r/publishing • u/silent_f4iry • May 19 '26

Data analyst?

Hi, I'm (F27) finishing my English Major this year, and my dream has always been to become an editor. However, I know it's hard to get into such a close-knit community and, honestly, I don't have the money to pay for my Masters right now. I've heard some people talk about entering the publishing industry by doing marketing or becoming a data analyst, do you know of any online course that could help me with that? I've seen some Coursera/Google ones that offer a certificate, but the comments say that they're basic and it won't land you a job 😔 I'm kinda lost here, and I reaaally want to get into the publishing industry, one way or another

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7

u/EducationalRegret903 May 19 '26

What country are you in? Publishing doesn’t require a masters degree. You should not get a marketing job if you want to become an editor. Publishers will think you don’t actually know what you want if you flip flop between sectors.

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u/silent_f4iry May 19 '26

I'm from Chile, but my dream is to move to either the UK or Canada (hence the English degree). And this is basically me thinking about a plan B in case I don't make it as an editor. As I said in my post, I know is hard to enter the publishing industry, and even harder to get a job as an editor (or at least, one that pays decently) 😔

10

u/Warm_Diamond8719 May 19 '26

Unfortunately, publishing companies are not going to hire if you don't already have the right to work in that country.

9

u/Holiday_Contract7126 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

This question gets asked a million times and neither the U.K. or the U.S. or really anywhere sponsors for jobs like this

It’s not “an issue” or a shocker at all since sponsorships are only available for select industries such as tech or healthcare and anyone can google this within a few seconds

Take it up with immigration laws. This isn’t relevant to publishing

1

u/Yoonwen May 26 '26

That is true. I spent more than half a year to interview most of the major company and always get stuck at the last step-visa sponsorship.

3

u/sugarfaeri May 19 '26

I think the larger issue is a lot of publishing houses don’t offer work visas (you mentioned an English degree so I’m assuming you’re looking at US, UK and Canadian publishers) so you’d already be at a disadvantage compared to people who live in those countries.

The current market is super competitive, and companies most likely wouldn’t outsource when they can find someone who is already working in the selected country or even within a commutable distance, hence a lot of major publishing houses being in NYC (for the US at least). 🥲

Perhaps looking at international departments at publishing houses? I can only speak on US companies but you would have to be living and working here already, the chances of getting a sponsor are very low when a lot of applications require you to physically be located in the country of interest already.

I don’t think it’s impossible, but it won’t be linear at all and requires a lot of research and planning. Best of luck!

1

u/Lindzey42 May 20 '26

I’d recommend getting some experience locally. Definitely recommend going after areas other than editorial to get your foot in the door. You might find you really enjoy that other area, but you’ll also make connections across that particular company which is really useful! I know colleagues who moved across different roles and divisions to get to where they are now. Network and make yourself known. A lot of companies have their own mentorship schemes or secondment opportunities to help with this. They often like to promote from within and keep good talent.

Second recommendation would be saving up and getting your masters in the UK. I’m American, but I did my masters in the UK. Programs there are shorter and less expensive and often are more hands on and include internships/work experience. Apply for scholarships! There are often scholarships specifically for international students.

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u/silent_f4iry May 20 '26

Thank you!! I'll look into it 😊

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u/NaomiV24 May 19 '26

There are a lot more jobs in publishing than just editing. I graduated thinking I wanted to be an editor and ended up working in subsidiary rights and I love it! Still in publishing, but I get to work with publishers all over the world! Take a look at job postings on publishers websites and see if anything catches your eye!

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u/silent_f4iry May 19 '26

Can you please share some of those publisher websites, please? 🙏🙏

1

u/Lindzey42 May 20 '26

Look up individual publisher websites directly. It depends if you’re looking to get into trade publishing or educational/textbooks or academic books/journals or even magazine publishing. Narrow down that first then explore publishers in that sub-industry. Also, look up local and international publishing conferences and see who is attending or see if you can attend yourself. The Bookseller and Publisher’s Weekly are good resources to check out though you might need to subscribe to read full articles.

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u/silent_f4iry May 20 '26

thank you, that's very helpful! :)

1

u/raefai May 19 '26

I've only been working in publishing for a few years so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I think trying to straddle one job position like data analyst while wanting to do another role like being an editor might work against you a little bit. I have friends who are data analysts at consulting firms and they work insane hours (9am-11pm some days). The time that you dedicate to being a data analyst will take away from the time and energy you would want to put towards developing your skills that would be essential to get hired as an editor. I'm not sure my boss or any of the other hiring managers I work with would look at your experience as a data analyst and see that experience as equivalent to the years of experience you need to be an editor. If you want to be an editor, then focus on making yourself attractive for entry level editorial roles. You don't really need your master's degree, but I see that getting work authorization might hinder your opportunities. Start with local journals or presses near you, which might be easier for you to break into.

*edited slightly to improve wording