest. There are obvious other books, such as lots of
free books, but really the exposure to the publishing process as a whole is the
biggest upper.
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Downers
The downers all relate to the actual work that is done. There is
very little room for creativity in Managing Ed. And it is
frustrating if you're a creative person to spend the day routing
and logging in other people's creative efforts. There are also
very few special projects to work on, or new assignments that
come up. Mostly, a Managing Editorial Assistant does the same
dozen tasks over and over throughout the day: pass a book for
press, set up a contract, make scheduling changes, route copy and
jackets, attend scheduling meetings, etc. There is also very
little room for growth, as Managing Ed departments tend to be
bare-bones.
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Lifestyle
This position is a great example of a 9-5 job. While there are days that
require extra hours, for the most part, work gets done during business hours.
There is no need to work on the weekends, and there are no take-home projects
that must get done. My job depends on other people turning material in to me,
and this is not something that can be done outside 9-5, for the most part. The
lifestyle of the company is business casual. The dress code is, as such,
business casual, and there is a high level of seriousness and professionalism
between employees. There company organizes various events, from volunteer days
to softball games and author signings, and there is also a diversity policy
underway designed to attract a more diverse pool of applicants as well as educate
current employees on diversity issues. S&S tries to make work-life enjoyable for
all its employees--and the benefits and social events are uppers of working for a
large publishing house rather than a small, independent one.
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Compensation
The base salary for a Managing Editorial Assistant is the same as
the base salary for all entry-level positions at this company:
$27,500. This is essentially the industry standard, with a few
exceptions, and works out to be around $15 an hour. Unless there
are particular problems with an employee, all employees receive a
3-5% pay raise each year they remain with the company.
Promotions are sometimes accompanied by a pay raise, and are not
too rare (though not too frequent either). There are numerous
stock options and benefits, another upper of being part of a
large company/conglomerate. Health insurance is very cheap and
covers nearly everything, there are adequate vacation and sick
days, and S&S employees also receive discounts at local eateries
and shops.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Publishing will always be a vibrant industry, with relatively
good job security. However, as publishing houses have weeded out
all "excess" employees and are now operating with bare-bones
staffs, the jobs that are available (and there always seem to be
dome) are highly competetive, and internship experience in the
industry is VERY helpful. I would advise job seekers to choose
ONE department and apply to those jobs only--HR reps seem to
ignore applicants who apply for editorial, publicity, AND
marketing. They want candidates who are passionate about one
area--so even if you're not 100% sure, I would suggest making a
choice and applying to those jobs. Once you're in the industry,
it's relatively easy to change departments within your house or
by moving to a different house.
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