Literary inspiration: 7 top jobs for book lovers

Whether your book love is related to reading or writing, or both, you don’t have to restrict that passion to your out-of-work hours. How would you like a job in the world of books? If that sounds like a dream come true but you don’t know where to start, you’re in luck.

Here are 7 top jobs for book lovers like you.

Bookseller

Many a book lover dreams of working in a bookshop, surrounded by walls of books and sharing their knowledge with fellow readers. Booksellers help customers with orders and purchases, buy new stock, fill shelves and displays, and organise and take part in bookshop events. You may even own a bookshop, either a physical store or online. What’s key is an enthusiasm for books and the willingness to stay up to date with the latest releases and book trends.

There are no set qualifications to become a bookseller, but handy skills include teamwork, communication, and time management.

A typical salary range for a bookseller runs from £16,000 to £25,000 in the UK and $26,000 to $36,000 in the US.

Librarian

Your local library may well have been the first place where you discovered your love for books. You’ll find several jobs at a library, including librarians, library pages or assistants, and archivists.

The main purpose of a librarian is to provide access to information (and books) for visitors to the library. You might help visitors find specific books, catalogue books and other resources, maintain library collections, help visitors with their research inquiries, or promote and organise events like book clubs.

A library page or assistant helps visitors too, but they also check books in and out, reshelve returned books, and carry out administrative tasks.

An archivist is responsible for preserving and maintaining archival collections of historical records, manuscripts, and other valuable documents.

To work as a librarian in the UK, you’ll generally need a bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualification in librarianship or information management accredited by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. In the US, you’ll need a postgraduate degree in library science, generally accredited by the American Library Association. School librarians may not need a postgraduate degree but may need relevant teaching qualifications.

A typical salary for a librarian in the UK ranges from £25,000 to £55,000. In the US, that salary range is $50,000 to $94,000.

Author

If your bookish passion is to write books as well as read them, then author could be the job for you. Most authors will go down one of three routes:

• ‘traditionally’ published by one of the big publishers like Harper Collins
• indie published by a smaller, independent publisher
• self published

If you’re traditionally published, you’ll generally be paid an advance fee. Once that fee has been earned back by your book sales, you’ll begin to receive book royalty payments.

If you’re indie published, you may receive an advance fee and then royalties. Alternatively, you may only receive royalty payments. On the plus side, those royalty payments will begin to roll in more quickly because you won’t have to pay off the advance fee first.

If you self publish, the expense of getting your book to market, such as editing, book cover design, and type setting will fall on your shoulders, but all the proceeds from royalties and any books you sell personally will be entirely yours.

There is one other route for authors. You can ghostwrite novels for someone else or work on IP projects for publishing companies.

There are no set qualifications to work as an author, but great communication and writing skills are key.

Book Illustrator/Designer

If you want to combine your love of books with artistic and design skills, then a career as a book illustrator or designer could be the one to follow.

A book illustrator creates artwork, for instance, the book cover. They work closely with authors, editors, and publishers to make sure that their artwork matches the book’s theme and tone. Think Quentin Blake who illustrated the Roald Dahl children’s books and Josh Kirby who illustrated the Terry Pratchett Discworld novels.

A book designer focuses on the overall visual presentation of a book. They make sure that the book’s layout, typography, and cover design work well together. Many book designers will create book artwork too.

While there are no set qualifications to work in either role, the following can be useful:

• a degree or other training in art and design
• a knack for visual storytelling
• strong art and design skills
• communication and collaboration skills
• knowledge of relevant software

Many book illustrators and designers are self-employed. However, an employed book illustrator can typically earn from £23,000 to £40,000 in the UK and $38,000 to $99,000 in the US. An employed book designer in the UK can typically earn between £26,000 and £42,000. In the US, that salary range would be $23,000 to $85,000.

Book Publisher

A book publisher oversees the entire process of bringing a book to the public. Their responsibilities include deciding which books to sign up and publish, handling copyright and licensing agreements, and making sure that the finished product reaches bookstores, libraries, and online retailers. They work closely with authors, editors, designers, and marketing teams.

There are no strict educational requirements to work as a publisher, but most will have a relevant bachelor’s degree, for instance, in literature, journalism, or marketing.
A typical salary range for a book publisher in the UK is between £24,000 and £57,000. In the US, that salary range would generally be $35,000 to $75,000.

Book Editor

A book editor refines and enhances the contents of a book to make sure that it’s ready for publication. They assess a book’s structure, plot, character development, pacing, consistency, sentence structure, and word choice before providing feedback to authors on how to make improvements or to explain the changes they have made.

There are no set qualifications to work as a book editor, but having a bachelor’s degree in a topic like English or journalism is definitely an advantage, as are strong writing skills and an eye for detail.

A typical UK salary range for a book editor is £25,000 to £43,000. In the US, that salary range is from $49,000 to $94,000.

Teacher

As a book lover, you might think that there’s only one teaching topic that you’d be interested in, namely English. English teachers nurture their pupils’ love for literature, language, and writing. They analyse books and other texts, teach grammar, and encourage enthusiasm in the written word.

But how about a creative writing teacher? They guide students in developing their writing skills. Or a literature teacher who delves into the themes of books, analyses characters, and opens discussions on how books and plays have impacted and reflect our world?

To work as an English teacher, you’ll need a relevant bachelor’s degree, teacher training, and registration or a license to teach in your region.

A typical salary range for an English teacher is £30,000 to £46,000 in the UK and between $43,000 and $77,000 in the US.

Wrapping it up

Combining your love for books with a successful career doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. There are plenty of jobs for book lovers, whatever your skillset.