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The differences between acquisitions editors and senior 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 senior editor. Additionally, a senior editor has an average salary of $90,094, 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 senior editor are edit content, video content, and SEO.
| Acquisitions Editor | Senior Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $60,342 | $90,094 |
| Hourly rate | $29.01 | $43.31 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 12,281 | 12,150 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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.
A Senior Editor determines the editorial content for a publication. They supervise the content creation process and manage junior editors.
Acquisitions editors and senior editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Acquisitions Editor | Senior Editor | |
| Average salary | $60,342 | $90,094 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $105,000 | Between $66,000 And $121,000 |
| Highest paying City | Ossining, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | SAGE Publishing | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between an acquisitions editor and a senior editor in terms of educational background:
| Acquisitions Editor | Senior Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between acquisitions editors' and senior editors' demographics:
| Acquisitions Editor | Senior Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% | Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3% |
| 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, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |