Editorial Assistants

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After about 25 job applications and no positive feedback, I need a lil bit of advice about how to become an editorial assistant. And what exactly the job entails.

I've been working in the research departments of various mags/newspapers for a year and a half and have even worked as an e.a. for a few months as an intern (but this doesn't seem to cut much mustard).

So, if anyone knows. What *exactly* does an editorial assistant do on a magazine, and how best to apply for the job i.e. what am I doing wrong?

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry, would love to help but haven't got a clue about that field!

― smee (smee), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:35 (twenty-two years ago)

How did you work as it for a few months and not know what it entails?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure how typical my experience was as: the job didn't entail all that much administration, and most job advertisements claim that it is heavy on admin; it was on a website whereas I want to work on a magazine; and it was in america, rather than britain.

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't speak for book publishing editorial assistants, but on magazines the ed assistant is responsible for the smooth running of the office. It's kind of like being a PA, but for a whole magazine rather than one person.

So you'd be dealing with freelancers innvoices, the budget mark up, sorting out meetings/ editorial conferences, any archiving that needs doing, passing on memos the whole staff need to see, ordering in stationary, that kind of thing.

Basically if the printer breaks a collective whine of "Niiiickie, the printer's broken' will go up. You'll be the first port of call for anyone phoning the magazine with a general enquirey. You'll also be the person dealing with freelancers going: "I haven't been paid STILL, I can't pay my rent, they're about to cut my phone off and you lot owe me for three months work!"

You need to be super organised, generally cheery and able to put a fixed grin on your face and say 'yes, I know the printer's broken' sweetly rather than going: "YES, I KNOW. FUCK OFF AND LET ME SORT IT OUT'.

Many ed assistants end up doing some writing too if they show any interest/ talent in that area.

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I think this is one of those generic job descriptions that means different things in different places, but can involve: DPT, sub-editing, commissioning, general admin, ad-chasing etc. As the title implies, assisting the editorial staff in lots of ways. I think if you could show that you had experience in all/some of these areas you would be in with a shout.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Thank you, both. Maybe I've been playing up the writing/editing side of things and playing down the admin/willingness-to-be-general-dogsbody side of things in my applications.

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

It is truly orrible this job application business. Especially when you really want to do something and feel that you’re qualified but never get the chance. I have had one interview for an e.a. post since leaving university and was told I was overqualified! Urgh! The editor wanted it to go to someone with little or no experience, saying that he thought that if I stuck at it, I'd get me a job. Meanwhile, I keep firing out applications into the void…

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 12:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Many ed assistants end up doing some writing too if they show any interest/ talent in that area.

Is it possible that this is the problem, and that some employers would rather get someone who doesn't have ambitions outside of the stated job? So they don't end up in six months with an employee who's either doing a different job, or depressed.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 7 April 2003 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm an Ed. Ass. at a daily newspaper, and in simpler times I would have been called a copy boy. My job entails basically doing everything that well-paid people would consider beneath them.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 7 April 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I started off as a copy clerk -- something you could train a chimpanzee to do (well, a chimpanzee with cognitive ability and reading skills) -- then Editorial Assistant (less chimpanzee than Mountain Gorilla, only with fewer bananas), and now I'm a News Desk Editor....something only the savviest of orangutans could handle.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 April 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

chimpanzee with cognitive ability and reading skills
why do I sense that when I give my notice in (hopefully) a few weeks, this is what I'll read in the posting for my replacement?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Monday, 7 April 2003 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Where are you, Nickie? I've been an editorial assistant, and I can't seem to get interviews right now in the DC area.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 7 April 2003 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm in London, J.Lu. How did you climb the jungle ladder, Alex? I am thinking there may be a secret handshake or soemthing..

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't so much climb the ladder as step into the bear trap. I was just at the wrong place with no money at the right time.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 April 2003 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I am sure that the life of the editorial assistant is impossibly glamorous and you will not convince me otherwise, Alex

― nickie (nickie), Monday, 7 April 2003 15:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess it depends on the magazine you end up at.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 7 April 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Nickie will be working at Italian Vogue, obv.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 7 April 2003 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh...If this delay means that I will get the America Online position I crave (local music editor), then I will bless the world. But right now, grrrrr.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 7 April 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

i would like any job right now

― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 7 April 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

My life as an editorial assistant was hardly glamorous. Also I wasn't terribly good at it (nor terribly bad) but at least I liked (and was liked by) my coworkers.

― Chris P (Chris P), Monday, 7 April 2003 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

in nz and as far as i know australia too, an editorial assistant does kinda personal assistant stuff and finds readers for manuscripts and if they're really lucky and have a benevolent boss they may get to read the odd manuscript themselves. i did it for a while and it was ok - but it was more satisfying to leave and go freelance editing. friends acting as EA's in sydney and london are, despite qualifications, reasonably nice bosses and aptitude, finding it hard to progress up the ranks.

― Clare (not entirely unhappy), Monday, 7 April 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

That's what I was wondering aswell, actually. What is the next step up from ea, because i was thinking it was maybe sub-editing but that seems like quite a leap if ea is mostly administerial. I guess it depends on how much opportunities they give you to do a bit of editing while you're there...

― nickie (nickie), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 08:28 (twenty-two years ago)

And yes, N., I am torn between the glamor of Italian Vogue and the hard-hitting reporting of Caged and Aviary Birds

― nickie (nickie), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 08:34 (twenty-two years ago)

if you are an editorial assistant then i phone you up and ask you to confirm details about the magazine, then you get a bit annoyed and say ' ive done 5 of these this week' but you havent, youre lying, you 'did one' last year, and im only doing my job alright

basically

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:09 (twenty-two years ago)

What kind of 'details'?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

where they hide the biscuits.

Ambrose's company steals biscuits from magazines.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:23 (twenty-two years ago)

(ambrose the work email you gave me was rubbish, it bounced)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

it worked for me

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It really depends on where you work. I worked as an EA when I first started out with a small publishing services company consisting of a Senior Editor, Junior Editor, Editorial Assistant, Typesetter and Administrator. My job was basically replying to and drafting all correspondence from authors or commissioning publishers, proof-reading, some copy-editing (althought this was limited and was usually third draft corrections where I noted them when proof-reading), permissions, some picture captioning, filing, mailing etc.

However, at another company I worked for I was more involved in public relations and copywriting for promotional purposes, which also involved a lot of database managment. 'Editorial Assistant' is a pretty broad job description so you really need a position brief before you apply for a job.

― Wouldn't you like to know (Amused), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

try .net at the end. or .co.uk i dont know which i gave you. details like: address, phone number, circulation, frequency, personnel, content, target audience, ohmigod, this is dull, email address, help, website, getme out, etc
we publish press directories, so the press hate us because we feed off them, and make it so that they get loads of shit press releases. i wish the relationship were more.... symbiotic. then people wouldnt be so pissed off when i phoned

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i nopw have to phone 'quality concrete' magazine. feel the quality!
another classic from earlier today: 'asphalt now!' (i made up the exclamation mark - ed: remember 'coffee now!'?)

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:31 (twenty-two years ago)

a friend of mine was a reporter on Cardboard Today

"They've invented a new kind of card, you say? Quick! To the cardmobile! etc"

― j0e (j0e), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I remember coffee now. There is somewhere quite like it over the road from me called 'Encounters', which was has public chalk board outside with things like 'War is Gay' and 'Sharrow says no to crack war and guns' written on it.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

It's too bad it doesn't say "Charo says no..."

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

sometimes, maybe once a month, in my job as an Ed-Ass, I'll just grab a bunch of stuff and basically sit around and drink coffee all day. I think that day will be today. Because nobody really knows what I do, so they won't know if I'm not doing it for one day. I am the oil the news machine.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

(both way .co.uk and .net bounce me. send me a mail so I can reply to it.)

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

hahahaha i no now. cos my emai9l is fuxxxxxxxxxxxx as is everyones. bounce around! dont know when it will be fixed

― ambrose (ambrose), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 13:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm. Nobody seems to have mentioned making coffee, picking up people's dry-cleaning, making their lunch reservations, running errands that are simultaneously esoteric, trivial, and demeaning--usually for "respected" authors--all of which are urgent and key aspects of the editorial assistant's day. (I once worked as a typist at Arthritis News.

― Methuselah (Methuselah), Wednesday, 9 April 2003 04:18 (twenty-two years ago)

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