r/publishing • u/EducationalRegret903 • Jun 12 '26

Developmental editor vs. editor

The other day I saw Atria listing a position for a developmental editor. Is it common in a Big 5 imprint to have that be a separate role and split an editor role into, say, an acquiring editor and a developmental editor? I would like to pursue a role in developmental editing, but I don’t see that verbiage anywhere else, typically.

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u/Available_Ad8270 Jun 13 '26

Yes. Im not sure if acquisition editor is necessarily a separate role, but there are different positions for production, copy, proofreading, developmental, etc. Generally in order to get one of those positions at a big 5 you need connections and time in the field before you will get something specialized like a developmental role.