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Creative writer vs publisher

The differences between creative writers and publishers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a creative writer, becoming a publisher takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a creative writer has an average salary of $73,095, which is higher than the $71,539 average annual salary of a publisher.

The top three skills for a creative writer include digital marketing, proofreading and email campaigns. The most important skills for a publisher are press releases, customer satisfaction, and strategic thinking.

Creative writer vs publisher overview

Creative WriterPublisher
Yearly salary$73,095$71,539
Hourly rate$35.14$34.39
Growth rate4%-5%
Number of jobs19,12910,303
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age4244
Years of experience24

What does a creative writer do?

Creative writers are professionals who employ their imagination and discipline to convey new and interesting ideas to an audience in an engaging way, such as books, screenplays, and promotional marketing material. These writers must select a subject or theme for their writing projects while conducting research to obtain factual information and authentic detail for their content. They must review and submit their work for approval to meet the needs of their clients, publishers, or directors. Creative writers can also work for magazines, websites, and advertising or become a freelancer.

What does a publisher do?

A publisher manages the design, editing, and production process with the help of proofreaders, printers, and editors. Publishers make schedules for every stage of the process and work backward from the planned date for publication. They distribute promotional catalogs to libraries and booksellers. They set the commercial and editorial direction for businesses publishing newspapers, digital content, magazines, and books. It is their duty to make decisions on the markets that their firms will serve as well as the type of content that they will give to their audience.

Creative writer vs publisher salary

Creative writers and publishers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Creative WriterPublisher
Average salary$73,095$71,539
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $114,000Between $42,000 And $120,000
Highest paying CityRedwood City, CAStamford, CT
Highest paying stateCaliforniaConnecticut
Best paying companyAppleMicrosoft
Best paying industryInternetTelecommunication

Differences between creative writer and publisher education

There are a few differences between a creative writer and a publisher in terms of educational background:

Creative WriterPublisher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common majorEnglishBusiness
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyNorthwestern University

Creative writer vs publisher demographics

Here are the differences between creative writers' and publishers' demographics:

Creative WriterPublisher
Average age4244
Gender ratioMale, 45.8% Female, 54.2%Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%12%

Differences between creative writer and publisher duties and responsibilities

Creative writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage the website, twitter, and facebook.
  • Manage publication review process, including technical and editorial review by in-house and outside reviewers.
  • Create and publish advertising copy, press releases, brochures and technical manuals.
  • Develop an eye for detail and proofreading.
  • Hire to write several papers for NIH fund grant projects.
  • Work with blogs, Wikipedia page management, and Youtube content.
  • Show more

Publisher example responsibilities.

  • Manage the migration and reformatting of over 8,000 web pages into a new CMS.
  • Pitch, produce and build all content (manage freelancers, art-direct shoots, write text, CMS).
  • Manage blogs and social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn) to support the brand of the magazine.
  • Manage editorial calendar and run weekly meetings with cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Manage and perform administrative QC of electronic clinical submission modules within the Documentum document management system.
  • Supervise all editorial activities, including developing editorial story boards, managing freelance copywriters and directing contract photo assignments.
  • Show more

Creative writer vs publisher skills

Common creative writer skills
  • Digital Marketing, 17%
  • Proofreading, 15%
  • Email Campaigns, 11%
  • Video Scripts, 6%
  • Web Content, 5%
  • Proofread, 4%
Common publisher skills
  • Press Releases, 13%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 12%
  • Strategic Thinking, 11%
  • Publishing Industry, 5%
  • Facebook, 4%
  • Market Trends, 4%

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