Book Publisher Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Book Publisher resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
If you’re an organized, detail-oriented person who thrives in a fast-paced environment, book publishing might be the right industry for you. Book publishers are responsible for bringing books to market, from editing manuscripts and designing book covers to coordinating publicity efforts and marketing campaigns.
Book publishers need to have a solid understanding of the book industry and its audience—what types of books are currently on the market, what’s trending in the news, what types of stories or topics resonate with readers. They also need a good grasp of the book market overall—how readers buy books, how much they pay for them, how many copies are typically sold. And because book publishers are tasked with managing the development of new books, they need strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with authors and other contributors.
Here are some tips and an example to help you write a book publisher resume that will impress hiring managers.
How to Write a Book Publisher Resume
Here’s how to write a book publisher resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your bullet points much more interesting and compelling by using specific numbers and statistics.
For example, rather than saying you “managed staff,” you could say that you “managed staff of 15+ employees to achieve $1 million in annual revenue in first year.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and provides a clear sense of the scale of the project and the level of success achieved.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job as a book publisher, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for specific terms related to the job, like “copy editing” and “marketing,” to determine whether your skills are a match for the position. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might discard your application.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of common book publisher keywords as a starting point to help you optimize your resume:
- Publishing
- Book Publishing
- Editing
- Publishing Advice
- Creative Writing
- Writing
- Non-fiction
- Literature
- Adobe InDesign
- Content Management
- Writing Books
- Copy Editing
- HTML
- Magazines
- Public Relations
- Social Media Marketing
- E-books
- Copywriting
- Publishing Projects
- Magazines & E-zines
- Microsoft Access
- Online Publishing
- Publishing Technology
- Digital Printing
- Graphic Design
- Adobe Photoshop
- Proofreading
- Print Publishing
- Digital Media
- Social Media
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a book publisher, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to effectively do your job. These might include programs like Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, and QuarkXPress, as well as Microsoft Office Suite programs like Word and Excel. Additionally, you should be familiar with various types of printing and binding equipment, as well as the different types of paper and other materials used in the publishing process.