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The differences between acquisitions editors and content writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an acquisitions editor, becoming a content writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an acquisitions editor has an average salary of $60,342, which is higher than the $58,918 average annual salary of a content writer.
The top three skills for an acquisitions editor include project management, market trends and market research. The most important skills for a content writer are digital marketing, wordpress, and web content.
| Acquisitions Editor | Content Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $60,342 | $58,918 |
| Hourly rate | $29.01 | $28.33 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 12,281 | 19,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
As the name entails, acquisitions editors acquire manuscripts for use by the publishing house. Your day-to-day duties typically include analyzing the current market, trends, and customer interests, deciding which manuscripts to move forward with, and developing profitable content for publishers. In addition, you will be responsible for reviewing unsolicited manuscripts from authors, and building and maintaining strong relationships with authors and their agents. You will also be responsible for preparing proposals for the board.
The job of content writers is to create the best possible written or visual content ranging from blog posts to press releases. They produce the content for various types of websites, including social networks, news aggregators, and e-commerce sites. The job of content writers is not limited to writing, but also ensuring that the content connects or is relevant to the website pages. They are expected to set the tone of the website and revise the content upon customers' or clients' requests. They are also responsible for assisting in the creation of style guides.
Acquisitions editors and content writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acquisitions Editor | Content Writer | |
| Average salary | $60,342 | $58,918 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $105,000 | Between $40,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Ossining, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | SAGE Publishing | Cisco |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between an acquisitions editor and a content writer in terms of educational background:
| Acquisitions Editor | Content Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between acquisitions editors' and content writers' demographics:
| Acquisitions Editor | Content Writer | |
| Average age | 44 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 16% |