Is it true?

Question

I have heard that book companys hire people to sit and read through their books, before they have thousands printed. To make sure they are good, or that there are not mistakes. Is this true? If it is where could you get such a job?

Answer 1

Yes, it's true that publishing companies (notice spelling) hire "people to sit and read through their books." And not just editors and proofreaders.

First, decisions have to be made about which manuscripts should be published. Any manuscript, especially from an unknown or little known author, will go through many readings before a decision is finally made to offer a contract. These first, second, and third readers (and the higher up the ladder the more powerful and the more prestigious the position) plow through many, many manuscripts and ultimately select relatively few for publication.

After a manuscript is contracted by a major publisher there will usually be at least two independent editors, sometimes more. Often they will comment on almost every line of the text. Would this be a better word? You've got your facts wrong here. Shouldn't this go earlier in the chapter? People wouldn't have known about this at the time of your story? Readers will want more information about this. Etc., etc., etc. Writers are not required to make all these changes, but they are expected to consider them seriously. Look at the acknowledgements pages of most published books. There will be intense gratitude expressed to one or more editors.

Only then is the manuscript, usually after multiple editings, ready to be sent to the printer. Decisions have to be made about book design, typography, illustrations (perhaps), indexing (perhaps), citation of references (for nonfiction books), headings and subheadings and running heads, prefaces and forewords, binding and book jackets (for hardback books), etc. etc., etc.

Once the type is set, the book will be printed off in galley proofs and/or page proofs, at which time proofreaders take over. Proofreaders do not edit for content or style, but look for typographical errors, misspellings, consistent punctuation and capitalization, paragraph indentations, italicizing and boldface type, abbreviations and numerals, accurate hyphenation, etc., etc., etc.

So when a writer -- even one as well-known as J. K. Rowling -- finishes a book, it may still be several months before it is ready for printing.

All of these personnel -- first and second readers, editors, proofreaders -- read manuscripts that they might not have chosen for pleasure reading, and they read them with many more things in mind than their own personal satisfaction. It can be time-consuming and tedious work. Believe me, I've been an editor off and on for 16 years.

Now given all this information, if you are interested in such a position with a good publisher, you will need a good education (many of these people are English or language majors, but not all) and you will face stiff competition, for there are many such positions but there are even more people seeking them.

Answer 2

They are called editors and proofreaders.

These jobs usually require a degree in English or Literature. Someone trying to sell you a course or a book will tell you that you don't need a degree but that's because they're selling something. If you are interested on reading for a legitimate publisher, you can imagine how much competition there is for the position. If you really want a profession like that, you need the education to prove you're a professional.

Answer 3

several publishing companies would be the perfect place to start looking,

for example:
The crown publishing group, at http://www.randomhouse.com/crown
they dont have a hiring link right on their main page, but when you click on the tab at the top of the page, all the way to the right, in the corner, that says "contact" there is a link there for job opportunities, and a link that says "human resource department"

when i look through their online jobs, i dont see a proofreading position open, but it might be likely that they're all filled, or they just choose to have another employee multi-task and do that job as well as their own.

from what i can see, its not an entry level position, you need a college degree in literature. have you seen this website?

http://www.proofreadingjobs.org/

the professional term for the field your looking to be hired in is "proofreading"

Answer 4

Yes. Editors read submitted manuscripts to determine if they are acceptable. They also work with authors to improve the work. The manuscript is then submitted to a copy editor who checks for errors of spelling or grammar. Both positions require college degrees in English, preferably with an emphasis in writing.

Answer 5

yeh its true. The job is called an editor they read the book and edit it afterwards. You have to be skilled in english because they dont just hire anyone.

Answer 6

It is true. I would suggest looking around for a book-company (or a few) on the net, and sending an e-mail to their human resources department requesting information on the subject. It's amazing what you can be paid to do in this world :)

Answer 7

They're called editors and if you want a job as an editor, it would help if you know how to write, yourself. Preferably written and published writers.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Yes some book companys do,don't know how much they pay,but if you like reading look it up on the web,you've nothing to lose.

Answer 9

They are called proof readers,looking for mistakes in spelling,grammar and they also rate the book

Answer 10

Isn't this job called an editor, or even a proof reader?