Publishing Job Titles Explained

Posted on June 11, 2023 in INTO, Ireland

Despite a rise in the number of publishing internships, experience days, and the work of the Society of Young Publishers, it’s common to feel that the publishing job market is a bit of a closed book – if you can excuse the pun! Perhaps you’ve already completed an internship and are on the lookout for an entry-level role in a publishing house. Maybe you have experience in another role that you’re sure would be transferrable to a publishing context and are looking for something slightly higher up the job ladder.

This blog post is designed to debunk the jargon that can accompany the titles and job descriptions of a lot of entry and early-career publishing roles. However, please remember that job titles and criteria can vary between employers. Some recruiters may have different definitions and requirements than those listed below. Furthermore, a lot can depend on context – for example, whether you’re applying to a large company or to a small independent publisher.

In the first instance, always check the information that the job advertisement supplies. Nevertheless, we hope that you find the following explainers helpful. Each job title and description is listed under the relevant publishing sector. With a bit of luck, taking the following into account will not only help you find your perfect role in publishing but will assist you with submitting a successful job application!

Editorial

Editorial Assistant – if you’re interested in editorial but have never held a full-time publishing role before, becoming an editorial assistant is main the starting point. Duties are primarily administrative, for example, taking minutes at acquisitions meetings, compiling book reports, and monitoring email inboxes. Editorial assistants work closely with the editorial team and may assist with proofreading or liaising with authors.

Assistant Editor – many people progress from the Editorial Assistant role to becoming Assistant Editor. Assistant Editors will assist the Publisher and Commissioning Editors with the delivery of a manuscript. They may liaise with other departments on behalf of the editor, for example, sales and publicity. They may also support the editor with line edits.

Editor – Editors work closely with Commissioning Editors and Publishers on various projects. They are normally responsible for both line and structural edits of a manuscript and will be required to proofread and write some copy. Experience as an Assistant Editor is normally required.

Commissioning Editor – Commissioning Editors make decisions about what and who to publish. They will constantly be on the lookout for new ideas, keeping an eye on what is popular and likely to sell. Commissioning Editors will have long-standing editorial experience and will be involved with a new project from the first proposal to the completed book.

Publicity

Publicity/Marketing Assistant – this is an entry-level role. Publicity and Marketing Assistants are required to have organisational skills and creative ideas. The role involves various aspects of marketing, including advertising, planning, promotion, research, PR, and distribution.

Publicity/Marketing Executive – the Publicity/Marketing Executive role is a step up from the Assistant role and requires previous experience working in PR or marketing. Duties include organising the relevant publisher’s presence at festivals, events, and conferences, acting as a main point of contact for authors, and creating and delivering wide-reaching publicity campaigns.

Production

Production Assistant – this is an entry-level role. Production Assistants provide administrative support to the production team. Duties are technical and include communicating with suppliers via phone and email, processing invoices, and maintaining databases. Organisational and IT skills are a must.

Sales

Sales Assistant – this is normally an entry-level role. Sales Assistants provide administrative and organisational support to the sales team, including managing budgets and databases, compiling sales data, and co-ordinating meetings. Organisational skills and attention to detail are required.

Sales Executive – the Sales Executive role is a step up from the Assistant role and requires solid sales experience. Duties include conducting sales presentations to key accounts, representatives, and distributors, order processing, publicity updates, and account management.

Rights

Rights Assistant – this is an entry-level role. Rights Assistants provide administrative support to the Rights team and are required to support the team in issuing options to foreign publishers and agents. Rights Assistants may also draft contracts for rights licensing agreements and provide administrative support in relation to tax and licensing documents.

Rights Executive – this is a step up from the Rights Assistant role. Rights Executives are responsible for selling rights in specified territories. Experience as a Rights Assistant is normally required although experience working in a sales environment may also be considered.

Design

Design Assistant – this is an entry-level role. Design Assistants assist the Art Director and design team with various projects. The role may involve contributing to designing sales and promotional material as well as liaising with Production and Editorial teams in relation to production schedules. A creative portfolio (alongside a CV) is normally required as part of the application process.

Junior Designer – This role can sometimes be entry-level but can occasionally refer to a job role that requires previous practical working experience in design. This includes experience managing your own design projects.

Designer – this role is a step up from the Junior Designer role and requires strong experience working in design. This experience should come with a good track record of managing your own design projects.

Good luck!