Calling all publishing assistants!

by Shelby Mickler

 

Do you thrive off the adrenaline that kicks in an hour before a big project is due? Are you the kind of person that does all the work in a group project? Do you lack any semblance of a social life and instead constantly read fanfiction (real books are fine too, you’ve just read all the good ones)? Then you may want to think about becoming a publishing assistant.

 

Publishing assistants are one of the most popular entry-level jobs for English, Communication, and Journalism majors. Basically, if you enjoy writing, editing, or just like correcting people, then this is probably the job for you. Why? Because publishing assistants spend their days reading and editing manuscripts, writing content for websites, and micromanaging pretty much everyone who walks into their offices.

 

As a publishing assistant, your main job will be yelling at freelancers about deadlines. However, those sweet moments spent writing your own articles or proofreading someone else’s work is what really makes this job worthwhile. Depending on how large the company is, your responsibilities will vary; if you work for a smaller company, you will probably end up with more duties than if you worked for Penguin Random House or Scholastic.

 

Since this is the lowest job on the editorial hierarchy, the salary is less than enviable. Glassdoor cites the median pay for publishing assistants at around $38,675. However, there is a lot of room to move up the metaphorical job totem pole—since, you know, you’re currently at the bottom. If this kind of job sounds enticing to you, start applying now; the Bureau of Labor Statistics claims that editorial jobs will see a drop in 1,800 jobs by 2026. So if you have any interest whatsoever in writing or publishing, nab a job while you can!