Book and Script Editors

ANZSCO ID 212212

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,300
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
53%
Female Share
78%
Average age
44

Summary

Book or Script Editors evaluate manuscripts of books or scripts to determine suitability for publication or production, and edit and supervise material in preparation for publication or for production on film, television, radio or stage.

Specialisations: Script Coordinator.

A bachelor or postgraduate degree in writing, literature or another related field is usually needed to work as a Book or Script Editor. Many workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Tasks

  • Reviews and evaluates manuscripts of novels, biographies, short stories, poems, educational texts and other books, and ensures coherence of style and development of theme, plot and characterisation.

  • Advises publishers about potential of works for publication and conditions of publication contract.

  • Negotiates publication details such as royalties, publication dates and numbers of copies to be printed.

  • Reviews and assesses stories and other material for film, television, radio and stage productions.

  • Directs the preparation of scripts to be read by announcers to introduce and connect parts of musicals, news, sports and special events programmes.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Creative
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Authors, and Book and Script Editors, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 53% of people employed as Book and Script Editors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 13 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Information Media and Telecommunications
61.2%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
8.5%
3
Education and Training
6.9%
4
Administrative and Support Services
5.3%
5
Other industries
14.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

38.7% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

39.7% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.0% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

3.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

3.7% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.2% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.2% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Book and Script Editors All Jobs Average
NSW 38.7 31.6
VIC 39.7 25.6
QLD 11.0 20.0
SA 3.5 7.0
WA 3.7 10.8
TAS 1.2 2.0
NT 0.2 1.0
ACT 2.2 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
44
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
78%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Book and Script Editors is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 78% of the workforce. This is 30 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Book and Script Editors All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 3.5 9.3
25-34 21.9 22.9
35-44 25.4 22.0
45-54 22.4 21.6
55-59 10.4 9.0
60-64 8.3 6.0
65 and Over 8.1 4.2
Median Age 44 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A bachelor or postgraduate degree in writing, literature or another related field is usually needed to work as a Book or Script Editor. Many workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Book and Script Editors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 41.8 10.1
Bachelor degree 45.0 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 5.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 1.6 21.1
Year 12 5.1 18.1
Year 11 0.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.5 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Authors, and Book and Script Editors who have strong attention to detail, can communicate clearly and are organised.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 71%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 70%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 57%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 55%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 55%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 52%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 52%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 50%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 50%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 48%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 48%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 48%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 37%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 32%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 81%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 77%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 56%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 56%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 51%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 50%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 47%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 45%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 44%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 40%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 37%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 35%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 32%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 32%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 31%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 31%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 29%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 27%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 27%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 24%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 71%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 68%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 66%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 63%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 61%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 55%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 54%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 54%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 54%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 54%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 50%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 48%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 37%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 37%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 80%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 73%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 73%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 72%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 69%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 67%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 64%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 63%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 62%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 61%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 58%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 56%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 55%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 55%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 52%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 49%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 48%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 44%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 44%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 41%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 90%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 86%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 57%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 29%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 29%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 19%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 86%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 76%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 71%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 62%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 57%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 99%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 98%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 96%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 92%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 91%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 89%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 89%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 88%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 87%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 85%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 83%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 77%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 75%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 75%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 74%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 67%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 67%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 27-3041.00 - Editors.


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