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Book reviewer vs staff writer

The differences between book reviewers and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a book reviewer and a staff writer. Additionally, a staff writer has an average salary of $44,844, which is higher than the $44,791 average annual salary of a book reviewer.

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

Book reviewer vs staff writer overview

Book ReviewerStaff Writer
Yearly salary$44,791$44,844
Hourly rate$21.53$21.56
Growth rate-10%6%
Number of jobs11,14280,547
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age4046
Years of experience22

What does a book reviewer do?

Book reviewers are literature professionals who are responsible for providing opinions and criticisms about the books they read to the public. These book reviewers are required to provide the plot summary of a book to guide potential readers and then comment about the writing style of the book's author. Most book reviewers usually work as freelance writers, while others are employed by a particular publication to write objective reviews for their newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Book reviewers must also review audiobooks for the quality narration of their plots while conducting interviews with their authors.

What does a staff writer do?

A staff writer is an individual who works in the television (TV) or entertainment industry to provide standard content such as news reports, reviews, and features. Since writing content is important, staff writers must be able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas with other staff members in the production process. They must attend conferences, events, or seminars to meet other people in the industry. Staff writers must also possess knowledge in scriptwriting and an in-depth understanding of the entertainment industry.

Book reviewer vs staff writer salary

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

Book ReviewerStaff Writer
Average salary$44,791$44,844
Salary rangeBetween $22,000 And $88,000Between $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 reviewer and staff writer education

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

Book ReviewerStaff Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common majorEnglishJournalism
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Book reviewer vs staff writer demographics

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

Book ReviewerStaff Writer
Average age4046
Gender ratioMale, 25.7% Female, 74.3%Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.1% 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 Percentage10%11%

Differences between book reviewer and staff writer duties and responsibilities

Book reviewer example responsibilities.

  • Post a book review, including HTML codes (if applicable), on personal blog.
  • Write book reviews for prominent genre literature magazine
  • Review economics text books to determine level of mathematics require to comprehend material.
  • Participate in meetings with inter agencies and other entities as appropriate to facilitate and enhance the Medicaid eligibility determination process.
  • Participate in meetings with inter agencies and other entities as appropriate to facilitate and enhance the Medicaid eligibility determination process.

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 reviewer vs staff writer skills

Common book reviewer skills
  • Fiction, 35%
  • Literature, 27%
  • Biographies, 14%
  • Poetry, 12%
  • Non-Fiction, 11%
Common staff writer skills
  • Feature Stories, 9%
  • News Stories, 8%
  • Event Coverage, 7%
  • News Articles, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Photography, 6%

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