Books-A Million Careers Complete Guide 2021

You’ve loved words since forever. You’ve sniffed through the pages of your favorite books. That bookshelf holds a piece of your heart. And you’ve always dreamt of a job in a world full of books. Guess what! A million jobs are awaiting a book lover like you. In this rticle, we are going to discuss the Books-A Million Careers over here and job opportunities available.

Books-A Million Careers

To land a job in the field of books, the first step is to be an avid reader, which by the way, you already are. There is an uncountable number of careers through which you can pursue your love of books, ranging from proofreading, editing, publishing to being an author, illustrator, reviewer, and more.

Here are some fantastic fifteen jobs for you to go through and see what fits you best.

• Author
  • Salary: $41,263 per year
  • What’s the job? Well, this one is the most desirable profession for a book lover. How cool would it be to have a book published under your name! But it requires skills and consistent effort to become an author. Your everyday job would be to write, write and write! Also, of course, to submit by the deadline. 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Creative Writing
    • Content Creating
    • Content Development
  • How to become one? Complete your manuscript. You can go for two ways of publishing- (a) self-publishing and (b)traditional publishing. The author bears the entire cost of publication in self-publishing or vanity publisher. You can also publish your book as an e-book. The author doesn’t pay for publication in traditional publishing.
  • Perks
    • You get to live the dream, create your own story. 
    • Self-paced in the beginning.
    • Gain fame and recognition.

• Librarian
  • Salary: $56,366 per year
  • What’s the job? If you like organizing, managing, and keeping things in order, then this is just the job for you! Your day to day task would be to:
    • Add/remove/recommend books
    • Conducting book clubs
    • Maintain a budget to manage the addition of new books.
    • Organize engaging and informative book events.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Library Services
    • Integrated Library System
    • Cataloging
    • Collection Management
    • Archival Standards
    • Digitization
    • Teaching
    • Resource Description &Access
    • Metadata
    • Research Experience 
    • Classroom Experience
  • Application Process
    1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in Library Science or any field of education.
    2. Work in a public library to gain sufficient work experience.
    3. Go for a Master’s degree in Library Science(MLS), preferably from an American Library Association accredited program. Many schools do not require an MLS, but you must meet the state teaching requirements. An MLS degree gives you better prospects for fetching jobs.
    4. Do not use the cliche “I love books” in your resume.
    5. State why you are different from the rest and give them a reason to choose you.
    6. Tailor your resume and cover letter for the organization you’re applying to.
  • Perks
    • Spending account
    • Savings account
    • Life insurance
    • Health insurance
    • Paid time off
    • Tuition reimbursement

• Teacher 
  • Salary: $23,982 per year
  • What’s the job? If you like sharing your knowledge, are a good public speaker, and love children, this is just the job for you! Your day to day task would be to:
    • Teach students with patience and understanding.
    • Be someone to look up to. 
    • Help organize and manage school events.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Teaching
    • Deaf Education
    • Early Childhood Education
    • Classroom Experience
    • Classroom Management
    • Behaviour Management
    • Preschool Experience
    • Special Education
    • Lesson Planning
    • Tutoring
    • Experience with Children
    • Special Needs
  • Application Process
    • Earn a bachelor’s degree. 
      • Pre School- Can join with an associate’s degree while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. 
      • Elementary School- Bachelor’s degree in elementary education. 
      • Middle School- Major in a particular subject. 
    • Focus on your communication and listening skills. You should be friendly, caring, and, most importantly -patient. 
    • Get licensed to work as a teacher.
    • Most schools require you to fill an application form, give a personal statement and a letter of recommendation. 
    • Research about the school.
    • Tell them how you are fit for the job.
  • Perks
    • Work from home
    • Referral program
    • Tuition reimbursement
    • Childcare
    • Life insurance
    • Health insurance
    • Paid time off
    • Professional development assistance
    • Paid sick time

• Proofreader
  • Salary: $53,847 per year
  • What’s the job? If you’re the grammar-nazi type and love nothing more than a grammatically correct written piece, you’re perfect for the job! Your basic task would be to correct the submitted drafts for grammar, spell-check, etc. 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Proofreading
    • Adobe Acrobat
    • Transcription
    • Chicago Manual of Style
    • Translation
    • Windows
    • Layout Design
    • Copywriting
    • Copy Editing
    • Writing Skills
    • AP Style
    • Microsoft Word
    • Quick reader
    • Proficiency in computer
    • Detail-oriented
  • Application Process
    1. Bachelor’s degree in English/ journalism/ related fields.
    2. Prepare a portfolio showcasing your works.
    3. Gain work experience at a small publishing house before applying to any publishing company.
  • Perks
    • Work from home
    • Flexible schedule
    • Paid time off
    • Health insurance
    • Flexible spending account

• Editor
  • Salary: $53,665 per year
  • What’s the job? You’ll be responsible for preparing the final draft for books, media outlets, blogs, etc., along with handling social media, assigning articles, and managing a whole team.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Proofreading 
    • Writing Skills
    • Creative Writing
    • WordPress
    • Content Management Systems
    • Adobe Premiere
    • Journalism
    • Copy Editing
    • Taleo
    • Final Cut Pro
    • Adobe Photoshop
    • Research Experience
  • Application Process
    1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, or any other related field. 
    2. Gain work experience through interning in local publishing companies as a freelance editor. 
    3. Get certified. 
    4. Hone your composition, critical analysis, research, and management skills.
    5. Find your niche as an editor. 
    6. Apply in media houses or publishing houses, satisfying their specific needs. 
  • Perks
    • Work from home
    • Health insurance
    • Life insurance
    • Flexible savings account
    • Paid leave

• Literary Agent
  • Salary: $51,264 per year
  • What’s the job? Your job includes submitting the work you receive from writers to publishers. You act as the middleman and also get a part of the royalty in the book. 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • A degree in English/journalism or related fields.
  • How to become one?
    1. Read as much as you can
    2. Assist an agent
    3. Make connections
  • Perks
    • Enjoy a part of the book’s royalty.
    • Flexible work hours
    • Can work part-time along with another mainstream profession.

• Illustrator
  • Salary: $48,558 per year
  • What’s the job? If you have a knack for reading and art, there couldn’t be a better job for you! Your job can range from designing book covers to drawing for the text of the books.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • A degree in fine arts, illustration, graphic design, or a similar field.
    • Must be skilled in Adobe Illustration, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe InDesign, Digital Art, etc.
  • How to become one?
    1. Create a portfolio
    2. Send out queries 
  • Perks 
    • Paid leave
    • Health insurance
    • Life insurance
    • Savings account

• Archivist
  • Salary: $63 573 per year
  • What’s the job? Want your workplace to be surrounded by books all over? Here’s the job for you! As an archivist, researching records and cataloging them would be your main task to do.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Master’s Degree in history, library science, art history, or other related fields.
    • Must possess analytical, organizational, and reading skills. 
    • Must have computer proficiency.
  • How to become one?
    1. Earn a certificate from the Academy of Certified Archivists
    2. Pass a written exam
    3. Have at least one year of work experience.
  • Perks
    • Paid leave
    • Savings account
    • Health insurance
    • Life insurance
    • Stable income

• Content Writer
  • Salary: $51,060 per year
  • What’s the job? Have good marketing as well as writing skills? this is just the job for you! Your day-to-day task would be to publish daily or weekly online blogs for companies and firms.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Creative writing skills.
    • You can work as an intern, freelancer, or full-time content writer.
    • Degree in English, journalism, or other related fields.
    • Relevant work experience.
  • How to apply?
    1. Build your resume
    2. Look for vacancies in firms
    3. Gain enough work experience
    4. Identify your niche
  • Perks
    • Flexible work hours
    • Unlimited paid time off
    • Work from home 

• Translator
  • Salary: $45,714
  • What’s the job? Have command over several languages? You can serve the job just right! Translating the text into another language keeping the theme intact would be your main job to do.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Proofreading
    • Research experience 
    • Linguistic experience
    • Interpretation 
  • How to become one?
    1. A bachelor’s degree in the language of your choice.
    2. Earn a certificate from the American Translators Association(ATA)
    3. Gain work experience
    4. Pass the language proficiency test
    5. Apply in publishing houses for the vacancies for a translator. 
  • Perks
    • Paid leave
    • Tuition reimbursements
    • Professional Development assistance
    • Health insurance
    • Flexible schedule
    • Work from home

• Journalist
  • Salary: $35,033 per year
  • What’s the job? If investigating and reporting excite you, this is the job for you! Your everyday task would be to cover informative stories and report them through print or electronic media.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism, political science, economics, or other related fields.
    • Develop critical writing skills
    • Build your portfolio
    • Gain relevant experience by working as an intern
  • Application Process
    1. Build your cv
    2. Identify your journalistic niche
    3. Apply to media houses and news agencies for the kind of media you want to work in.
  • Perks
    • Paid leave
    • Access to places not accessible for the common public
    • Get to witness happenings first hand
    • Health insurance
    • Life insurance
    • Steady income

• Bookseller
  • Salary: $29,766 per year
  • What’s the job? The job is self-explanatory. You handle a bookstore and sell books, journals, and magazines to people. 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Do not need any professional degree
    • Retail experience is counted
    • Must possess these skills:
    • Data Entry
    • Cashiering
    • Customer Service
    • Communication Skills
    • Computer Skills
  • How to become one?
    • Just talk to a nearby bookstore owner about a vacancy.
  • Perks
    • Easy work environment
    • It can be done part-time

• PR Specialist
  • Salary: $51,885 per year
  • What’s the job? Have good people skills? PR Specialist is the job for you! You can serve as the spokesperson for a company or the press secretary for a political party. 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Earn a master’s degree in English, journalism, or other related fields.
    • Gain experience through internships.
    • Home your communication and management skills
  • Application Process
    1. Become a member of the Public Relations Society of America
    2. Tailor your resume according to the organization’s needs.
  • Perks
    • Career flexibility
    • Promising job outlook
    • Paid leave 
    • Exciting career path

• Copywriter
  • Salary: $55,310 per year
  • What’s the job? Want to write for a particular niche? This may as well be your dream job! Copywriters write informative and entertaining content to engage with their audiences.
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Copywriting
    • Creative Writing
    • SEO(Search engine optimization)
    • Social media marketing
    • Proofreading
    • Content strategy
    • Marketing
    • Branding
    • WordPress
  • Application Process
    1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, marketing, or other related fields.
    2. Try freelancing
    3. Gain work experience through internships
  • Perks
    • Paid leave
    • Flexible work hours
    • Work from home

• Data Scientist
  • Salary: $119,983 per year 
  • What’s the job? Are you a tech geek? Does raw information incite your brain? Data Scientist is just the profession for you! 
  • Requirements/Skills
    • Machine Learning
    • Data Mining
    • Data Science
    • Spark
    • Natural Language Processing
    • Regression Analysis
    • Python
    • AI(Artificial Intelligence)
    • Hadoop
    • Apache Hive
    • TensorFlow
  • Application Process
    1. Earn a master’s or doctoral degree in data science, computer science, or other closely related fields.
    2. Develop programming languages.
  • Perks
    • Stock options
    • Paid leave
    • Health savings account
    • Amazing income

Conclusion

So, if you possess a love for books, there are a million careers for you to choose from, no matter what your specific interests may be. All you gotta do is lookout for opportunities, find your niche, and you are set for an amazing journey ahead! 

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can only someone who has great educational qualifications and degrees can become an author? Not really. You don’t need to attain special degrees to become an author. Anyone can become an author or a writer. For being a good writer, it is not the degrees but the skills that count. Read as much as you can. Write whatever you can. And keep practicing. 
• To publish my book, do I have to have a publisher? You don’t need to have a traditional publisher to publish your book. You can self-publish your book, but you will have to bear the entire cost from publishing to marketing. One way to self-publish your book for free is by publishing it as an ebook.
• Are careers in the field of literature only related to teaching and writing? No. There is an inexhaustible list of careers you can venture into through books. If you have a knack for facts and data, become a data scientist; if history is your niche, be a librarian or an archivist; if art is your passion, you can be an illustrator, and so on.
• Does my degree discipline matter if I want to become a publisher? The discipline of your degree does not hamper your profession as a publisher. But if you want to publish a certain niche in books, having a degree and in-depth knowledge in that field would help you increase your prospects for a better job.

*The data for this article has been taken from- https://www.indeed.com/career/translator/career-advice