Editor
(Female, Age 32) from Swampscott, MA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 32 who works as a Editor in Swampscott, MA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
Job Title | Editor |
---|---|
Salary | $50,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | 40 |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Swampscott, MA |
Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
Years in Career | 0 |
---|---|
Education | (not answered) |
Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
It is a large publishing firm. They publish hardover and trade paperbacks. They also publish schoolbooks. They have a very respectable list of authors.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Reading manuscripts, choosing and presenting manuscripts, editing the chosen manuscripts, overseeing marketing, sales, budget, artwork, promotion for the titles I am responsible for. Working closely with the author as to the manuscript, proofreading and editing.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Social Security Benefits, Health Insurance
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I have to work with all the different departments, including the sales department and promotion concerning titles that we are currently promoting. I work with editorial assistants and secretaries. I work with my colleagues and other editors. Yes, I like coming to work and seeing the cast of characters. We have some great people here. At other times, I prefer quiet, especially when there is a lot to get done.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work a lot of the time in my office and I like that, but, I also am able to take work/manuscripts home which I enjoy greatly. This gives me more flexibility as to when the work gets done and gives me more of a life outside of work.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 6
Benefits: 7
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 4
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
5am to 6am | |
6am to 7am | |
7am to 8am | I get up and get my kids off to school. I say goodbye to my husband and get showered and ready to go to work. |
8am to 9am | I begin my commute to work and stop at McDonald’s for an egg mcmuffin and coffee. There is often traffic at this time. |
9am to 10am | I get to the office and call in my assistant to ask if anything is waiting for me or if there are any meetings. She tells me that yes there are phone calls on my desk to return and that there is a staff meeting at 2 pm. I start to go through the piles in my inbox. |
10am to 11am | I start by making phone calls and trying to set up meetings for the week. I check my appointment calendar and have my assistant call to confirm lunch with an author whose work I am interested in. |
11am to 12pm | I go over a manuscript that I will be sending to my author. I am making revisions and notes. This is the second revision. We are having some problems so I call him to discuss some of the issues. I then read all the office memos and check my email. |
12pm to 1pm | I am having lunch at a local French restaurant with a client I would like to have publish with us. We have a glass of wine in an outdoor garden setting. The author seems to be pleased with the lunch and the possibility of publishing with us. |
1pm to 2pm | Lunch has extended a bit longer than usual so it’s 1:15 when I return to the office. I check with my assistant and return a few phone calls to the west coast. I speak with the sales manager regarding some of my titles that are out. |
2pm to 3pm | We have a staff meeting with Senior Staff, promotion, sales and marketing. I make a presentation for a new novel which is given a good reception. I hand out a proposal to everyone there. We discuss our current and upcoming titles. There is coffee and tea. |
3pm to 4pm | I go back to my office and take care of some phone calls regarding advertising. I shut my door and try to finish up the manuscript I am currently working on so I can mail it back to the author. |
4pm to 5pm | I am winding up my day. I have tea and speak with my assistant about any issues that are percolating. I tell her what I need for her to do which includes going through a stack of manuscripts and finding those which have a hint of promise. We spend some time talking about what’s going on in her life and how she’s doing at the job. |
5pm to 6pm | I am taking the manuscript home with me to finish along with two others. I get in my car and say goodbye to everyone in the office and head into the heavy traffic. The commute isn’t fun at this hour. I stop at Whole Foods to pick up dinner. |
6pm to 7pm | I’m at Whole Foods buying fresh fish, green beans and potatoes. I’m going to make dinner for my family. I call home to see how the kids are as my mother is there. I call my husband to see if he’s home yet. I get home and begin dinner. |
7pm to 8pm | My family and I sit at the table and eat. Everyone chimes in with what they have done and my husband and I briefly discuss work. I clean up and then help my son with his homework. |
8pm to 9pm | I sit down to watch American Idol with my husband and kids. It’s good to relax. |
9pm to 10pm | I go into my home office to look over my manuscript, finish the details and will send it off tomorrow. |
10pm to 11pm | I go to spend some time with my husband. I tell him about the book I’m editing and ask his opinion on some things. |
11pm to 12am | Time for bed. |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I did research at different publishing companies and applied for an interview at the ones I wanted.
What was the application process?
I submitted my resume and a paper application.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had to interview for my job with the Senior Editor. This entailed a long conversation in his office about my college major, what I had accomplished to date, my skills and what I was looking for. He discussed it with the Executive Division and then I was called back and offered the job.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why do you want to work here? Why do you want to be an editor? What can you contribute to our company? What skills do you bring? What is unique about you? What are your areas of interest? Who are your favorite authors and why?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I was told the responsibilities, the time commitment, the salary. I already knew quite a bit about editing so it was not surprising.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was minimal training, basically there were a few meetings with Senior Editors explaining how things were done at this company. They gave me much more freedom when I began to prove myself.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, by having a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Journalism from an Ivy League School, I did feel prepared for my field.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would recommend that he or she read everything they can about book publishing or magazine publishing. I would recommend they read the catalog of books for that company and do their research. I would recommend that they find a company that they really want to work for and let them know that. I would recommend that they have a very well-written and professional looking resume with references. Then, I would recommend that they take a job as an assistant and work their way up.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Writing and grammatical skills, communication skills, organizational skills. They should also be able to get along well with people and also with the authors no matter how difficult they may be.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, I do feel that you need a good college education and a Bachelor of Arts degree.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Do your homework. Learn everything you can about the publishing field and all the different components that comprise it. There are so many different departments and each one has an individual function, yet they all intermesh. Work your way up.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
At the moment, this is what I enjoy doing. I am, however, interested in publishing my own work and don’t have that much time to work on it at present. At some point, I would like to focus on that. I do have a lot of great contacts in the publishing field.
What are your current career goals?
I would like to become a novelist and spend more time away from the office and with my family. I would like to eventually be able to afford to just write.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It’s a very interesting career and I don’t find it boring. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in literature and writing. It is also great if you are interested in promotion and marketing as you get to do quite a bit of that as well.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Partner | 5 | 30000 | I was helping to run a catering company, including doing all the menus, marketing and promotion as well as helping set up the events. We did weddings, personal and business affairs. |
Prior Job 2 |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.9 | Brown University | Communications/Journalism |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.