Questions to Ask in a Publishing Interview
For anyone interviewing at a book publisher or a magazine, whether for an editorial assistant's desk or a job in publicity, marketing, production or rights. The questions begin with the list and the imprint that publishes it, then take in what the job is from week to week, how books are bought and sold, the hours and the pay, and how an assistant gets promoted, with a few to close the interview on. Most are worded for a book house, and the ones meant for a magazine say so.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The list
Which books on the upcoming list would I work on first?
Why ask it
A specific answer, with titles and publication months, means the job has already been planned around real books. Look those titles up afterwards: the author, the format and the date tell you what your first season would hold. At a magazine, ask which issues or sections you would be assigned to.
How would you describe this imprint's list to someone who has never read from it?
Why ask it
The interviewer's own summary is the editorial identity as the staff understand it, which is often narrower or stranger than the website copy. Compare it with the three or four titles you read to prepare. If your picture and theirs differ, say so and ask which books they think of as most typical.
Which recent title is the house proudest of, and which one sold differently than expected?
Why ask it
Pride shows what the place values: prizes, sales, or a debut it took a risk on. The surprise, in either direction, shows how openly people there talk about numbers, and whether anyone worked out why it happened.
How many titles does the imprint publish a year, and is that number going up or down?
Why ask it
Set the number of titles against the number of people in the department and you have a rough idea of the load on each desk. A list that is growing without new hires means more work for the same staff. One that is being cut deserves a follow-up about why.
What is the list missing that you would like to be publishing?
Why ask it
The gap they name is where the imprint is heading, and where a new person's taste might be wanted. If it is an area you read widely in, mention two or three recent books in it from other publishers. If nobody can think of a gap, fresh ideas may not be what this seat is for.
Who reads these books, and how does the house learn what those readers want?
Why ask it
Some houses know their readers through newsletters, events and sales data, and others rely on what booksellers and editors sense. Neither is wrong, but the answer shows how decisions get argued for there. In a marketing or publicity interview, go on to ask what the team can actually see about its audience.
How much of the house's income comes from the backlist, and how much from new titles?
Why ask it
Older titles that keep selling tend to steady a publisher, while each new book is a bet. Not every interviewer will know or be free to share a figure, so 'roughly' is fine. A house that lives mostly on new titles needs every season to work, and the people inside it usually feel that.
Where does the magazine's money come from now, and how has that mix shifted?
Why ask it
Subscriptions, advertising, events, sponsored content and grants each pull the editorial work in a different direction. Put it plainly and without alarm, since the staff have usually thought hard about it. In a book interview, ask about backlist and new titles instead.
How does this imprint sit inside the larger company, and which decisions are made above it?
Why ask it
At an imprint owned by a group, budgets, larger offers and sales may be handled centrally. At an independent press, ask who owns it and how it is funded. Both versions show you who can say no to a book your boss wants.
The role
What does a week in this job look like when a book is about to publish, compared with a quiet week?
Why ask it
Publishing work bunches around dates: handing a manuscript to production, sales conference, publication day. The contrast between the two weeks shows how much of the job is planned and how much is reacting. Ask which of those dates would fall in your first two months.
What would a good first season in this job look like to you?
Why ask it
Most book publishers plan by the season, which makes a season a natural stretch to be judged over. The best replies are concrete: a batch of titles moved through production on schedule, a campaign whose mailings you ran, a boss who no longer dreads their inbox. Write the answer down and bring it to your first review.
How much of the job is administrative support, and how much is work on the books themselves?
Why ask it
For most assistant roles the honest answer leans toward administration: schedules, contract paperwork, payments, mailings, meeting notes. An interviewer who offers a rough split is being straight with you. The first hands-on task they mention, whether jacket copy, a reader's report or a proofread, is what the house trusts a newcomer with.
Who would I be supporting, and how do they share my time?
Why ask it
One boss, two editors or a whole department are three different jobs under one title. With more than one boss, find out which of them writes your review, because that tends to be the person whose work comes first.
What do new assistants here usually find hardest in their first few months?
Why ask it
The reply is often about volume more than difficulty: a dozen schedules to chase, an inbox that refills by lunch, a title database nobody had time to explain. If the hard part is something you have already handled, such as keeping the production calendar for a student magazine, say so in a sentence and move on.
Would I read submissions, and what happens to a report after I write it?
Why ask it
This one is for editorial roles. Reading for your boss is where taste gets noticed, but only if someone reads the report and tells you whether they agreed. If reports go unanswered, ask how assistants there learn what the editor is looking for.
When would I start dealing with authors and agents myself, and over what?
Why ask it
Early contact tends to be practical: chasing a contract, sending proofs, booking travel. That is still how authors and agents come to know your name. In publicity, ask the same about journalists, booksellers and event organizers.
Which other departments would I work with most, and where do handoffs between them tend to slip?
Why ask it
A book passes through editorial, production, design, marketing, publicity, sales and rights, and an assistant often carries the messages between them. The slipping point they name, such as late manuscripts or cover approvals, is likely to be a regular part of your week.
Who handles copyediting, proofreading and design here: staff, freelancers or an outside firm?
Why ask it
If the work goes out, someone has to brief, chase and pay the freelancers, and that someone is frequently the assistant. In a production or managing editorial job this is close to the whole role, so ask how many freelancers you would be coordinating at once.
How does a piece go from pitch to page at this magazine, and where would I come in?
Why ask it
Listen for the steps: who commissions, who edits, who checks facts, who writes the headline and who has the last look. Your place in that chain, whether it is fact-checking, loading stories onto the website or editing short items, is the real job description.
What is the house's position on AI tools, in its own work and in authors' contracts?
Why ask it
Policies on this are still being written at many publishers, and they differ. You want to know what you could use for tasks like draft copy or transcription, and whether an unpublished manuscript may ever be put into one. If the reply is that a policy is on the way, ask who decides in the meantime.
Acquiring and selling
How does a book get acquired here, from the first read to an offer?
Why ask it
Every house has its own route: who must read the manuscript, which meeting it goes to, who signs off on the money. Even in a publicity or production interview it is worth asking, because the route explains why some books arrive with the whole building behind them and others do not.
Who sits in the acquisitions meeting, and could someone at my level attend?
Why ask it
Sitting in, even silently, is one of the quickest ways to learn how a house weighs a book's chances. Some places invite assistants as a matter of course and some keep the room small. If it is closed to juniors, ask how the decisions are reported back to the team.
What does an editor have to show before the house will make an offer?
Why ask it
Expect to hear about comparable titles, a profit and loss estimate and backing from sales, though the mix differs by house. Assistants are often the ones who pull the comparison figures together, so find out whether that would be you.
At what point do sales, marketing and publicity get a say in what is bought?
Why ask it
Where they are consulted before an offer, their teams tend to be invested in the book from the start. Where they first hear of a title at launch, expect more persuading inside the building. For a marketing or publicity candidate, the reply shows how much weight your department would carry.
How do the books reach stores: an in-house sales team, a distributor, or both?
Why ask it
A small press sold through a distributor's reps usually works to that distributor's calendar and deadlines. A house with its own sales force tends to have more control and more internal meetings. Ask when sales conference falls and what your role would have to prepare for it.
Which accounts and channels matter most for this list?
Why ask it
Chains, independent bookshops, online retailers, libraries, schools, book clubs and gift or specialty stores each want something different from a publisher. The channel named first shapes covers, formats, publication dates and where the marketing money goes.
How is marketing and publicity effort divided among the titles in a season?
Why ask it
No house can give every book the same push, and how it chooses is worth hearing plainly. Then ask what a title with little budget still gets, because those are often the campaigns handed to the newest person to run.
How are translation, audio and other rights sold: in-house, or through agents and co-agents?
Why ask it
For a rights job this is the heart of the interview, so go on to ask which book fairs the team attends and who travels. For anyone else it shows how many extra deadlines, such as files for an audio producer or a foreign publisher, sit on top of the main schedule.
Once a book is out, who looks at the sales figures and what do they do with them?
Why ask it
In some houses assistants pull the weekly numbers and learn the market quickly from doing it. In others the figures stay with sales and senior editors. Being able to see them matters later, when you want to argue for a book of your own and need comparison titles to do it.
Workload and pay
What is the salary range for this role, and is there room to move within it?
Why ask it
Many candidates save this for the recruiter or HR, or for the point when an offer is near, since an editor interviewing you may not set pay at all. If the posting already gave a range, ask what puts someone at the top of it. Starting pay differs from house to house and city to city, so measure it against what living there would cost you.
Is this role paid for overtime, or given time back, when the hours run long?
Why ask it
The rules depend on the country, the employer and how the job is classified, so do not assume: ask how it works at this house. If overtime pay would make a real difference to your budget, get the answer from HR in writing.
How much reading or editing do people in this job do in the evenings and on weekends?
Why ask it
In editorial roles manuscripts are often read outside office hours because the day fills with everything else. The useful part of the reply is whether that is expected of an assistant or simply what ambitious people there choose to do. Try asking the interviewer how much they read at home in their own first year.
How many titles or campaigns would I carry at once, and what happens when two schedules collide?
Why ask it
A number is good, and a number with the story of the last pile-up is better. Listen for who decides what waits: your manager, a managing editor, or you alone at seven in the evening.
Are evening events, festivals and book fairs part of the job, and how is that time treated?
Why ask it
Launches and readings are mostly evening affairs, festivals take up weekends, and a book fair can mean several days away. Publicity and rights roles tend to carry the most of them. Ask how many came up in the last few months, whether travel is paid up front or reimbursed, and whether a late night means a later start.
Which months are the heaviest for this team?
Why ask it
Each department has its own crunch: launch meetings and sales conference, a crowded fall list, a major book fair, award deadlines. Knowing the calendar lets you plan around it, and tells you whether your start date would drop you into the middle of one.
Which days is the team in the office, and what work is done in person?
Why ask it
Posted policy and actual habit can differ, so ask about last week in particular. Mailings, proofs and finished copies are physical objects, which can mean assistants are in more often than their bosses. If so, find out whether your boss comes in on the same days or you would be minding the mailroom alone.
Moving up
What is the usual path up from this job, and how long did the first step take the last few people?
Why ask it
Job titles differ between houses, so ask them to name the rungs in order. A timeline drawn from real people is worth far more than 'it depends on the person'. If nobody can recall a recent promotion, treat that as your answer.
What have the assistants who moved up fastest here done differently?
Why ask it
The reply shows what this house rewards: a reader's report that got a book bought, a schedule that never slipped, or a voice that was heard in meetings. Whichever it is, that is where to put your effort in the first year. If all they can offer is long hours, weigh that as well.
Who last held this job, and where are they now?
Why ask it
Promoted within the department, moved to another house, or gone from publishing altogether: each says something different about where the seat leads. It also tells you why the job is open without your having to ask outright.
Can someone be promoted in place, or does a job above have to open up first?
Why ask it
Where promotion waits for a vacancy, a good assistant can sit for years behind a boss who is not leaving. Where a new title can follow growing duties, progress is more in your own hands. Ask how the most recent promotion on the team came about.
When could I begin acquiring books or running projects of my own, and what would I need to show first?
Why ask it
Ask it as curiosity about the path, never as a demand, because nobody wants an assistant who is impatient with the assisting. Good replies name a stepping stone: a co-edited title, a small campaign, a reissue. In publicity or marketing, ask when you would be given titles of your own.
Do people move between departments here, and has anyone done it recently?
Why ask it
Plenty of people start in publicity or sales hoping to cross into editorial, and houses differ a great deal in how they view that. Asking for a recent example keeps it factual. Take care not to suggest the job in front of you is only a way in to another one.
How are assistants trained: a program, a mentor, or learning beside the person they support?
Why ask it
Much of publishing is still learned by watching, so the person you report to is most of your training. Ask how often the two of you would sit down, and whether juniors may attend launch, cover and production meetings to see the rest of the process.
How do reviews work, and is pay looked at on a set schedule?
Why ask it
You are listening for a date and a process: a yearly review, a named person who writes it, and whether raises follow a cycle or have to be asked for. If it is all informal, ask how the last assistant found out how they were doing.
To close
What have you worked on here that you could not have done elsewhere?
Why ask it
People in publishing have usually stayed because of particular books, and they like being asked about them. The story shows what the house makes possible. A flat reply from someone senior is worth noting too.
What worries you about the next couple of years for this list?
Why ask it
Paper costs, a retailer's terms, a star author leaving, a change of ownership: the worry they pick is the pressure you would feel in the job. Ask it late, once the conversation is warm, and ask what is being done about it.
Is there anything in my background that makes you hesitate about me for this job?
Why ask it
It takes some nerve, but it gives you the chance to answer a doubt while you are still in the room. A frequent one is whether a candidate who loves books will also be content doing spreadsheets and mailings, so have an example of careful administrative work ready.
What happens next, and is there an editing test, a reader's report or another task to come?
Why ask it
Publishing interviews often include a written exercise, and the kind depends on the department: a manuscript report, a copy test, a press release, a proofreading sample. Ask how long you would have and who reads it, then note the date they expect to decide.
Making these questions work at a publisher
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Homework that pays off in publishing
Read from the list, recently
Read or at least sample three or four of the imprint's titles from the past two seasons, and note what you would tell a friend about each. Nearly every question under The list lands better when you can attach it to a book they published. For a magazine, read the last three issues and know which sections you liked.
Expect your question to come back
Ask what the list is missing and you may be asked what you would add to it. Ask which title they are proudest of and you may be asked which of theirs you admired. Before using anything from The list, have your own answer to its reverse ready, with a real title in it.
Reword for your department
An editorial interview, a publicity interview and a production interview share an employer and little else. Go down the page and mark the questions that fit the department you are applying to, then adjust the rest: 'titles' becomes 'campaigns' in publicity and 'schedules' in production.
Look up your interviewer's books
Acknowledgments pages, the publisher's catalog and trade announcements often show which titles an editor or publicist has worked on. A question about one of their own books shows more preparation than any compliment about the house in general.
Choose for the time you are given
The slot for your questions is often only a few minutes at the end. Take one about the books, one about the job itself and one about hours or promotion, and hold a closing question in reserve. If the conversation has already covered one of them, say what you heard and ask the next step on from it.
Matching the question to the person
The recruiter or HR
Salary range, overtime, benefits, office days and the date of a decision belong here. These people expect such questions and can answer them accurately, where an editor may only be guessing.
The person you would report to
Save the questions about the week, the books, the meetings you could attend and a good first season for your future boss. How clearly they answer is also a preview of how they would explain things once you work for them.
An assistant or recent hire, if you meet one
Someone a year or two into the job can tell you what the manager cannot: how much reading goes home, how hard the heavy months are, and how long the first promotion took. Put the same workload question to them that you put to the boss, and compare.
A department head or publisher
Use a short meeting with someone senior for the wider questions: where the list is going, how acquisitions are decided, and what worries them about the coming years. Daily logistics are better asked of the people who handle them.
What the answers are telling you
Titles and names beat adjectives
'We publish bold, original voices' could be said by any house. An interviewer who answers with particular books, authors and months is describing a real list and a real job, so ask for an example whenever you are handed an adjective.
How they talk about past assistants
Notice whether former assistants are mentioned by name and by where they went next. A house that follows its juniors with some pride usually trains them. One that speaks of the seat only as something to be filled may see it mainly as a pair of hands.
Soft answers on money and promotion
Not everyone is allowed to discuss figures, and one vague reply means little. A run of soft answers on pay, hours and the path upward, from several people, is worth weighing against how much you want to work on the books.
Loving the catalog is not the whole decision
It is easy to be won over by a list you admire. Check your notes for the plain facts as well: who you report to, the workload, the pay, the first rung. Those shape your days more than the names on the spines.
Things candidates get wrong
Mentioning your own manuscript
An interview for a publishing job is not a submission. Bringing up a book you are writing, or asking how staff get published, leaves the interviewer wondering what you actually want from the role.
Asking only about editing
Questions that skip past the administrative work to 'when do I get to edit?' suggest you would resent most of the job. Show real interest in the support work first, and the question about taking on your own projects will go down far better.
Running down books to sound discerning
Opinions are welcome. Criticizing a title on their list, or a rival's bestseller, is risky when you do not know who in the room worked on it or admires it. Talk about what you would have been proud to publish.
Asking what the catalog already told you
What the imprint publishes, its recent prizewinners and who runs it are all public. Start from that knowledge and go one step further: 'I noticed the list has added more narrative nonfiction lately. Is that a direction you are growing?'