Post job

Book editor vs staff writer

The differences between book editors and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a book editor, becoming a staff writer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a book editor has an average salary of $64,052, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.

The top three skills for a book editor include fiction, copyedit and literature. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.

Book editor vs staff writer overview

Book EditorStaff Writer
Yearly salary$64,052$44,844
Hourly rate$30.79$21.56
Growth rate-5%6%
Number of jobs11,67180,547
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4446
Years of experience42

Book editor vs staff writer salary

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

Book EditorStaff Writer
Average salary$64,052$44,844
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $111,000Between $29,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-The New York Times Company
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between book editor and staff writer education

There are a few differences between a book editor and a staff writer in terms of educational background:

Book EditorStaff Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Book editor vs staff writer demographics

Here are the differences between book editors' and staff writers' demographics:

Book EditorStaff Writer
Average age4446
Gender ratioMale, 33.0% Female, 67.0%Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%
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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%11%

Differences between book editor and staff writer 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

Staff writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage magazine's transition to a new CMS system.
  • Manage website by uploading and scheduling articles, fixing errors, proofreading, optimizing for SEO, and polishing content.
  • Manage arts and entertainment editorial calendar, assign stories to multiple freelancers and plan daily coverage.
  • Assist with copywriting, magazine and advertisement layout.
  • Research, verify facts and edit all contributor submissions.
  • Create unique columns commentating on the social state of hockey and the NHL.
  • Show more

Book editor vs staff writer skills

Common book editor skills
  • Fiction, 13%
  • Copyedit, 9%
  • Literature, 8%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Production Schedules, 6%
  • Non-Fiction, 6%
Common staff writer skills
  • Feature Stories, 9%
  • News Stories, 8%
  • Event Coverage, 7%
  • News Articles, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Photography, 6%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs