Book Publishing Editor

Reading manuscripts, judging whether they work, suggesting changes to authors, editing and proofreading the text, working with designers and marketing teams, and preparing the final file for print.

A day in the work
You start by checking emails from authors and the production team, then read a manuscript chapter by chapter with a pencil or track-changes tool open. Around midday you might call an author to talk through a plot gap or a weak argument in a non-fiction chapter. The afternoon often goes on fixing copy, checking facts and sending the edited file to the designer, with a meeting with the marketing team at the end of the day.

1. Step 1 · Class 10–12Any Class 12 stream is fine. Read widely, write often, and take English or your main Indian language seriously. Editors are judged mainly on their language skills.
2. Step 2 · Graduation (3 years)Take a BA, BCom, BSc or BA English. English as a subject is useful. Some diploma courses accept engineering and medical graduates too, so the degree subject is not a hard barrier. (reported — check with the official body)
3. Step 3 · After graduation (6 weeks to 1 year)Take a publishing course. Options include the National Book Trust's certificate course (a short course run in person or online), a one-year PG diploma at a university such as Calcutta or Ambedkar University Delhi, or the IGNOU distance PG diploma. Check each course's current notice before applying. (reported — check with the official body)
4. Step 4 · After graduation (3–6 months)Get an internship or an entry job such as editorial assistant, proofreader or sub-editor. Internships are usually optional on courses but often the way in. Keep a sample folder of edited pages. (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · Early career (2–5 years)Move up to assistant or commissioning editor, or take freelance editing work. Learn Word track changes, basic InDesign, copyright and contract basics, and your publisher's house style.

• In-house routedegree, then a publishing course or internship, then an editorial assistant job at a publishing house, magazine or academic press.
• Freelance routeafter experience, editing manuscripts for authors, self-publishers or small presses. Income is less steady and needs a strong sample portfolio.
• Other routestart in journalism, copywriting or technical writing, then move into book editing.

Fees from: University of Calcutta: PG Diploma in Book Publishing Studies FAQ (2014 PDF) · Ambedkar University Delhi: PG Diploma in Publishing brochure (2014 admissions PDF) · IGNOU: Post Graduate Diploma in Book Publishing programme page. Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Entry pay varies a lot by publisher, city and type of work (in-house, freelance or academic), and it rises with experience and specialisation, with big English-language houses and academic publishers usually paying more than small or regional-language houses.

Ambedkar University Delhi's one-year diploma reserves seats under government norms and relaxes its 50 per cent marks rule by 5 per cent for SC, ST and physically disabled applicants. Other entry routes have no separate rules for girls or students with disabilities.

• Class 7–9Read one book a week in English or your main language. After each chapter, note one sentence you would have made clearer and say why.
• Class 10–12Offer to proofread your school magazine or class newsletter. Keep a checklist of spelling, punctuation and consistency errors, and fix them with a red pen before the final copy.
• College or afterCheck the National Book Trust website for the next publishing course batch and its eligibility rules, then decide whether a course or an internship comes first.Open link ↗

• No government licence or single regulator covers this work. Anyone can call themselves an editor, so employers judge you by your samples, tests and references.
• Course fees and dates change every year. The National Book Trust's 2026 in-person batch ran in June–July, and the next batch's dates are not confirmed here.
• Entry-level pay and openings vary a lot. Many listings are short contracts, internships or freelance projects, and big in-house jobs are limited.
• Regional-language publishing is growing. The National Book Trust has added Hindi, Malayalam, Bangla and Marathi tracks, so knowing an Indian language well is a real advantage.