Post job

Book editor vs writer

The differences between book editors and writers 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 a writer. Additionally, a writer has an average salary of $66,143, 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 a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.

Book editor vs writer overview

Book EditorWriter
Yearly salary$64,052$66,143
Hourly rate$30.79$31.80
Growth rate-5%4%
Number of jobs11,67113,931
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4442
Years of experience44

Book editor vs writer salary

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

Book EditorWriter
Average salary$64,052$66,143
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $111,000Between $40,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Apple
Best paying industry--

Differences between book editor and writer education

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

Book EditorWriter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Book editor vs writer demographics

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

Book EditorWriter
Average age4442
Gender ratioMale, 33.0% Female, 67.0%Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8%
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, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage12%16%

Differences between book editor and 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

Writer example responsibilities.

  • Operate AP NEWSCENTER/ENPS and manage CNN feed services.
  • Manage the Instagram account, which mean publishing and keeping up to date with the articles.
  • Manage projects diligently under aggressive deadlines while maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring stories have entertainment and/or educational value.
  • Participate in roundtable discussions offering hot takes and opinions on NBA and NFL teams, players, and coaches.
  • Train all staff on using the CMS.
  • Place stories into CS3 InDesign pages.
  • Show more

Book editor vs writer skills

Common book editor skills
  • Fiction, 13%
  • Copyedit, 9%
  • Literature, 8%
  • Adobe Photoshop, 8%
  • Production Schedules, 6%
  • Non-Fiction, 6%
Common writer skills
  • Work Ethic, 18%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Web Content, 8%
  • Math, 7%
  • SEO, 5%
  • SQL, 3%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs