Also called: Acquisitions Editor, Developmental Editor
Finds books to publish and helps authors make them as good as possible.
A book editor reads manuscripts from agents, pitches favorites at acquisitions meetings, and writes long letters to authors suggesting how to fix plot holes.
BLS editors median about $75k; entry-level publishing jobs pay far less.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. English or humanities degree; start as an editorial assistant in New York.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: English, Publishing, Comparative Literature.
Shrinking (about -4% over 10 years). Editor jobs projected to decline.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds line editing and reading submissions; choosing books and guiding authors stays human.
Classes: English literature, AP Literature, Creative writing, Journalism.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.