Publishing Director Job Description

Salary Range

Varies by employer

Experience

Senior

Work Environment

University press or publishing house

What Does a Publishing Director Do?

Publishing directors choose which series and subject areas a press will grow and set the budget each list has to meet. The usual home is a university or other scholarly press, where the title is often assistant or associate director and the acquisitions editors report to them. Each book must find readers and pay its way.

Also known as: Assistant Director, University Press, Associate Director, University Press

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as CMC Director (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls Director), Compliance Director, Global RA Director (Global Regulatory Affairs Director), Global RA Manager (Global Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA Director (Regulatory Affairs Director), RA Manager (Regulatory Affairs Manager), RA QA Director (Regulatory Affairs Quality Assurance Director), RA VP (Regulatory Affairs Vice President).

Publishing Director Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a publishing director include:

• Set the press's publishing program with the director, deciding which series and subject areas to grow.
• Oversee acquisitions editors as they sign books, weighing peer reviews and projected sales.
• Build annual budgets for each list and track costs, sales and subsidies against them.
• Negotiate distribution, printing and ebook agreements with vendors and partner presses.
• Present new titles to the faculty editorial board for approval.
• Lead marketing plans for major books, including conference exhibits, review copies and author events.
• Supervise production and design staff so books go to the printer on schedule.
• Seek grants and donor funding to support open access and first books.
• Review contracts, rights sales and permissions policies with the contracts manager.
• Report on the press's finances and plans to university leadership and the press board.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a publishing director, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• Publishing finance and profit-and-loss planning
• Knowledge of scholarly publishing and peer review
• Leading editorial, production and marketing teams
• Contract and vendor negotiation
• Ebook, print-on-demand and open access models
• Grant writing and fundraising
• Diplomacy with faculty authors and boards
• Bachelor's degree, often with graduate study

Education and Training

Once you have years of acquisitions, editorial or marketing work under your belt, you can compete for director posts. A bachelor's degree is the minimum. Moving up without a graduate degree might be possible, but candidates with an advanced degree in a field the press publishes will have an advantage over other applicants when talking to faculty authors.

Salary and Job Outlook

BLS does not track publishing directors separately; it counts them among managers not listed elsewhere, a group it projects to grow about 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 100,900 openings a year. University presses run on tight budgets, and senior posts tend to open only when someone retires or moves on.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Managers, all other.

Publishing Director Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Publishing Directors

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Massachusetts ($182,950), District of Columbia ($175,720), California ($174,560), Colorado ($171,140), Delaware ($168,060). Pay is lowest in Tennessee ($99,430), Arkansas ($87,520), Indiana ($79,900).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as managers, all other about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 100% use email every day
• 100% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 95% spend more than half the workday sitting
• 87% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 74% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 64% are on the phone every day
• 61% usually work more than 40 hours a week

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Publishing Directors Use

Tools and equipment

• Computer laser printers
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• Laser facsimile machines
• Multi-line telephone systems
• Personal computers
• Photocopying equipment

Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe Acrobat
• Microsoft Access
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft SharePoint
• Microsoft Visio
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Word
• SAP software

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.

Knowledge areas used most: English Language, Law and Government, Administration and Management, Biology, Education and Training.

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Applying for a Publishing Director Job

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