What Is a Reader and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

A publishing reader assesses manuscripts and author queries sent to a literary agency, publishing house, or publication, such as a literary journal. At large agencies or publications, a professional reader is typically the first person to see a manuscript, and their duties are to assess the merit and viability of each manuscript and determine whether it should be rejected or sent up to an editor or literary agent. At smaller agencies or publications, an agent or editor may be the person responsible for reading manuscripts. Production companies or film agencies have a similar position called a script reader.

To become a publishing reader, you need several qualifications. A bachelor’s degree in English, literature, or a closely related subject is desirable. Summer internships in the publishing or editing industries are also an increasingly important prerequisite for a job as a publishing reader. You should also have an understanding of the publishing world and trends and be able to assess whether there is an audience or market for a given manuscript. Your skills should include reading very quickly but attentively and writing detailed analyses of many manuscripts in a short period.

A proofreader checks a completed book or publication before it gets sent to the printers. They typically work with galley copies, which have already been typeset by the printer. As a proofreader, your responsibilities are to find any grammatical errors, proofreading mistakes, or typographical inconsistencies in the text and mark them with specialized symbols that indicate the appropriate changes for the printer to make. You might work from digital texts, so you need to have good computer literacy and familiarity with digital publication software and standard editing marks.

A meter reader checks commercial or residential meters that track a building’s water, steam, electricity, and gas usage. They enter the data into books or specialized computers which route data back to a utility company, which then uses the information to charge customers for usage. To become a meter reader, you must have computer literacy, a clean driving record, and familiarity with health and safety codes related to both protecting personal information and assessing any potential issues with a building’s utility delivery systems.