Re: a job as editor

[Marc Santacroce <santa -at- TFS -dot- COM>]

I'm sure you'll get lots of disagreement, but when I was hiring contractors
for an environmental company, we would pay 35-40/hr for tech writers and
50/60 for editors.
=============================
At 17:03 12/13/94 -0800, Jan Boomsliter wrote:
>Where, in the technical world, are editors paid more than writers?  I'm
>on my way.  I think the only place you can be promoted to editor is in
>the real publishing world.

>In the electronics industry, editors are not considered consequential.
>If the company even has such a job title, it usually means a clerk or
>coordinator, probably a writer wannabe.  In the few companies that do
>hire editors, neither the writers nor the managers know much about what
>to do with them, and use them as proofreaders.

>Real editing means owning and managing the project; that includes
>estimating, scheduling, locating and hiring writers, artists, and
>production people, and editing and producing the book. An editor is,
>by definition, an experienced writer.

>I've had the fortune of working in a real editing job once or twice.  More
>often I work as a writer, because that's where the jobs are, where the
>pay is, and any "editing" job offered is the writer-wannabe kind.

>Happy hunting.
>=============================

> Hello.  In several recent salary surveys and other threads (from this
> list and others), I've picked up that some "writing/editing" jobs are
> treated as two distinct positions where the former is a lower level,
> lower paying job.
> I've been a technical communicator for 10 years (minus a few months) where
> I've worked for both a HUGE corp. and a tiny engineering house.
> I, along with my peers, have always done it ALL--no distinctions.
> Pay increases are tied to tenure since there's no distinction in
> levels.  And special work gets compensated with bonuses.

> All of this leads me to a few questions:
> (1) What kinds of situations (or companies)
> hire/promote editors to edit writers? Does it differ by region?
> size of company? industry/business?

> (2) Are there any jobs an editor handles that someone like myself
> who does it all (research, write, edit, product management, production, etc.)
> doesn't handle?

> Someday I'd like to advance to an editor position (if that's really the
> way to get more prestige (read $$)
> if there are companies really hiring such a person.  (NOTE:  I'm NOT
> talking about being promoted to a person that manages other writers.
> I AM talking about someone being promoted to edit as a specialty.)

> Thanks, in advance, for replies.
> >>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<
> Sherri Hall, Product Manager-Documentation      Email:  shall -at- hilco -dot- com
>         "And unto us a child is born . . . Merry Christmas!"
> >>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<

Regards,

Marc



M_a_r_c_ A. _S_a_n_t_a_c_r_o_c_e_________________________
Technical Writer/Trainer
TRW Financial Systems, Inc.
300 Lakeside Dr.
Oakland, CA 94612-3540
santa -at- tfs -dot- com     santacroce -at- aol -dot- com

"Better to be judged by twelve, than carried by six"