ABSTRACT
Editor and publisher may not be synonymous, but the editor who thinks of himself as a one-person publisher won't go far wrong. Good editors are involved in all phases of a book's publication, including design, manufacturing, and marketing as well as the acquisition and actual editing of the book. Most medium to large editorial departments are headed by an editor in chief or editorial director. The relationship of the editorial department to other departments in the firm varies a great deal from one house to another and also varies with the kind of publishing the house does — trade, textbook, or scholarly. The editor's involvement as advocate for a book begins some time before the work is formally acquired by the publishing firm. The editor should try to take the position of the reader who may come to the book knowing nothing at all about the subject beforehand.
