What They Do: Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.
Work Environment: Most editors work in offices, whether onsite with their employer or from a remote location. The work can be stressful because editors often have tight deadlines.
How to Become One: Computer proficiency and a bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, or English are typically required to become an editor.
Salary: The median annual wage for editors is $63,350.
Job Outlook: Employment of editors is projected to decline 5 percent over the next ten years.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of editors with similar occupations.
Editors plan, review, and revise content for publication.
Editors typically do the following:
Editors plan, coordinate, and revise material for publication in books, newspapers, magazines, or 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 perform all of the editorial duties or share them with only a few other people.
The following are examples of types of editors:
Copy editors proofread 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.
Publication assistants who 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.
Assistant editors are 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.
Executive editors oversee assistant editors and generally have the final say about what stories are published and how they are covered. Executive editors typically hire writers, 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 editors typically work for magazines, newspaper publishers, and television broadcasters, and are responsible for the daily operations of a news department.
Editors hold about 108,400 jobs. The largest employers of editors are 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.
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.
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A bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or English, combined with previous writing and proofreading experience, is typically required to be an editor.
Employers generally prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or English. They also prefer candidates who have experience in a few types of media, such as newspapers, social media, and television.
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 previous related work experience. For example, fashion editors may need expertise in fashion that they gain through formal training or work experience.
Many editors start off as editorial assistants, writers, or reporters.
Those who are particularly skilled at identifying good stories, recognizing writing talent, and interacting with writers may be interested in editing jobs.
Editors also can gain experience by working on high school and college newspapers, and for magazines, radio and television stations, advertising and publishing companies, or nonprofit organizations. Magazines and newspapers also have internships for students. For example, the American Society of Magazine Editors offers a Magazine Internship Program to 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.
The ability to use computers is necessary for editors to stay in touch with writers and other editors. Familiarity with electronic publishing, graphics, Web design, social media, and multimedia production is also important, because more content is being offered online.
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.
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.
Writing skills. Editors must ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax. Editors must write clearly and logically.
The median annual wage for editors is $63,350. 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.
The median annual wages for editors in the top industries in which they work are 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.
Employment of editors is projected to decline 5 percent over the next ten years.
Despite limited employment growth, 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 different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
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.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Editors | 108,400 | 102,900 | -5 | -5,500 |
For more information about editors, visit
American Society of Magazine Editors
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.