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Book editor vs author

The differences between book editors and authors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a book editor and an author. Additionally, an author has an average salary of $78,368, which is higher than the $64,052 average annual salary of a book editor.

The top three skills for a book editor include fiction, copyedit and literature. The most important skills for an author are veterans, JAN, and DOD.

Book editor vs author overview

Book EditorAuthor
Yearly salary$64,052$78,368
Hourly rate$30.79$37.68
Growth rate-5%4%
Number of jobs11,671953
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4442
Years of experience44

Book editor vs author salary

Book editors and authors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Book EditorAuthor
Average salary$64,052$78,368
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $111,000Between $51,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City-Beverly, MA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-John Wiley & Sons
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between book editor and author education

There are a few differences between a book editor and an author in terms of educational background:

Book EditorAuthor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorEnglishBusiness
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Book editor vs author demographics

Here are the differences between book editors' and authors' demographics:

Book EditorAuthor
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 33.0% Female, 67.0%Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%16%

Differences between book editor and author duties and responsibilities

Book editor example responsibilities.

  • Manage content using CMS tools and ongoing social media campaign and reader engagement via social media networks and blog.
  • Contract to edit works of fiction in all genres.
  • Assist with various tasks as needed by the editor-in-chief.
  • Initiate use of macros to expedite HTML coding of articles.
  • Edit manuscript; discuss opportunities for revision and clarification; copyedit.
  • Edit and convert works to html formatting prior to publi- cation.
  • Show more

Author example responsibilities.

  • Manage and integrate web content for an international client using proprietary CMS software.
  • Manage the proposal lifecycle, including RFP analysis, regular communications, proposal development and production consistent with branding strategies.
  • Work on DNA mutagenesis, DNA construction (insertion, deletion), PCR.
  • Create online marketing materials including a website that employs HTML, JavaScript, PHP, AJAX, and MySQL.
  • Authenticate identity and verify that requests for PKI digital certificates meet all requirements of DOD and internal procedures.
  • Authore several books on JavaScript, HTML/CSS
  • Show more

Book editor vs author skills

Common book editor skills
  • Fiction, 13%
  • Copyedit, 9%
  • Literature, 8%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Production Schedules, 6%
  • Non-Fiction, 6%
Common author skills
  • Veterans, 17%
  • JAN, 15%
  • DOD, 10%
  • HTML, 9%
  • Twitter, 5%
  • Fiction, 4%

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