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The differences between acquisitions editors and copy editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an acquisitions editor and a copy editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $60,342 average annual salary of an acquisitions editor.
The top three skills for an acquisitions editor include project management, market trends and market research. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.
| Acquisitions Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $60,342 | $62,599 |
| Hourly rate | $29.01 | $30.10 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 12,281 | 4,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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 primary job of copy editors is to check for misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and consistency in typography, words, and style. They also act as fact-checkers, proofreaders, and project managers, overseeing the workflow and communicating with other departments. A copy editor's other duties and responsibilities include checking content for readability and compliance with editorial policies, rewriting text to improve readability and clarity, and arranging page layouts of articles, photos, and advertisements. Formal training is not required for this role, but copy editors generally have a firm grasp and love for the English language's proper usage.
Acquisitions editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acquisitions Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average salary | $60,342 | $62,599 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $105,000 | Between $39,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | Ossining, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | SAGE Publishing | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between an acquisitions editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:
| Acquisitions Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between acquisitions editors' and copy editors' demographics:
| Acquisitions Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| 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, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |