The world of writing and publishing consists of many different job positions. The position of managing editorial assistant is just one of them. It is an extremely desired position for several reasons.
Many managing editorial assistants work from just nine to five, five days a week. These work hours leave a lot of time for other activities, for family life, or even for second jobs to earn some extra cash. A lot of managing editorial assistants actively pursue freelance writing work in their spare time and some of them earn more money with their side job than with their steady job. Therefore many managing editorial assistants are able to be part of the middle class because their main job alone generally generates only average pay when they start off. The majority of managing editorial assistants make about thirty thousand dollars a year at the beginning of their career, but this does not include the bonuses they often receive when they are successful or their extra income as freelance writers. They are usually able to land the high paying freelance writing jobs because of their experience and expertise. Of course there are some high-level managing editorial assistants who make considerably more. The average pay for a well-seasoned managing editorial assistant is about seventy thousand dollars a year. While many do not need the extra writing income anymore once they reach that level, they often stay faithful to their side job too.
What does the actual job of managing editorial assistant include? Overall, the managing editorial assistant is the direct spokesman and assistant for the editorial director and the executive director in a publishing company. He is usually the person in charge of preparing minutes for editorial board meetings. He is the one who gets credit for writing the Tip Sheets. The managing editorial assistant handles contracts and negotiates between the writers and the publishing company he works for regarding contracts and royalties. The ultimate manuscript of a book or other literate work is reviewed by him before the actual production starts. He makes sure that published works get the right attention from the media and the business world by putting the information in respective databases and updating these databases constantly and accurately.
Managing editorial assistants are expected to be skilled writers and talkers. Their language skills excel and most of them are at least bilingual. To land a good position as managing editorial assistant it is advisable to get one or more years experience in the publishing business. A BS or BA degree is highly recommended due to the level of intelligence that is overall expected. Depending on the nature of the publishing company additional education is often required. Companies who work mostly with writers of scientific books will usually also require a degree in science. Publishing companies who deal a lot with authors of business related books generally expect their managing editorial assistants to have at least a minimum of business education behind them. Smart business men who are intelligent, have a long-term business experience behind them, and can talk well are sometimes able to become successful managing editorial assistants for publishing companies who publish mostly books on business related topics.
A proficient managing editorial assistant is one who gets the job done. If that means he has to do overtime while he is on a salary and does not get paid extra for extra hours than he stays too. He does not need to consider the willingness to do so, he just does. His loyalty to the publishing company he works for is very generous.
Managing editorial assistants become very familiar with the entire editing and publishing process. Proofreading and editing are just some of his daily activities. He also makes sure that all the copyright requirements are fulfilled. He has to make sure that the publishing company does not encounter legal issues when the work of an author is being published. He checks up with the accounting department and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. Very often, the managing editorial assistant is the solution finder for just about any problem that can pop up in a publishing company. He is the ultimate multi tasking employee of the publishing company and he deals not only with editorial but also clerical issues.
A managing editorial assistant is not the kind of guy who needs to be told what to do one thing at a time. He has very strong skills in organizing his work and the work of others who work with him. He is able to do his own thing, see the work, start the work, and prioritize at all times. He manages his time wisely and is aware of every little thing that goes on. He is very precise in what he is doing and no detail escapes his attention. The managing editorial assistant is able at all times to adjust his work and his mindset to the needs of his seniors in the company. After all, that is what the word assistant in the name stands for. He is able to adjust his logic to the logic of his superior and to enforce the same strategy with the employees in lower positions.
The job of managing editorial assistant is very respectful and very often a stepping stool to higher positions like editorial director. Because they become so familiar with all the demands of the publishing world they often become successful writers when they retire from their day job.
