Text editor: who is he and what does he do? Profession editor-in-chief What does the magazine editor-in-chief do?

Hello to all readers of the blog site! Today I propose to consider another option for working from home.

The editor profession is not easy, but interesting for creative individuals. It is also for those who are purposeful, ambitious, and have organizational skills. In this article we will look at who an editor is, how to become one, what a specialist does and how much a specialist earns. So, let's go!

Let me start with the fact that this is one of the most ancient professions. With the development of printing, the need for text editing arose. There was a need for a person who would monitor the literacy of the printed word, its correct formation into sentences, clarity and interest for the reader.

Over time, editing covered all areas of stylistic activity. Work in the field of literature and the media is not possible without the participation of an editor. Newspapers, magazines, books, articles on websites pass through the hands of this specialist before reaching the reader’s eye.

Editor - who is he and what does he do?

The name of the profession comes from the Latin “redactus”, which means “put in order”. What does the editor put in order? Of course, the text. He is responsible for preparing it for publication.

This process includes:

  • selection of exciting and relevant topics,
  • tracking thematic content,
  • adjusting the content in accordance with the requirements of a particular genre,
  • editing and finalization of finished material.

But not only that. The editor combines the skills of a journalist, and even... He is also a manager/manager, since he has to deal with authors, publishing houses and other services.

Types of profession

An editor is a creative and multifaceted profession. It all depends on what profile you want to create in, what kind of editor you want to become:

  • literary (editor of a book publishing house) - responsible for the artistic component of the text, its stylistic design, expressiveness of speech;
  • artistic (build editor) - engaged in the design of the publication, its aesthetic content;
  • scientific – consult and edit popular science and educational works;
  • technical - control the correctness of the text, be responsible for the technical process of the route: editorial - printing house;
  • The main thing is to manage the publishing department, control the direction of activity, and be responsible for all the work of the publishing house.

The development and popularity of the Internet have made it possible to do all this remotely and have lifted the curtain on another type of profession - electronic publication editor/website editor/content editor.

The functional features of the latter differ only in that all work is carried out online, and publications are presented to a wide readership in electronic form.

What are the responsibilities of an editor?

There is an opinion that the main and only responsibility of an editor is to edit printed text. This is a deep misconception, because without special education, the gift of writing texts and understanding speech styles, without innate or acquired literacy, you will not become a professional.

Editorial work is not an easy creative process and you can’t just get into this position, as they say “from the street,” you need to have certain skills and be able to perform certain duties.

Editor's responsibilities:

  • Working with printed material, first of all: meeting its genre and style requirements, correcting speech defects and errors in the text, paraphrasing incorrect phrases/words, etc.
  • Creation of the basic concept of the project, which includes determining the general direction of activity, topics, titles of articles, assignments to authors and control over deadlines, analysis of material, quality control, and, if necessary, refinement and editing of edited materials.
  • Assistance in solving various kinds of issues: artistic as well as technical design of the material before preparing it for publication.
  • Performing management tasks.

This is not the entire range of responsibilities. It can be supplemented, expanded or, conversely, reduced depending on staffing characteristics, the presence or absence of specialists, as well as the concept of the editorial office/organization/site.

Important professional qualities

Who can become an editor? Who is this profession suitable for? What qualities should a person have who wants to become a professional in this business?

Unfortunately, many will have to be upset: not everyone who already sees themselves in the editor’s chair can achieve success. It is necessary to have many personal qualities on which the result of the work will depend.

  • responsible,
  • attentive,
  • hardy,
  • creative,
  • sociable,
  • literate,
  • erudite,
  • emotionally balanced and stress-resistant,
  • have organizational and public speaking skills,
  • have an analytical mind and good memory,
  • love to read
  • good computer skills

this job is for you. If you don’t have any of the listed qualities, it doesn’t matter, “there is no limit to perfection” - you can develop them in yourself if you wish. Experience in journalism, teaching in the field of philology, and knowledge of languages ​​will be an excellent help. And the main thing is to love what you do.

A purposeful professional who is confident in his abilities, having a solid store of knowledge and skills behind him, will not be unclaimed.

Pros and cons of the profession

Like any other profession, being an editor has its pros and cons.

The positives include:

  • Moral component

The publication of the next edition brings joy and satisfaction from the work done. The work itself, be it an article or a book, entails the formation of opinions, attitudes, tastes and preferences of readers. This is largely due to the editor.

  • The opportunity to calmly work remotely in privacy with a computer, original material and linguistic splendor, to be first in line for a masterpiece.
  • Constant self-development and improvement. Working with educated, intelligent people is a powerful incentive for self-education, knowledge and realization of one’s capabilities.
  • “A good increase in pension,” as Lenya Golubkov said from the once sensational MMM advertisement, i.e. your ability to write and edit gives you an excellent opportunity to earn extra money.
  • Career prospects.

The disadvantages, first of all, include medical contraindications:

  • vision limitations,
  • diseases of the musculoskeletal system,
  • diseases of the nervous system.
  • numerous stresses due to a large amount of work within a tough,
  • high responsibility,
  • big competition.

The profession is in high demand, as editorial organizations and Internet resources are rapidly developing. More and more new projects appear every day, and the need for competent and timely editing increases significantly.

How much can you earn

A question that is difficult to answer definitively. The editor's fee may depend on many components: education (it must be higher philological or journalistic, in extreme cases, pedagogical), qualifications, place of work (which is very important), your experience, the complexity of the projects being carried out, related skills (knowledge of foreign languages, for example) etc.

An important factor influencing the level of income is great competition. It is clear that the prestigious publishing house of a newfangled magazine or the editorial office of a book publishing house are more competitive and the salaries there are many times higher than the editorial office of a regional periodical or electronic publication.

If you are specifically interested in numbers, then on the World Wide Web they range from $300 to $1,000. How much you will earn depends only on you and your desire.

I think everyone made their own conclusion. A job that allows you to combine business with pleasure, turning a hobby into a source of income.

If you are seriously thinking about getting into this work, then here are some final tips from established pros in this niche:

  • To get better at editing, don’t limit yourself to just one thing, work in different genres, focus on your target audience;
  • do not leave facts unverified;
  • learn to work with a large amount of information;
  • master spelling rules (remember: the editor has no room for error!);
  • study the computer (master the programs necessary for editing);
  • develop;
  • the site editor needs to know;
  • Constantly improve yourself by reading educational literature, expanding your horizons.

“Oh, this is not an easy job...” Well, who said it would be easy? But then how nice it will be to boast about your ability to turn even the most boring article into a masterpiece.

That's all, friends. I hope you found the article useful and interesting. Share your opinions and thoughts. I look forward to your comments. See you on the blog pages.

An editor is a specialist who is professionally involved in editing, i.e. preparation for the publication of works (articles, literary works), as well as preparation for the release of publications in general (books, magazines, online publications).

(from lat. redactus- put in order)

Editor- is a specialist professionally engaged in editing, i.e. preparation for the publication of works (articles, literary works), as well as preparation for the release of publications in general (books, magazines, online publications).
Today's books, newspapers and magazines are published not only on paper. They can be released in the form of CDs for reading, viewing and even listening (audiobooks). In addition, many periodicals have been successfully existing on the Internet for a long time.

The editor's responsibilities include developing the concept of a future publication, ordering (or commissioning) the writing of texts, evaluating the author's text and its literary processing. The editor also works with illustrators and graphic designers, proofreaders and layout designers. In large book publishing houses, the art editor deals with problems of artistic design. He develops a design concept together with the editor of the publication and then implements it.

In large publishing houses there is usually a division of labor between editors.

Chief Editor is responsible for the strategy of the entire publishing house, determines its topics and, together with the financial director, the marketing policy of the publishing house. The editors of departments, editions or series report to him. They work with authors, order manuscripts, evaluate finished manuscripts, decide on revisions, and are directly involved in this revision.

Book publishers are often invited to work on manuscripts literary editors from the outside. And if it is necessary to evaluate the material from a scientific point of view, they invite scientific editors- specialists in a specific field of knowledge (medicine, chemistry, literary criticism, etc.).

Large newspapers and magazines, as well as online publishing houses, usually employ full-time literary editors. They are responsible for the literary literacy of texts. Sometimes the editor's intervention in the text is very significant. It literary enriches and sometimes completely rewrites articles written by non-professional authors. This not only eliminates errors, but also changes the overall style and even the structure of the article. This kind of intervention is called rewriting.

Literary editors in periodicals work under the guidance of the chief and producing editors. If the editor-in-chief is responsible for the unified editorial policy of a newspaper or magazine, then the editor is responsible for its specific implementation in each issue. The production editor is responsible for the timely publication of a newspaper or magazine, interacts with the printing house, coordinates the work of journalists, literary editor, proofreader, illustrators, layout designer and editor-in-chief, if he participates as an author (for example, writes in the “Editor-in-Chief Column”).

Commissioning Editor participates in the development of publication plans, makes proposals on fees, replaces the editor-in-chief in his absence, etc.

Work on the website is carried out differently, where some of the functions of the production editor are performed by Content manager or Internet project manager. It is interesting that the division of labor occurs differently in different editions.

In some magazine and newspaper editorial offices they work editors for working with authors(search for authors, formulate tasks for them, etc.), illustration editors(build editors). In others, these duties are performed by the production editor.

As for leadership positions, in addition to the chief and producing editors, in periodicals there are executive Secretary And chief editor.

Executive Secretary- the line between him and the producing editor is sometimes indistinguishable, and in some editorial offices the producing editor is called the executive secretary (and vice versa). The main difference is that the responsible section is more focused on process technology, and the producing editor controls the content of published newspapers and magazines.

Chief Editor is necessary when a publishing house publishes several publications at once, and the editor-in-chief cannot deal with them all with due dedication. The editor-in-chief carries out the publishing policy in a specific newspaper or a specific magazine.

There is a misconception that an editor is a person who only edits other people's texts. But all outstanding editors - from A. Pushkin with his Sovremennik to P. Gusev, who runs Moskovsky Komsomolets - are people who write. To work as an editor (regardless of the place of work and specific position), you need a good humanitarian education and the ability to create your own texts, understand the nature of the word, various genres and styles from the inside. In this case, it is desirable to have a diploma in an editor, journalist, literary worker or philologist. However, the editor must have a good understanding of the topic of his publication and constantly develop in this direction. Often, editors (scientific and even chief) are specialists in their respective fields. For example, a professional biologist might run an animal magazine.

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Editors are different. They can work in television, radio, and the film industry. And also in book publishing houses and periodicals.

I am an editor-publisher. My element is texts, books and magazines (including electronic ones). An art editor, for example, also works with publications. But my difference is that I work mostly with texts.

Do you already know the difference between an editor and a proofreader? No? I'll explain.

Corrector (from lat. corrector- corrector) is a specialist who reads the text after the editor. It corrects missing spelling and punctuation errors, removes extra spaces, inserts missing ones, and looks to see if there is a dash instead of a hyphen and vice versa. In other words, it monitors errors, correct formatting of the text, etc. But the content, the meaning of the text is not its headache. The editor must think about the content. Editor (from lat. redactus- put in order) is a specialist who selects works for publication or orders them from authors. He also helps the author eliminate shortcomings, place emphasis, and express the main idea.

(It must be said that in Western practice there are two types of editors. The first ( copy editor) prepare manuscripts for publication. They can also be called literary editors. Second ( commissioning editor) specialize in the formation of an editorial portfolio: they select or order manuscripts from authors, develop ideas for future books.)

But! Managing the life of a periodical or website is also editing.

Therefore, if someone says: “Peter Ivanov edits a newspaper,” it is not at all necessary that he reads all the texts, correcting mistakes. This may mean that he is in charge of the process as a whole. He determines the concept, direction, section editors, columnists, publishers, executive secretary, literary editors, proofreaders, designers, layout designers are subordinate to him... I.e. all specialists responsible for the creative and technical side of the process.

Many publications are so voluminous that one person simply cannot plan, order, evaluate all the texts, and then correct them. A whole team does this.

Personally, I prefer to work with individual projects - books, texts. 200% enjoy working with artwork. They require some kind of deep, very personal commitment. The whole humanitarian part of you works here.

Although I also really like working on the site. But for other reasons: it's like lego, a constructor from texts, pictures, concepts, themes... And a lot is in your hands. Not everything, but a lot.

Main fight

As I already said, the editor works with the authors. This is not an easy task and often turns into a real fight. On the one hand, there is the editor with his own aesthetic principles and the concept of the publishing house, on the other, the author. The author has every right to defend his artistic style, his plan or main idea.

But the most difficult thing for an editor is not when the author is stubborn, but when he doesn’t know how to write at all. But why does the publishing house work with him? And there are different reasons for this.

Still, I very well understand authors who are suspicious of every editorial correction. Because even editors can be bad. Not everyone can be trusted with their text without loss. And not for every publishing house. Not every magazine or website. On the other hand, each publication has its own characteristics and requirements. The word “format” did not fall from the sky - it is reality. Those. mutual understanding between the parties is a difficult thing.

The essence of the work

The editor works with both form and content. And often the text is a kind of logical problem. For example, the author writes: “I did not see Sergei. It was so dark that I couldn’t help but notice anyone.” Do you sense a catch?

Or: “In the construction team, Mark and his comrades went out in the morning to dig trenches, cover roofs, build cowsheds...” You don’t even need to be a logician here. For a person who knows real life, and not from books, it is clear that you cannot build a cowshed in one morning. That the barn could take all summer.

Or: “Anna went out into the garden and saw Pedro standing under an oak tree. It was green like spring and rustled its crown under the gusts of wind.” It seems clear that it was not Pedro who was making noise in the crown, but it turns out to be painfully funny.

As for style... It's more complicated. Style and the author's “I” are inseparable. And yet there are some laws. Let me give you a textbook example.

Gorky, as is known, abused definitions. And so Chekhov writes to him (then still Peshkov): “You have so many definitions that it is difficult for the reader’s attention to understand and it gets tired. It’s clear when I write: “the man sat down on the grass”; this is understandable because it is clear and does not hold attention. On the contrary, it is incomprehensible and hard on the brain if I write: “a tall, narrow-chested, medium-sized man with a red beard sat down on the green grass, already crushed by pedestrians, sat down silently, timidly and fearfully looking around.” It doesn’t immediately fit into the brain, but fiction must fit right away, in a second.” *

Great editorial advice from a writer to a writer!

Read or write?

A bad editor is one who doesn’t like to write himself. This means that he assigns himself the role of a judge, not understanding either the nature of creativity or the feelings of the author - nothing! If Chekhov had not been a writer, he would not have been able to give Peshkov any advice. Because such advice needs to be hard-earned.

This is not just an editor who likes to write from time to time. This is the one whose job it is to compile reviews and write articles.

Another aspect of the profession is rewriting. This is someone who digs into the text much deeper than simple literary editing requires. He can generally redo everything in the text, change places, write something in... That is. practically writing again. (That’s why it’s called that.) If the topic is interesting, then the work is fun.

I don’t understand editors at all who don’t like to write. Such a colleague will certainly object something along the lines of “he’s not a writer, he’s a reader.” Very stupid. And it’s mediocre, I’ll tell you.

Occupational deformation

Do editors experience professional deformation?

Yes, sometimes. Firstly, if you are an editor, then you weigh every phrase you hear on a scale. On the subject of logic, style, literacy. On the subject of banality/originality.

And all kinds of blunders, which are a dime a dozen around, make you sad. And the gnawing thought is: “Here! They teach people! The untouchables are called untouchables (words that are opposite in meaning), they say “dress” instead of “put on”... Where is the world heading!!!”

And you already judge people by the way they talk. If a person doesn't ring And t, a sound O nit, it’s a lost cause. Even if you crack, I can no longer take him seriously. And this is terrible absurdity on my part, and I am struggling with it.

There is still a great sin for an editor - to imagine himself as a judge of the author. This is just typical for editors who don’t write themselves.

And editors also like to cling to formalities: “Oh! In your paragraph the word “editor” is repeated several times! Oh, you have “secondly” here. Where is “firstly”???!!!” To explain to such an editor that he is wrong, you need to give him an education, make him read the classics and teach him to write.

Such editors are martyrs who also torture others.

But even a talented editor can become closed-minded over time. The spontaneity of perception decreases, shrinks and over the years, I am afraid, may disappear altogether. To prevent this from happening, there is only one recipe: read good books - the same classics.

Good books are the spring water for the editorial mind. It washes away the patina of work routine, information noise in which we all live.

And a thousand times happier is the editor who works with talented authors.

Sad moments

Superficial writers are often very prolific. This is problem. You open the text, wade through complex scientific phrases, and discover that there is not a single fresh thought there. It's moments like these that drive you to despair. So much work - and all in vain?!

And I also hate reading sloppy texts written with one left hand. Sometimes you open it, and there is a barn, not text. There are a lot of typos, the dots are a kilometer away from the phrase, etc. I sit and put the dots in their place. Crazy job. And I can’t quit, because a proofreader, even if it’s a very good one, might miss something. And it’s impolite to give the text to the proofreader in this form.

What does a career look like?

Periodicals. In paper or online publications, in news agencies, journalists often become editors.

The career ladder can be as follows: correspondent - department editor - producing editor. (The production editor is responsible for posting materials, meeting deadlines, etc.)

In addition, there are literary editors (occupied exclusively with texts), executive secretaries (process coordinators: tasks, deadlines, etc.).

The executive secretary is sometimes confused with the production editor. Their responsibilities do have a lot in common. But there is one important difference: the respondent usually does not deal with the text as such.

And finally, the editor-in-chief is the pinnacle. The position of editor-in-chief involves administration and public activities. In theory, he should also read articles coming from authors, give them assignments, etc. But I know examples when the editor-in-chief limits himself to general management, contacts with the authorities and other media.

Book publishing houses. In book publishing these days, things can also look different. In small publishing houses, the editor can be both a literary editor and a presenter (manages the work on the publication). He is partly a proofreader and even a designer. He is also in contact with the printing house.

In large publishing houses there is a division of labor - this adds order and makes life much easier.

You can try your hand at book publishing as a freelance editor. Or, if education allows, get a job as a junior editor - a person who helps the leading editor in organizational matters.

Over time, you can become a leading editor - this is the name of the editor of a book, who is responsible for its publication as a whole, in contrast, for example, to an art editor, who is responsible only for the artistic design.

The leading editor decides whether to publish the work or not, works with the author, etc., etc. He also organizes the work of other employees on the publication. In other words, he is engaged in full-time editorial work.

How to become an editor?

We must start with the question: “Can I be an editor?”

You can, if you are interested in literature, if you love both reading and writing, if you have enough perseverance and meticulousness, if you are attracted to creativity and are not afraid of routine.

Another important point is literacy. You can't work as an editor if you write zhi/shi through s , and place commas according to the laws of symmetry, not the Russian language.

To become a professional editor, you need to obtain a degree in publishing and editing. Personally, I studied at a university, which these days is called the Moscow State University of Printing Arts (MSUP).

But good editors also come from certified philologists and writers. From journalists, if we talk about periodicals.

But education is only the base. It requires experience, professional and general erudition, an inquisitive mind and constant work on oneself.

For a beginner editor It is important to decide which topic is closer to him. Economy? Policy? Ecology? Religion? Fiction?

Otherwise, it turns out that the editor is everything and nothing, a jack of all trades, a professional amateur.

The theme is generally the main question of life. Even when the profession has already been chosen.

* From letters from A.P. Chekhova A.M. Peshkov, September 3, 1899

Editors are different. They can work in television, radio, and the film industry. And also in book publishing houses and periodicals.

I am an editor-publisher. My element is texts, books and magazines (including electronic ones). An art editor, for example, also works with publications. But my difference is that I work mostly with texts.

Do you already know the difference between an editor and a proofreader? No? I'll explain.

Corrector (from lat. corrector- corrector) is a specialist who reads the text after the editor. It corrects missing spelling and punctuation errors, removes extra spaces, inserts missing ones, and looks to see if there is a dash instead of a hyphen and vice versa. In other words, it monitors errors, correct formatting of the text, etc. But the content, the meaning of the text is not its headache. The editor must think about the content. Editor (from lat. redactus- put in order) is a specialist who selects works for publication or orders them from authors. He also helps the author eliminate shortcomings, place emphasis, and express the main idea.

(It must be said that in Western practice there are two types of editors. The first ( copy editor) prepare manuscripts for publication. They can also be called literary editors. Second ( commissioning editor) specialize in the formation of an editorial portfolio: they select or order manuscripts from authors, develop ideas for future books.)

But! Managing the life of a periodical or website is also editing.

Therefore, if someone says: “Peter Ivanov edits a newspaper,” it is not at all necessary that he reads all the texts, correcting mistakes. This may mean that he is in charge of the process as a whole. He determines the concept, direction, section editors, columnists, publishers, executive secretary, literary editors, proofreaders, designers, layout designers are subordinate to him... I.e. all specialists responsible for the creative and technical side of the process.

Many publications are so voluminous that one person simply cannot plan, order, evaluate all the texts, and then correct them. A whole team does this.

Personally, I prefer to work with individual projects - books, texts. 200% enjoy working with artwork. They require some kind of deep, very personal commitment. The whole humanitarian part of you works here.

Although I also really like working on the site. But for other reasons: it's like lego, a constructor from texts, pictures, concepts, themes... And a lot is in your hands. Not everything, but a lot.

Main fight

As I already said, the editor works with the authors. This is not an easy task and often turns into a real fight. On the one hand, there is the editor with his own aesthetic principles and the concept of the publishing house, on the other, the author. The author has every right to defend his artistic style, his plan or main idea.

But the most difficult thing for an editor is not when the author is stubborn, but when he doesn’t know how to write at all. But why does the publishing house work with him? And there are different reasons for this.

Still, I very well understand authors who are suspicious of every editorial correction. Because even editors can be bad. Not everyone can be trusted with their text without loss. And not for every publishing house. Not every magazine or website. On the other hand, each publication has its own characteristics and requirements. The word “format” did not fall from the sky - it is reality. Those. mutual understanding between the parties is a difficult thing.

The essence of the work

The editor works with both form and content. And often the text is a kind of logical problem. For example, the author writes: “I did not see Sergei. It was so dark that I couldn’t help but notice anyone.” Do you sense a catch?

Or: “In the construction team, Mark and his comrades went out in the morning to dig trenches, cover roofs, build cowsheds...” You don’t even need to be a logician here. For a person who knows real life, and not from books, it is clear that you cannot build a cowshed in one morning. That the barn could take all summer.

Or: “Anna went out into the garden and saw Pedro standing under an oak tree. It was green like spring and rustled its crown under the gusts of wind.” It seems clear that it was not Pedro who was making noise in the crown, but it turns out to be painfully funny.

As for style... It's more complicated. Style and the author's “I” are inseparable. And yet there are some laws. Let me give you a textbook example.

Gorky, as is known, abused definitions. And so Chekhov writes to him (then still Peshkov): “You have so many definitions that it is difficult for the reader’s attention to understand and it gets tired. It’s clear when I write: “the man sat down on the grass”; this is understandable because it is clear and does not hold attention. On the contrary, it is incomprehensible and hard on the brain if I write: “a tall, narrow-chested, medium-sized man with a red beard sat down on the green grass, already crushed by pedestrians, sat down silently, timidly and fearfully looking around.” It doesn’t immediately fit into the brain, but fiction must fit right away, in a second.” *

Great editorial advice from a writer to a writer!

Read or write?

A bad editor is one who doesn’t like to write himself. This means that he assigns himself the role of a judge, not understanding either the nature of creativity or the feelings of the author - nothing! If Chekhov had not been a writer, he would not have been able to give Peshkov any advice. Because such advice needs to be hard-earned.

This is not just an editor who likes to write from time to time. This is the one whose job it is to compile reviews and write articles.

Another aspect of the profession is rewriting. This is someone who digs into the text much deeper than simple literary editing requires. He can generally redo everything in the text, change places, write something in... That is. practically writing again. (That’s why it’s called that.) If the topic is interesting, then the work is fun.

I don’t understand editors at all who don’t like to write. Such a colleague will certainly object something along the lines of “he’s not a writer, he’s a reader.” Very stupid. And it’s mediocre, I’ll tell you.

Occupational deformation

Do editors experience professional deformation?

Yes, sometimes. Firstly, if you are an editor, then you weigh every phrase you hear on a scale. On the subject of logic, style, literacy. On the subject of banality/originality.

And all kinds of blunders, which are a dime a dozen around, make you sad. And the gnawing thought is: “Here! They teach people! The untouchables are called untouchables (words that are opposite in meaning), they say “dress” instead of “put on”... Where is the world heading!!!”

And you already judge people by the way they talk. If a person doesn't ring And t, a sound O nit, it’s a lost cause. Even if you crack, I can no longer take him seriously. And this is terrible absurdity on my part, and I am struggling with it.

There is still a great sin for an editor - to imagine himself as a judge of the author. This is just typical for editors who don’t write themselves.

And editors also like to cling to formalities: “Oh! In your paragraph the word “editor” is repeated several times! Oh, you have “secondly” here. Where is “firstly”???!!!” To explain to such an editor that he is wrong, you need to give him an education, make him read the classics and teach him to write.

Such editors are martyrs who also torture others.

But even a talented editor can become closed-minded over time. The spontaneity of perception decreases, shrinks and over the years, I am afraid, may disappear altogether. To prevent this from happening, there is only one recipe: read good books - the same classics.

Good books are the spring water for the editorial mind. It washes away the patina of work routine, information noise in which we all live.

And a thousand times happier is the editor who works with talented authors.

Sad moments

Superficial writers are often very prolific. This is problem. You open the text, wade through complex scientific phrases, and discover that there is not a single fresh thought there. It's moments like these that drive you to despair. So much work - and all in vain?!

And I also hate reading sloppy texts written with one left hand. Sometimes you open it, and there is a barn, not text. There are a lot of typos, the dots are a kilometer away from the phrase, etc. I sit and put the dots in their place. Crazy job. And I can’t quit, because a proofreader, even if it’s a very good one, might miss something. And it’s impolite to give the text to the proofreader in this form.

What does a career look like?

Periodicals. In paper or online publications, in news agencies, journalists often become editors.

The career ladder can be as follows: correspondent - department editor - producing editor. (The production editor is responsible for posting materials, meeting deadlines, etc.)

In addition, there are literary editors (occupied exclusively with texts), executive secretaries (process coordinators: tasks, deadlines, etc.).

The executive secretary is sometimes confused with the production editor. Their responsibilities do have a lot in common. But there is one important difference: the respondent usually does not deal with the text as such.

And finally, the editor-in-chief is the pinnacle. The position of editor-in-chief involves administration and public activities. In theory, he should also read articles coming from authors, give them assignments, etc. But I know examples when the editor-in-chief limits himself to general management, contacts with the authorities and other media.

Book publishing houses. In book publishing these days, things can also look different. In small publishing houses, the editor can be both a literary editor and a presenter (manages the work on the publication). He is partly a proofreader and even a designer. He is also in contact with the printing house.

In large publishing houses there is a division of labor - this adds order and makes life much easier.

You can try your hand at book publishing as a freelance editor. Or, if education allows, get a job as a junior editor - a person who helps the leading editor in organizational matters.

Over time, you can become a leading editor - this is the name of the editor of a book, who is responsible for its publication as a whole, in contrast, for example, to an art editor, who is responsible only for the artistic design.

The leading editor decides whether to publish the work or not, works with the author, etc., etc. He also organizes the work of other employees on the publication. In other words, he is engaged in full-time editorial work.

How to become an editor?

We must start with the question: “Can I be an editor?”

You can, if you are interested in literature, if you love both reading and writing, if you have enough perseverance and meticulousness, if you are attracted to creativity and are not afraid of routine.

Another important point is literacy. You can't work as an editor if you write zhi/shi through s , and place commas according to the laws of symmetry, not the Russian language.

To become a professional editor, you need to obtain a degree in publishing and editing. Personally, I studied at a university, which these days is called the Moscow State University of Printing Arts (MSUP).

But good editors also come from certified philologists and writers. From journalists, if we talk about periodicals.

But education is only the base. It requires experience, professional and general erudition, an inquisitive mind and constant work on oneself.

For a beginner editor It is important to decide which topic is closer to him. Economy? Policy? Ecology? Religion? Fiction?

Otherwise, it turns out that the editor is everything and nothing, a jack of all trades, a professional amateur.

The theme is generally the main question of life. Even when the profession has already been chosen.

* From letters from A.P. Chekhova A.M. Peshkov, September 3, 1899


NATURE OF WORK

Editors are engaged in the production of printed publications (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.), that is, their publication. Publishing as a whole consists of preparing a publication for release (drawing it, requesting and receiving texts from authors, etc.), editing texts, their layout, design; organization of printing, as well as distribution or sale.

Editing– this is the preparation of a work for publication (correction and polishing of the content, language and style of the manuscript) and the organization of publication. Editing is divided into literary and technical. Literary editing is editing the composition, style and language of a work; technical editing is the technical design of the printed publication, i.e. choice of format and fonts, placement of text and illustrations, etc.

Editors are the pillars of publishing. Their job is to prepare printed publications, organize their publication and publish them. They review, rewrite and edit original and translated texts. From time to time, they also have to write original texts themselves - for example, editorial columns, advertising texts and editorials for newspapers or magazines. The content of the editor's work and the scope of its responsibility are very different depending on what type of institution he works in and what his position (position) is in this institution. Editors may be responsible for planning the content of books, magazines or newspapers. They decide what material might appeal to readers, read and edit manuscripts of books, articles, and translations, make suggestions for improving the work, and make recommendations for searching for titles. Editors may also serve as supervisors of publishing activities. When publishing books, the editor's first task is to review proposals for publishing books and decide whether to buy the publishing rights to his work from the author or not.

The editorial offices of large newspapers and magazines, as well as book publishing houses, usually employ several editors with different duties and responsibilities.

Chief editor determines the face of the publication and its content and monitors them. The editor-in-chief is the overall head of the publication, determining the ideology and target group of the newspaper or magazine and being responsible for the content of the publication. His task is to coordinate and ensure the work of subordinate structural units so that the newspaper/magazine always reaches the reader. The editor-in-chief hires all editorial staff. The editor-in-chief is also the link between the editorial board and the owners of the publication.

The work of the editor-in-chief has both a creative and administrative side. Together with the owners of the publishing house, he develops the general direction of the magazine or newspaper and implements this strategy. The editor-in-chief holds regular editorial meetings where the work plan is approved, it is decided who will write about what, and it is discussed what topics and areas of life could be covered now and in the future. At meetings, editorial members try to find fresh ideas and new areas of activity to attract even more readers. The editor-in-chief is responsible for the direction of the journal in terms of its content. He reads all the articles submitted to the publication and gives instructions on what changes and corrections to make. He also reads the finished issue and gives its assessment. To compete with competition, the editor must familiarize himself with the content of other publications of this kind and find opportunities to improve his publication. Along with this, the task of the editor-in-chief is to coordinate the work of journalists and editors. He makes sure that journalists have enough work and divides up current assignments among them or shares information about events of interest. Part of the editor-in-chief's work also takes place outside the editorial office. To make contacts and find interesting topics, he tries to take an active part in social and social life, meet other journalists and exchange information. This is also facilitated by the fact that every week the editorial office receives many invitations to presentations, banquets and receptions. Whenever possible, the editor-in-chief takes part in these events himself or delegates another journalist to participate. The editor-in-chief has a rather difficult time, especially when the publication does not make a profit. Then the cuts begin, and this may end with the replacement of the editor-in-chief himself. The task of the editor-in-chief of a book publishing house is to find what books to publish so that they sell.

Executive Editor is the one who actually implements the general settings of the journal and monitors this. He is responsible for the daily activities of the editorial office and monitors the implementation of the publication strategy and implementation of the work plan, as well as compliance with deadlines. His responsibility is to ensure that the entire issue of the publication is ready on time and to ensure that it reaches the printing house. The executive editor manages the work of editors who are responsible for covering specific topics, such as local and foreign news, sports, and culture. In most cases, he writes headings for finished articles or, if necessary, changes them. The executive editor ultimately has the final say on what stories will be published and how different topics will be covered by the articles. The executive editor also deals with personnel-related issues (eg, submits salary proposals to the editor-in-chief).

Responsibilities of a newspaper/magazine editor (so-called page editor)– order materials and edit them. Sometimes the editor has to write the materials himself, but in most cases this is not his task. His responsibility is to combine the material in content and form. Often the page editor is the one who must select from the accumulated additional material and evaluate its relevance to the reader. If necessary, he should explain to the reporter what flaws there are in the material. When the material is collected, it is sent to the literary editor for review. Then all the material goes to the technical editor for layout. The editor must review the completed manuscript again.

Technical editor checks the page layout and sees how the planned materials fit into it. He also monitors the readiness of information graphics and helps solve problems that arise during layout. Layout designers and computer graphics work under the editor of the strips.

Because the appearance of periodicals has become increasingly important, some newspapers have a photo editor position who helps find the photos they need and is responsible for the quality of the photos going into the newspaper.

In a small editorial office of a daily or weekly newspaper, one editor may perform very different duties or share responsibility with only a few other employees. Managing editors usually hire writing journalists, reporters and other workers. They may also be involved in budget planning and negotiate and draw up contracts with freelance journalists.

Responsibilities of a Print Editor– ensure the correctness of published publications in language and form. An editor usually works in a publishing house or translation agency, where he receives text that needs to be edited from authors and translators. The editor corrects linguistic and stylistic errors found in the text and sends the work for proofreading. Later, he checks whether the comments and additions made are taken into account in the proof. If we are talking about a translated text, the editor checks its compliance with the original text. During content editing, the editor checks that the meaning of the source text is conveyed correctly in the translated text and that nothing was missed, that the sentences are constructed logically, and that the use of terms is uniform. During special editing, the correctness of the terms in the translated text and their appropriateness from the point of view of use are checked. Thus, the editor identifies discrepancies and errors found in the author's text or translation and draws the attention of the author or translator to errors in spelling, translation and design in order to correct them. If necessary, the editor checks the correct spelling of the names of the persons mentioned, factual data and historical events in the reference books.

Editor also coordinates the work of the author and designer. He brings the author together with the designer, discusses with them the financial and technical possibilities of the press and ensures that the technical, design and editorial work proceeds according to the planned time schedule. The editor has done a high-quality job if readers and critics highly appreciate the language level of the work and there are no factual errors in the work. The editor's work is invisible and selfless; in the editor, a stylist, a person who creates the reputation of the publication, and a manager are combined in a single person.

The editor of a printed publication has the content of what he edits before his eyes; the editor of a newspaper has to do more of the work of creating the content of the publication himself. Editing books allows you to sit and work more in solitude—working for a newspaper or magazine does not provide this opportunity.

Literary editor edits the language of books, articles and other texts. Its task is to correct errors in language and expressions, bearing in mind the correctness of the text and the unified use of linguistic means and terms. In addition to “smoothing out” linguistic roughness, the literary editor’s responsibility is to check the facts; if necessary, he must shorten the text or add clarifications in footnotes. A literary editor is something like a teacher who educates his colleagues in the editorial office and, through the pure use of language, also the reader.

Corrector- this is an employee in a publishing house or printing house who does proofreading - that is, checks the linguistic correctness and understandability of the text and corrects spelling errors and typos found in the text.

It is impossible to draw a very clear line between the work of a proofreader and a literary editor; they are distinguished from each other primarily by the degree of thoroughness and depth of work on the text. A literary editor works on the text in more depth: he unifies the use of language in the text, makes corrections at the sentence and style level, corrects word order, word choice and logical errors. The proofreader also often makes some word substitutions and stylistic corrections, which in fact already relate to editing. In most cases, a literary worker (whether he is a proofreader or a literary editor) working in a publishing house is expected to do literary editing, not proofreading.

In the publishing house, work proceeds in most cases in such a way that the manuscript is first given to a literary editor, who deals with it, from the draft manuscript to proofreading. He reviews the manuscript’s compliance with the publishing house’s system of footnotes, notes inconsistencies and errors that the author will need to clarify and correct. Then the manuscript, put in literary order, along with the prepared and signed illustrations, goes to typesetting. The completed manuscript is read by the author and then by the editor and literary editor.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Working environment - tools/materials - working hours
Although editors' working hours are officially established, the nature of the work often requires them to work overtime and devote themselves to work duties on weekends. The work is quite mentally intense, since when editing periodicals there is always not enough time. The constant fluctuation of the scales: whether we have time or not, sometimes causes stress and a tense work environment. What makes the job attractive is the opportunity to introduce new ideas and find a lot of letters on the table from grateful readers.

The editorial office of a daily newspaper usually holds two meetings per day - meetings - in the morning and in the evening, in which the heads of all editorial offices participate. In the newsroom and in the sports editorial office, you often have to be on site until the last minute (before 11 o'clock), when the newspaper goes to the printing house - suddenly there will be some kind of sensation or some game has just ended that needs to be reflected in the publication newspaper. The deadline for submitting finished material in, so to speak, “softer” editions (economics, culture, entertainment) is between 7–8 hours. The work of the most active nature is that of the sports editorial staff.

The editor of a printed publication sets the working hours himself; it is only important to comply with the contractual deadlines. The editor can do his job at home, but he still needs to be available from time to time for the publishers and authors of the work so that information can be exchanged and conferred with each other. The editor should frequently study dictionaries and reference books, as well as literature related to the area under study. To do this, he must visit libraries and use databases.

The working day of a literary editor and proofreader is less regular (primarily in the editorial office of a magazine). It can often take too long, and you need to be prepared to work at night as well.

Much of an editor's and proofreader's work time is spent sitting, which can aggravate varicose veins and knee pain. Constantly putting pressure on the eyes can worsen already problematic vision and cause a burning and stinging sensation in the eyes and “dry eye” syndrome.

PROFESSIONAL CONDITIONS AND PREREQUISITES

A prerequisite for working in the publishing industry is an interest in literature and being well read.

It is desirable that the editor-in-chief has a higher education (for example, in the media, economics), a deep knowledge of journalism is required (primarily for the editor-in-chief of a magazine and newspaper) and, of course, a broad outlook. Contacts with different people and a wide circle of acquaintances are very important for the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief must combine creative potential and economic thinking. He cannot afford to have his head in the clouds, but must keep both feet firmly on the ground. The ability to lead goes hand in hand with the ability to communicate and the ability to persuade people to act in the desired direction. The editor-in-chief must be demanding both of himself and of his subordinates. The editor-in-chief of a magazine and newspaper must also be good at writing, which presupposes the ability to express one’s thoughts well and the ability to analyze. He must be able to obtain information and be resourceful in approaching topics from a new angle.

The editor must be able to analyze both the text in a literary sense and information in general. He must be aware of changes in the rules of language use and spelling rules and have extensive knowledge of history and literature. Interest and love of reading also bring a lot of benefits, since being well read helps develop a sense of language and style, which is a quality of paramount importance in the work of an editor. Thanks to reading, the editor’s horizons also grow. When editing translated works, he must know the target language at a good level - both oral and written. The editor will also need the ability to communicate - it allows him to better explain all sorts of points to the authors of the work, translators and other involved persons. Extensive contacts also give him the opportunity to “keep his finger on the pulse” and keep abreast of current events.

Important qualities are a sense of tact, the ability to lead and encourage. A book, magazine, newspaper and other printed publications are born in collaboration with many people, and the editor plays a coordinating role in this process. It is equally important for the editor to be able to use reference books and library collections, then he can easily and without spending much time find the required information.

Important personal qualities include patience, a sense of duty, observation and attention to detail and flexibility, as well as openness and the ability to analyze. Being a book editor, a newspaper editor, or a magazine editor at any level requires initiative to suggest new topics and suitable literature for publication. The work of a literary editor and proofreader requires accuracy and the ability to spot typos.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The publishing industry employs people from very different backgrounds and backgrounds. An editor of a journalistic publication will benefit from training in journalism in his work, and a literary editor will benefit from philological education (Estonian or foreign philology) in his work. The editors of special printed publications are often specialists of the relevant specialty (for example, in a medical publishing house - a person with a medical education, for example, a doctor, an editor of technical literature - a specialist with engineer training, etc.).

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