Ask the Editor

Well, it's been a busy month here at the Publishing Careers blog! At the urging of my friend Joe Wikert, I've posted just about every weekday this August. You'd think I'd be in danger of running out of topics, but in many ways I feel I'm just getting started.

I've heard from a lot of you, privately and through comments, and you don't know how happy that makes me. I think it's great to share as much knowledge as we can about our careers and our industry. I also know that a lot of my readers have been in the business for a while, so I want to try to keep posting topics that reflect everyone's interests and questions.

I would also like to branch out and include topics on other areas of book publishing beyond editorial. There are lots of fascinating jobs in marketing, sales, design, and production, so I am really going to make an effort to share their stories with you as well.

So I need your help. What questions do you have? What topics would you like me to investigate? What tips can you share with the group? Let me know who's out there so that I don't keep feeling I'm writing just to hear myself talk!

Have a great Labor Day weekend. See you in September!

Publishing Executive Recruiter: Steve Ganz of Personnel Associates

You've probably heard the term "headhunter" used in reference to someone who goes out to find people to fill a company's specific job opening. Believe it or not, there are actually recruiters who specialize in the publishing industry. And Steve Ganz of Personnel Associates in southern California, specializing in educational publishing, is one of the nicest. I got a chance to chat with him this afternoon and ask some relevant questions.

First off, do you work with entry-level candidates?

Not a lot. But not because I don't want to. Usually when a company hires me to fill a position, they are looking for a specific level of experience beyond entry level. They can find plenty of entry-level candidates on their own.

In a nutshell, how does the recruiting process work?

First the publisher calls me. They are the clients and pay the bill. Usually the hiring manager or HR person has a very specific need--for example, a marketing person with experience in psychology textbooks. I have a database of about 20,000 resumes and can sort them and pinpoint someone with the exact experience. These people are not usually actively looking for jobs, but they don't want to miss any good opportunities. So when I find a match, I call or e-mail them. If they are interested in knowing more, we have a more detailed conversation. Then I send their resume to the hiring company.

Do job seekers pay you to find them a job?

No, just the opposite. The company pays the fees and I work for them.

Is it OK for a candidate to send their resume to more than one recruiter?

Yes, it happens all the time. But if I am working with you on a specific opportunity, it's best to talk to me first before contacting other recruiters or applying directly to companies. Often I am aware of the same opportunities and can help you get an interview through my own contacts.

What's the geographic distribution of companies that you recruit for?

Sixty percent are in the NYC area (75% if you include Boston). Usually 10% are on the West Coast (although right now that number is about 30%), and 5 to 10% are elsewhere.

Do you have any hints for college students hoping to break into the field?

If you want to be an acquisitions editor and then progress up to execuitve editor and publisher, a better way is to get into a sales job first and then progress to higher roles. In educational publishing, acquisitions editor really is a sales role--you're selling potential authors on the idea of publishing their book with your company. Many salespeople are tasked with looking for potential authors, so it's a natural progression to acquisitions editor.

I also have a list of helpful websites that I send out when entry-level people (with less than three years of experience in publishing) contact me:

http://www.publishers.org/
http://www.pspcentral.org/
http://www.pspcentral.org/careers/careers.pdf
http://www.publishingcentral.com
http://www.bookjobs.com/page.php?prmID=8
http://www.edpress.org/about/index.htm
http://www.bookjobs.com/
http://www.literarymarketplace.com

Publishers Weekly Annual Salary Survey

It's that time of year again--the publishing industry's trade magazine, Publishers Weekly, has released the results of its annual salary survey. (If you're saying to yourself, "hey, didn't you just write about this in March?" the answer is yes. That was the 2006 survey, which took several months to circulate itself to me in the office's shared subscription.)

This time they got more specific with the salary numbers than they did last year, which is great. Average salaries for people with three years of experience or less, by department, were as follow:

• Editorial: $30,100
• Sales/Marketing: $$34,000
• Management: $62,500
• Operations: $40,350

To get a look at what the future holds for those who stay in publishing more than a decade, here are the average salaries:

• Editorial: $71,000
• Sales/Marketing: $93,125
• Management: $149,000
• Operations: $65,000

The usual caveat applies: Jobs in places with a higher cost of living tend to pay more. But not enough more. In New York there is so much competition for the jobs, they feel they don't have to pay fairly. As evidence, the median entry-level salary in editorial/sales/marketing in the Midwest is $44,750, whereas in the Mid-Atlantic (which includes NYC), it's only $51,000. That's a difference of just 12%. Meanwhile, the cost of living in NYC is 115% higher than it is in Indianapolis, according to BankRate.com's Cost of Living Comparison Calculator.

The survey includes a lot more data about gender, bonuses, and company size. And as always, there's a cherry on top: 82% of respondents said they would recommend a job in publishing to college graduates.

The Elements of Style: Don't Take an Editing Test Without It

When I was in college, my beloved advisor and mentor, Dr. Sam Longmire, one day handed me a copy of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. "Read it," he said, "and take it to heart."

Arrogant college student that I was, I don't think I read it right away. But a few years later when I faced taking Macmillan's pre-employment editing test, I decided to break it out and see whether I could learn anything quickly.

To my great surprise, it was a good read. It was quick (less than 100 short pages), easy to grasp, and interesting. It all made good sense and I did indeed take it to heart.

A few days later as I sat in the conference room with the editing test in front of me, I was delighted to see that several of the errors on the test came straight from the book. Had I not read it the night before, I probably would have missed those.

So, you know the rest of the story. I passed the test and got the job. Eight years later when I faced the JIST editing test, I again broke out that little book and again found it directly useful.

I think you know where I'm going with this. Read it and take it to heart. You won't regret it.

Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable

On our last night in St. Paul, eight of us from JIST's sales and editorial departments trooped down Seventh Street in search of dinner. We landed at the Liffey pub. Immediately upon entering, I saw a group of people around a table with a sign on it: "Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable Meeting." So of course I had to check it out.

I approached the group and talked to the publicity manager from Llewellyn, a new-age publisher in Woodbury. She was excited to hear about this blog and promises to share her experiences for a future post. (Hint: she got her experience through an unpaid internship.)

In the meantime, a great source of information about publishing careers in Minnesota is the Minnesota Book Publishers' Roundtable's website.

EMC/Paradigm Sales Meeting

I'm here in St. Paul enjoying being immersed in a totally new experience for me: textbook publishing. It's completely different than the trade and reference publishing I have always been involved in. It can take up to two years to edit and produce a book. Reps actually go to schools and colleges and meet with potential buyers one on one.

Yesterday was a long but interesting day. In the morning we spent two hours per book learning about the newest textbooks from EMC. Discussion focused on the unique features of the books as opposed to the competing books, and on strategies for selling these books. The reps are all very experienced, enthusiastic, and clever in figuring out ways to sell the books.

After a fantastic Italian buffet in the hotel atrium, it was time for JIST to introduce itself to the reps. Unfortunately, weather and other issues delayed several of our presenters and sales reps, so we had to wing it. I was in charge of advancing the PowerPoints for our presentation to the college reps. Thank goodness our marketing VP arrived just before the presentation started, or I would have had to speak with no preparation about books I've never read!

After a full day of presentations, they loaded about 150 of us on buses (the reps plus the entire EMC/Paradigm Minnesota staff) and took us to the riverfront, where we caught a dinner cruise down the Mississippi. The food as fabulous, the weather finally cleared up, and we enjoyed getting to know our new colleagues and exploring ways we can all work together in the future.

Leaving for Minnesota

I'm leaving for the EMC/Paradigm/JIST sales conference in beautiful downtown St. Paul. (I'm not being snarky--I've heard it's very nice.) Tonight I'm meeting with a literary agent whom I worked with on Over-40 Job Search Guide. Then the rest of the week will be non-stop product meetings peppered with group activities, such as a dinner cruise on the Mississippi.

In my absence, I've asked my husband to be a guest blogger and tell you all about his upcoming trip (his eighth annual, I think) to the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany.