Do editorial assistants write?

Yes, editorial assistants write. An editorial assistant is primarily responsible for performing support-related tasks for an editor or editing staff. Depending on the industry, this can include writing, proofreading, scheduling, and much more.

What skills do you need to be an editorial assistant?

You need writing, editing, time management, and administration skills to be an editorial assistant. Whether you work as an editorial assistant in book publishing, traditional media, or digital publications, there's usually some invoice and check-request processing, document scanning, meeting scheduling, editorial calendar managing, and submission tracking.

How To Become An Editorial Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is an editorial assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Bradley Shreve

Editorial assistants are hired to directly assist editors, performing both editorial and administrative duties. Their administrative tasks include answering phones, taking messages, running errands, and performing other tasks as required. They are employed at magazine and book publication establishments. They serve as liaisons between writers and editors. Also, they assist editors in planning, implementing, and managing the publication schedule. Furthermore, they discuss the editorial and publication process with writers and agents. Additionally, they work with various departments to ensure the publication meets the schedule.

To become an editorial assistant, the qualifications vary from one employer to another. Generally, you will need at least a bachelor's degree in journalism, English, creative writing, or communications. You must have proven work experience in a similar role. You must have communication, writing, multitasking, and teamwork skills. You must be familiar with the publishing process. These experts make about $38,381 in a year. This ranges from $31,000 to $48,000.

What general advice would you give to an editorial assistant?

Bradley Shreve

Editor, Tribal College Journal

Be flexible. An undergraduate degree in history offers a solid liberal arts background, but not a skill set that is finely tuned for most jobs. Think outside the box, and understand that the job you land probably won't be in the history profession.

ScoreEditorial AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,141

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.84%

Black or African American 9.35%

Hispanic or Latino 16.36%

Unknown 3.87%

White 65.85%

Gender

female 72.30%

male 27.70%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an editorial assistant

Explore editorial assistant education requirements

Most common editorial assistant degrees

Bachelor's

81.6 %

Master's

9.5 %

Associate

4.9 %

Start to develop specific editorial assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Fact Check	6.57%
Fiction	6.18%
Press Releases	5.67%
Web Content	5.42%
Editor-In-Chief	5.04%

Complete relevant editorial assistant training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New editorial assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an editorial assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real editorial assistant resumes.

Research editorial assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage social media content using Hootsuite.
Manage Instagram account and promote content on all social media pages.
Manage resources of more than 30 CNN bureaus around the world.
Produce content for a locally known lifestyle blog, edit, and manage social media accounts such as Pinterest and Google+.

Prepare your editorial assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your editorial assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an editorial assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable editorial assistant resume templates

Build a professional editorial assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your editorial assistant resume.