How To Become A Manuscript Editor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a manuscript editor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Viola Ardeni

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a manuscript editor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.04 an hour? That's $62,481 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -5,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a manuscript editor?

Viola Ardeni

Assistant Professor & Italian Language Area Head, California State University - Sacramento

To recent graduates in any field, I would recommend making sure they are doing two things: 'Ask questions' and 'Show up.' In the Romance languages, literatures, and linguistics field, asking questions may mean asking for a long of informational interviews, even in places where there are no current jobs openings. You never know what you will learn from talking to someone who is working and has your same degree. Asking questions also means to be present, aware, and critical. Showing up may instead mean trying different things. Besides teaching, there is no clear job following degrees in Romance languages etc. (and even 'teaching' includes a variety of jobs), so taking advantage of different opportunities may come in handy.

ScoreManuscript EditorUS Average

Salary

4.9

Avg. Salary $62,481

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%

Asian 6.88%

Black or African American 3.50%

Hispanic or Latino 7.89%

Unknown 4.56%

White 76.91%

Gender

female 65.86%

male 34.14%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a manuscript editor

Explore manuscript editor education requirements

Most common manuscript editor degrees

Bachelor's

72.1 %

Master's

17.7 %

Doctorate

6.6 %

Start to develop specific manuscript editor skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Health	18.02%
Proofreading	16.91%
XML	12.24%
Journal Articles	8.60%
Peer Review	7.97%

Complete relevant manuscript editor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New manuscript editors 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 a manuscript editor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real manuscript editor resumes.

Research manuscript editor duties and responsibilities

Manage editorial team to create secondary-education textbooks.
Typeset editorial content and manage paste-up board production.
Revise fiction manuscript through content organization, proofreading, and line editing
Provide editing services for both fiction and non-fiction manuscripts.

Prepare your manuscript editor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your manuscript editor 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 a manuscript editor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable manuscript editor resume templates

Build a professional manuscript editor 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 manuscript editor resume.