Magazine Editor: Career and Salary Facts

<p>Magazine editors prepare a magazine's content for publication. This involves planning what will be included, reviewing material and revising writers' work. Magazine editors must have superior knowledge of the English language as they check articles and content for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. They also ensure that written material makes sense and portrays the desired style and ideas to readers. </p> <p>Magazine editors may need to verify facts and sources, work with writers to help them develop ideas for an article and decide what should and should not be published. They often are the ones who approve final versions of all work prior to a magazine's publication. Find out the typical job duties of magazine editors. Learn about degree options that you might pursue in the path to becoming a magazine editor, and see some career statistics as well. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td><b>Degree Required</b> </td><td> Bachelor's degree</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Education Field of Study </b></td><td> Communications, English, journalism</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Key Responsibilities </b></td><td> Verify facts; develop story ideas; edit copy for grammar, spelling and punctuation</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Projected Job Outlook (2020-2030)</b></td><td> 5% (<i>for all editors</i>)*</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Median Salary (2020)</b></td><td> $63,400 (<i>for all editors</i>)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---WhatWillMyJobDutiesBe">What Will My Job Duties Be?</h3> <p>All magazines, ranging from sports publications to weekly news magazines, need editorial staffs. As a magazine editor, you'll be responsible for overseeing the content of an entire publication. You'll often work under the supervision of a publisher or editor-in-chief. You'll develop ideas for feature articles and then assign them to writers. You may also assist in the research and writing of some articles, and will be responsible for editing articles for content and clarity. </p> <p>As a magazine editor, you'll have to know your target audience and determine what topics they would most like to read about. You'll also be responsible for performing some managerial duties, making sure that articles are submitted by deadline, and overseeing the performance of editorial assistants and interns. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatEducationWillINeed">What Education Will I Need?</h3> <p>You'll more than likely need at least a bachelor's degree to find a job as a magazine editor. You might want to earn a degree in English, journalism, creative writing and mass communications. If you're interested in writing for a particular type of magazine, you might consider specializing with a minor. For example, if you are only interested in writing for political magazines, it would make sense to major in journalism and minor in political science. </p> <p>Some schools also offer journalism degree programs that will allow you to concentrate on magazine writing and editing. Other schools offer graduate programs in the field, such as a Master of Science in Magazine Journalism. </p> <h3 id="section---HowCanIGetAJobInTheField">How Can I Get a Job in the Field?</h3> <p>It is very difficult to graduate from a 4-year degree program and immediately find a job as a magazine editor. If you're interested in working your way up to the role, you will often first be required to complete an internship or two at an established publication. You will then seek an entry-level position in the field, such as an editorial assistant or an associate editor. After building experience, you'll be prepared to pursue a position as a magazine editor. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatKindOfSalaryCanIExpectToEarn">What Kind of Salary Can I Expect to Earn?</h3> <p>Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not have specific data for magazine editors, it did report that editors in general held more than 93,370 jobs in the United States in 2020 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). More than 38,410 of these individuals worked for newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers. The median annual salary in the field in that year was around $63,400 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). </p> <h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3> <p>For those interested in alternative careers that require a bachelor's degree, you may want to research the jobs of technical writers, writers/authors and reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts. Technical writers create complex and technical written content for things like instructional manuals or how-to guides. Writers and authors develop written content for a variety of things, such as magazines, books, songs or blogs. Reporters, correspondents, and broadcast news analysts report news and events to the public through media channels like television, radio and more.</p>