Book or Script Editor
What the work is
Evaluates manuscripts of books or scripts to determine suitability for publication or production, and edits and supervises material in preparation for publication or for film, television, audio or live performance productions.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Provides feedback and helps with the structure and organisation of a manuscript
- Proofreads manuscripts for clarity and coherence
- Evaluates manuscripts for publication or production suitability
- Provides feedback to Authors to improve drafts and produce a final version of the book
- Provides feedback to screenwriters to improve drafts and produce a final version of the screenplay or script
- Coordinates with designers and Illustrators to support production
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small independent book publisher with a handful of staff and a long reading pile. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- You find a manuscript in the pile of unsolicited submissions that makes you forget to eat lunch
- An author reads your edit and says the book finally sounds like them
- A book you worked on for a year arrives from the printer and smells like new paper
Hard days
- You have to tell a hopeful writer that the book is not ready, or not right for the list
- A deadline and a printer's slot that will not move while an author is still rewriting
- Reading the same chapter for the fifth time and still finding something to fix
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 231232, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.