Acquisitions Editor Job Description
If the novel you have written is accepted for publication, you probably have an acquisitions editor to thank for it. As publishing houses continue to shrink as a result of the economy, the gatekeeper role of an acquisitions editor takes on more importance than ever before.
Other People Are Reading
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How Publishers Get New Titles
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Publishing houses acquire books in two ways: (1) by choosing agented and unsolicited manuscripts that have the most commercial promise, and (2) by seeking out authors to write specific projects that will appeal to the house's core demographic. Both are the jobs of an acquisitions editor.
Full-time, Part-time, and Freelance
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At small/mid-size publishers and university presses, the tasks associated with acquisition are often assigned to one person or subcontracted to part-time editors and freelancers. In larger houses, there are separate acquisitions editors for each genre published (i.e., romance, nonfiction, young adult, mysteries).
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Pitch Person
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It's not enough that an acquisitions editor really likes a particular book; she also has to convince her superiors to really like it as well. This involves excellent communication skills, as well as persuasive speaking abilities to "sell" the publisher and the marketing department on a project's long-term merits and contributions to the corporate vision.
Financial Projections
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Math skills are essential to an acquisition editor's job because -- as part of her "pitch -- she needs to determine what it will cost to produce the book, how long it will take to ready the project for production, what it should sell for, and what the expected profit will be in relation to a proposed advance.
Compare and Contrast
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An acquisitions editor must be able to assess how a book compares to existing titles released by her own company (as well as its competitors) and identify how the project offers a unique slant that will enable it to stand out.
Author Assessment
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An acquisitions editor must also make judgments regarding a writer's participation in the marketing process, how prolific the writer is (i.e., a new book every 6 months vs. every 15 years), how cooperative the writer will be to work with, and how well the writer will "show" in media events and book signings.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photo by Christina Hamlett
