![]() ![]() A smaller trade press, Globe Pequot Press, may look for an acquisitions editor with a passion for outdoor sports and recreation. recently listed a job posting for an acquisitions editor at Amazon Publishing’s Montlake Romance imprint, which included the job duties of maintaining relationships with literary agents and commissioning high quality, profitable titles for the romance genre. Similar to academic publishing, a trade publisher looks for a candidate with an interest or background for a certain genre. 1Ī successful acquisitions editor will be passionate about the subject matter at hand as well as what is at stake for the quality of experience that readers receive and the quality of scholarship that researchers depend on. But this kind of work is perfect for those who have broad interests and find complex (re: messy) problem-solving a delicious challenge. ![]() All this flies in the face of the image I had always entertained of ivory-tower academics making their mark by studying one topic to the exclusion of all others, often while working in near-monastic seclusion. Not only do editors have to be able to think and work as part of a team of very different (and often differently minded) people both in and out of the office, but they must be able to get excited about projects beyond those they find personally interesting. On the flip side, Judith Amsel, an acquisitions editor at Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., mentions you may find yourself extending beyond your interests and knowledge to less familiar subdisciplines: If you have a background in the humanities, it would make less sense to look for an acquisitions position in the field of science, or vice versa. Remember to research open acquisitions positions in your field of interest. An acquisitions editor for hard sciences at Benjamin Cummings (a publishing imprint of Pearson) may be responsible for the biology list. For example, recently Oxford University Press was looking for an acquisitions editor in the field of social sciences in the job description, the press called for someone familiar with the subjects of communication, education, and law. It is likely that under the qualifications in a job posting, the publisher will either prefer or require familiarity with scholarship in the field of study. The job of acquisitions editor is the starting place for a publishing house to develop inventory and to keep books fresh through the revision process.Įssentials to Success: Knowing Your Book List, Your Field of InterestĪn acquisitions editor for a textbook publisher or small scholarly press typically maintains and grows a book list for a certain field of study. ![]() Some publishing houses post jobs with similar responsibilities under the title of commissioning editor or sponsoring editor. Daily activities can range from traveling to meet with a potential author, to attending a conference, to studying a panel of reviewers’ feedback on a manuscript. Generally, an acquisitions editor evaluates solicited and unsolicited manuscripts from authors, conceptualizes profitable book ideas, negotiates author contracts, and strategizes and plans for the production of new and revised titles. This position is one to consider if you like interacting with others and meeting new people, if you are familiar with or interested in sales and market trends in publishing, if you are willing to travel, and if you want a job with variety. The term ‘acquisitions editor’ can be a bit of a misnomer while the job entails the acquisition of material as the name implies, the editor’s role does not focus on copy-editing or proofreading in the traditional sense. While the job of acquisitions editor is not an entry-level position, it is one that may be overlooked when thinking about how to advance a career in publishing, using the skills developed from a BA in English or an MFA in creative writing. Many college graduates and others looking for employment in the publishing industry may wonder what opportunities exist aside from the more well-known copy editor, editorial assistant, or editor-in-chief jobs. Acquisitions Editing: Centurions at the Gate ![]()
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